Originally Published in Tennessean by Jeffrey Zander Guest columnist – June 26, 2018

A lightning strike, a flood, a car crash, a silent disease.

Tragedy can strike in many forms and without a moment’s notice. Leaving yourself and your family uninsured and unprotected only compounds the profound loss felt during these times of tragedy. The truth is that if you wait to acquire insurance until you need it, it will be too late.

In honor of the recently-celebrated National Insurance Awareness Day, I want to call attention to the benefit and necessity of making sure your car, home and family are insured. At the end of the day, having insurance is having peace of mind, but studies have shown that Americans are woefully insured.

According to the Life Insurance and Market Research Association, 30 percent of households – 37.5 million people – do not have life insurance, and approximately 50 million households recognize they need more life insurance.

Andrea Pirtle came to this very realization when tragedy struck her Nashville-based family. When her son was five weeks old, Pirtle’s husband passed away suddenly with no life insurance. As a newly single-income household, she was left to face not only the heartbreak of that devasting loss but also the overwhelming expenses of her husband’s funeral, the medical expenses and costs associated with raising a child, their house payments and more.

The combination of this emotional and financial stress was debilitating, and Pirtle now champions the importance of life insurance in protecting your loved ones.

Another local homeowner shared a similar experience when she fell victim to a natural disaster that cost her and her husband everything.

“My husband and I were never aware of how important it was to have insurance,” said ReliaShield Agent Christina Saunders. “We kept putting it off, saying, ‘Oh, this will never happen to us.’ But we had a very rude awakening.”

After lightning struck, their home was left destroyed by a subsequent fire. Without life or homeowner’s insurance, Saunders and her husband lost everything and were forced to move in with her parents.

Bearing the burden of replacing the losses themselves, they realized had they also lost their lives, their families would have instead been left with that burden.

“We lost everything but our lives, our dog and the clothes on our backs,” Saunders said. “If I could give one piece of advice: Even though you do not think something will happen to you, it’s always best to be prepared. The peace of mind alone is worth it.”

Deciding to get insurance is only the first step in the process; the next step is choosing the right insurance policy for your needs.

When reviewing policy options, make sure the option you are selecting will cover the full value of your home and property, as well as fully provide for your family. If you had to re-purchase everything you own at full retail value, your home insurance should cover that amount.

Additionally, your life insurance policy should provide the financial amount your family would need to supplement the loss of your salary – keeping in mind mortgage payments, any outstanding debts and future needs like funeral and college costs.

Shop around for rates – don’t stop with the first quote you receive but compare options to make sure you are choosing a policy that gives you the lowest rate for the coverage you need.

Take a moment to ask yourself – if your home were destroyed or damaged today, would you be covered? If something were to happen to you, is your family protected?

If your answer is no, it’s time to make a decision today that will guarantee you and your loved ones a better, safer and more peaceful tomorrow.