You are probably thinking, “I don’t need to know about homeowners or renters insurance since I still live with my parents.” If you aren't living on you own, it won't be long. When you do, you'll want to protect your possessions, won't you?

If you do, you'll need to make sure that you have the appropriate coverage for what you worked so hard to buy. Just getting auto insurance and health insurance isn’t enough. You may be thinking, "Spend MORE on insurance?" It may seem difficult to spend money on something that you hope you never have to use, but what happens if you don't?

Think about the following situations:

• Do you know anyone who has lost their home, or had significant damage to their home due to some natural disaster or a fire?
• Did any of these people have enough money to simply go out and buy another home without the help of an insurance company?
• If you lost your home, would you have enough money to pay to replace it and your possessions?
• If someone broke into your house and stole all of your most valuable possessions, could you replace them without going into debt?
• What if someone slipped on your snowy front steps and hurt themselves and decided to sue you for negligence? Who would pay the settlement, which could be in the tens of thousands of dollars?

Homeowners and renters insurance can help you out if any of these scenarios happens to you.

Property and Liability Insurance Property and liability insurance can help protect you and your possessions in case something happens to your home or someone at your home. Having these insurance policies can be the best way to safeguard your valuables and your finances in case something unexpected happens. Click the player button to begin. View a printable version of this interactivity.

Professional Liability Insurance

If you run your own business, you might need to buy professional liability insurance to protect you against financial losses from lawsuits filed by clients. This is not included in most homeowners policies. Professional liability insurance is often purchased by attorneys, health care providers, and educators to protect against malpractice and other litigation.