Rick Vassar has found a niche subject (business risk insurance) that was lacking in coverage, so he wrote the book on it. And he did a great job doing it. The book, Hide, Here Comes the Insurance Guy; A Practical Guide to Understanding Business Insurance and Risk Management, is a job well done.
We all have to buy insurance for our cars, our homes, even our lives. But business insurance is a totally different animal. If you run a business, you have to have insurance. It's that simple.
Rick spells out what that insurance is, why you need it and why you'll be sorry if you don't have it. He has demystified more than a few insurance terms, opened up the world of risk (and the risk is all yours without insurance) and given compelling case scenarios to show what can happen without insurance.
If I had to pick on something to critique, I’d say that some of his headlines don't seem to match his later words, for example "Why people hate insurance" is the headline and then the anecdote that follows is about algebra. I would argue that people hate insurance because they pay and pay and pay and pay, and then finally, they submit a claim and they get hassled and hassled and hassled, until they finally settle for less than they should be getting from an insurance company. To me, that's why people hate insurance.
I think, though, that Rick was tying Algebra — the subject everyone thinks they'll never need --- into insurance, because at some point in life you'll need both. That is a pretty picky critique on my part, because nothing is perfect.
Back to the good stuff, I really like the way Rick has broken it down for you on the ins and outs of the insurance game. For one, he tells you to get more than one quote – at first that seems like common sense, but when was the last time you got a quote?
I had to think about it and for my car insurance, it’s been at least four years. How would I know if I’m getting the best rate if I haven’t bothered to shop around in four years? Nice reminder to me.
The same applies for business insurance and going through a broker. The broker is in business for himself or his company, not you. You are the payee and if you aren’t paying, they don’t make money, which is just part of the reason your insurance rates tend to go up every year, instead of down.
Article comments
1 - Reed
Cool, this book is in my wish list, it seems this book is informative to everyone and for business also. Insurance is expensive but can be more expensive to be without coverage. Example for auto insurance. If you don't have insurance, you would have to pay for car repair costs entirely out of your own wallet or buy a new car, which could leave you in serious financial trouble.