Personal Insurance
Houston - Post Oak, Houston - Briar Forest, Sugar Land - Greatwood, Tyler

What is personal insurance?

With a personal insurance policy, you can protect your and your family’s health, your personal belongings, and even your activities. Individual insurance covers costs that could potentially cripple your financial health.

Some policies, like car and homeowners insurance, are required by law or third parties. Even though the majority of personal insurance policies aren’t required, you should still consider maintaining them. Accidents happen, and you should protect yourself against their devastating financial effects.

What are the types of personal insurance?

There are hundreds of different types of personal insurance you can choose from depending on your needs and situation. However, there are some significant individual insurance policies everyone should know. These include:

• Car Insurance — A great car insurance policy protects you and other drivers.
• Earthquake Insurance — Impossible to predict, earthquakes can cause major damage to your personal property and home. It is a common assumption that homeowners insurance covers earthquakes and other natural disasters, but this isn’t always the case.
• Flood Insurance — Standard homeowners and renters insurance policies do not cover flooding! Since flooding can occur anywhere it rains, every homeowner should seriously consider purchasing a flood insurance policy.
• Health Insurance — An individual health insurance policy can provide coverage for individuals, individuals and their spouses, or entire families.
• Homeowner’s Insurance — Your house is not just a roof over your head. It is your family's home and holds those things you value and worked hard to acquire. It is also one of the biggest investments many of us make.
• Life Insurance — It isn’t for you—it's for your family. Life insurance offers financial protection to your dependents in the event of your death.
• Umbrella Insurance — This policy provides additional liability insurance that goes into effect when a claim exceeds your homeowners or car insurance policy’s limits.

So how do you know if your policy is really going to do its job when you need it? How do you know you are getting the best value for your insurance dollar? This is where the experience and knowledge of an independent insurance agent comes in – having the right agent can help give you peace of mind knowing you have the right coverage for the risks you face at a competitive price.

How is Leavitt Texas Select one of the best-kept secrets?

Quite simply, as independent insurance agents, we can bring you more choice and unbiased advice. Our network of personal insurance agents is in your community and our agents value the kind of client relationship, service, and consultative approach that is often lost with direct online purchases.

We want our clients to have the same convenient ways to handle their insurance--whether it starts with a comparison quote online, a phone call, or a visit from one of our agents. We then add a critical step in the process: we consult with you to ensure the coverage, product, and insurance company is right for your needs.

The result is truly better insurance.

You work hard to protect your family and yourself. We can help. We’ll assess what your risks are and help you tailor the individual insurance policies you need.

We’d love to chat with you. Contact us today!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How Does Umbrella Insurance Work?

  Umbrella insurance goes into effect when there is a covered liability claim under your car or homeowners insurance policy that exceeds the coverage limits you have purchased on those policies.

• What happens if a claim costs more than the limit on your home or car insurance policy?

  Unfortunately, any amount owed that is over your policy limit is your responsibility and can be financially devastating. The good news is you can easily protect yourself from large claims by adding low-cost umbrella insurance to your policy.

• How much coverage should I carry?

  The answer usually depends on your net worth.

  Calculating the value of your home, stocks, mutual funds, and retirement accounts is the first step to determining the amount of coverage you should purchase under an umbrella insurance policy.

  Any claim amount exceeding your standard liability policy is your responsibility to cover.

• How Much Homeowners Insurance Do I Need?

  In most cases, people don't know how much it would cost to rebuild their home and replace all their personal belongings after a total loss. The prospect of calculating local building costs and creating a thorough inventory of all your possessions can seem overwhelming. As a result, home insurance has too often been based on assumptions either a rough guess or a default percentage of the home's structural value set by the insurance company.

  Your local Leavitt Group Texas Select insurance agent can help you protect your investment by consulting with you to determine the amount of insurance you need to cover the following:

  1. The Structure of Your Home

     • Cost to rebuild the home based on current local construction and material costs.
     • Consideration of any unique or custom features that may increase reconstruction costs.

  2. Personal Belongings

     • Comprehensive inventory of all personal items including electronics, furniture, clothing, and valuable items like jewelry and art.
     • Assessment of the actual cash value versus replacement cost coverage for your possessions.

  3. Living Expenses

     • Coverage for additional living expenses in case your home is uninhabitable during repairs.
     • Estimate of costs for comparable temporary accommodation and daily living expenses.

  4. Liability Protection

     • Coverage for injuries or damage to other people or their property where you are deemed responsible.
     • Consideration of higher liability limits or an umbrella policy for added protection.

  5. Natural Disasters

     • Assessment of the geographic location’s susceptibility to disasters like floods, earthquakes, or hurricanes.
     • Understanding exclusions and additional policies required for specific risks (e.g., flood insurance).

  6. Other Structures

     • Insurance for structures on your property not attached to your house, such as garages, sheds, and fences.
     • Consideration of the replacement costs for these additional structures.

  7. Special Coverage

     • Options for endorsements or floaters that provide additional coverage for specific items or circumstances.
     • Review of any gaps in standard policies where additional coverage might be necessary.

