What Is Property and Casualty Insurance?

Property-casualty insurance practices in the United States are based on British practices and started with marine insurers located in major U.S. ports. Even when our nation was young, we were concerned with protecting ourselves and our property and not much has changed since then. Property-casualty insurance is specifically designed to help protect your possessions from theft or destruction and your assets from being depleted through disaster or litigation claims brought against you.

The property side of a policy insures physical items, such as homes, commercial buildings, motor vehicles, and personal possessions or business inventory. Types of property insurance include homeowners insurance, fire insurance, flood or earthquake insurance, and automobile insurance.

These insurance contracts may have an “open perils” or a “named perils” clause. The open perils clause covers losses for reasons that are not specifically excluded in the policy. Typical exclusions are earthquakes, floods, and acts of terrorism or war. A named perils clause requires the actual cause of loss to be listed in the policy, such as fire, lightning, explosion, and theft.

Casualty insurance, or liability insurance, covers you for losses that you may cause to another individual or business. This is called “third-party” coverage. For example, if you have liability insurance on your car and another party is injured in a collision caused by you, your liability insurance will take care of the other person’s medical and repair costs. In addition, if someone sues you because of harm you may have caused to him or to his possessions, your casualty insurance may cover the cost.

Both individuals and businesses can purchase property-casualty insurance. Personal policies include homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and automobile insurance, whereas commercial polices are written specifically for businesses and other organizations and may include commercial general liability, workers’ compensation, and commercial property insurance.

If you are worried about protecting your possessions from damage and your assets from being diminished due to liability costs, then you may want to consider the types of property-casualty insurance that are appropriate for you. When selecting an insurance policy, make sure to examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

The information in this article is not intended to be tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Emerald. © 2012 Emerald Connect, Inc.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Gilbert J. Baker, Ann Baker Ronn, and Karin L. Tyson are Registered Representatives. Securities are offered solely through Ameritas Investment Corp (AIC). Member FINRA/SIPC. AIC and The AFP Group and AFP Investment Advisory, Inc. are not affiliated. Additional products and services may be available through The AFP Group or AFP Investment Advisory, Inc. that are not offered through AIC.

In this regard, this communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the states of California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington. No offers may be made or accepted from any residents outside the specific states referenced.

Gilbert J. Baker, Ann Baker Ronn, and Karin L.Tyson are also separately registered as investment advisers under AFP Investment Advisory,Inc. a registered investment adviser, offering advisory services in the state of Texas. As such, these services are strictly intended for individuals residing in Texas.

This is not an offer of securities in any jurisdiction, nor is it specifically directed to a resident of any jurisdiction. As with any security, request a prospectus from your registered representative. Read it carefully before you invest or send money. A Representative from The AFP Group will contact you to provide requested information. Representatives of AIC do not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax advisor or attorney regarding your situation.

A broker-dealer BD , investment adviser IA , a BD agent, or IA Representative may only transact business in a state if first registered in that state, or is excluded or exempt from registration in that state as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, BD agent or IA Representative, as appropriate. Follow-up, individualized responses to persons in a state by such a firm or individual that involve either affecting or attempting to affect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, will not be made without first complying with appropriate registration requirements, or an applicable exemption or exclusion.

For Information concerning the license status or disciplinary history of a broker-dealer, investment adviser, BD agent, or IA rep, a consumer should contact his or her state securities law administrator.