  8. Discounts and Deductibles

     • Discussion of available discounts for bundling policies, installing security systems, or making home improvements.
     • Appropriate selection of deductibles to balance out-of-pocket costs with premium rates.
• What type of life insurance policy should you buy?

  When your personal situation changes, you may need to re-examine your life insurance policy. If your income changes, you get married, or you have children, you may want to increase your coverage or purchase a different type of policy.

• What does renter's insurance cover?

  Home renters insurance is tailored to protect against three major types of exposures.

  • Personal Property If your personal property is damaged or lost because of a covered peril like fire or theft you are protected by personal property coverage. However, not all your personal property may be covered. Some expensive belongings such as jewelry or a valuable coin collection are not protected in a standard renters insurance policy and require additional coverage.
  • Personal Liability With this type of coverage, you are financially protected if a guest is injured while visiting or if you accidentally damage someone else's property.
  • Additional Living Expenses If you are displaced because your residence is damaged or becomes uninhabitable, additional living expenses coverage can create a financial buffer for you by paying for costs like hotel bills.

  In addition, there are two types of renter's insurance. Neither is better than the other, and your choice depends on your risks and needs.

  • Actual Cash Value Coverage This type of policy reimburses you for the true value of your items when they are lost, which means depreciation pays a part in the final amount.
  • Replacement Cost Coverage This policy is more comprehensive and will cover the actual cost of replacing a lost or damaged item.
• How much renters insurance do I need?
  This is another one of those questions where the answer varies depending on the person. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you want covered. To help you decide, it may be helpful for you to create an inventory of the items in your home and their value. You may be okay if some of your belongings go without coverage. You've worked hard to make the property you rent into a home. We can help protect it. We'll assess what your risks are and help you tailor the renters policy you need. We'd love to chat with you. Contact our agents today!
• What is not covered by renters insurance?

  Renters insurance is an incredibly helpful essential, but there are some exclusions and limits to keep in mind.

  1. Your renters insurance does not cover personal property loss over your coverage limit. This means that once you reach the limit, you can't be compensated for any more money past the limit amount.
  2. Your personal liability coverage will also have a limit. Just like mentioned above, if your claim exceeds the limit, you won't be reimbursed past it.
  3. Your renters insurance does not cover any damage you may cause to the structure of your rental home.
• How much does renters insurance cost?
  If you're worried about your premium after hearing your landlord requires at least $100,000 in liability protection, you're not alone! Thankfully, on average, renters insurance is reasonably inexpensive. In July of 2021, the average annual cost of a home renter's insurance policy was $168 a year ($14 a month). Some factors will make your personalized policy more or less expensive. Some of these factors include: Location of the residence Your credit history Your dog's breed, if you have one Your previous claims Coverage limits
• What insurance products are available for private clients?
  • High-value auto
  • High-Value Homeowners
  • Collections
  • Valuable items
  • Identity Theft Essential support, including resolution services
  • Watercraft and Yachts
  • Wedding and Private Event Insurance 
  • Excess Liability and Personal Umbrella
• What is renter's insurance?
  Renter's insurance is straightforward. IRMI defines it as insurance [that] covers the contents of the home, apartment, or a condo the tenant rents but does not own. It's that simple.
• Is renters insurance required?
  As a tenant, the only time you are required to purchase renters insurance is when your landlord requires it, which they are legally allowed to do. Your landlord's insurance has specific exclusions and limits, just like yours. For example, their policy doesn't cover your personal belongings at all. It also won't cover any damage you do to the property. Your landlord wants to stay protected as much as you do!
• What is Pet Insurance?
  Pet insurance reimburses you for your dog or cat's unexpected medical bills.
• Do I need NEMT insurance?
  Most cities, municipalities, and private facilities you contract or partner with will require a minimum amount of coverage or proof of insurance. So, be sure to check existing and potential business contracts for specific requirements.
• What makes private client insurance different?

  Higher limits, protection for unique situations, and a hassle-free claims experience.

  With a private client offering, you can expect:

  • A mature, dedicated service team with an extensive background in serving varied needs and expectations.
  • Identification of potential areas of loss and a tailored solution to maximize coverage while minimizing cost.
  • Complete confidentiality every step of the way.
  • Access to the nation's leading insurance providers, including products designed for private clients.
  • An insurance advisor at your side to navigate claims.
• How much does NEMT insurance cost?
  Unfortunately, there's no single estimate for how much NEMT insurance costs.
• Why do you need pet insurance?
  Advancements in veterinary medicine save more pets than ever, and those treatments can be really expensive.
• What is NEMT insurance?
  Non-emergency medical transport insurance, or NEMT insurance for short, is business insurance tailored to businesses and companies that transport patients to and from medical appointments.
• How does NEMT insurance work?
  It's important to note that you can't insure any vehicle with NEMT insurance. Some carriers require that you have certain vehicle features in place, like safety equipment and written safety procedures. It's also common for insurance companies to exclude certain features, such as light bars, sirens, and life support equipment, from a NEMT insurance policy.
• What does Medigap cover?

  Medigap policies can be used to pay co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles, and in some cases, Medigap policies may cover services that aren't covered at all by Original Medicare, such as medical care if you travel outside of the United States.