Insurance, explained clearly by a family with three generations of expertise. Speaking of Insurance from Bollinsure Insurance Services features California insurance conversations with Brian Bollinger and Aaron Bollinger, covering home, auto, business and personal umbrella topics. Find episode transcripts and related resources at https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast.
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36 episodes available
Here is a sentence heard more than once from California homeowners after a fire: I had replacement cost, so why is there a gap? The policy paid to rebuild the house that stood there, but the city would not let them rebuild that house. The code says you must build to today's standards: fire resistant siding, ember resistant vents, new electrical, maybe solar,…
Two neighbors in Simi Valley, both 35, both married with two young kids, buy a $1 million life insurance policy on the same day. One pays about the cost of a streaming bundle each month. The other pays more than a car payment. Neither one got ripped off. They bought two different tools for two different jobs. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services…
You move out, keep the house, and rent it to a nice family. The homeowners policy keeps renewing. Then a pipe bursts, and the adjuster asks one simple question: who lives there? That one question can change everything about the claim. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services compares the dwelling fire forms (DP-1, DP-2, and DP-3) with the…
Your commercial property policy can help with the building and the stuff inside it after a covered loss. But does that same policy pay the income you lose while you are closed, or is lost revenue a different lane? A rebuild check is not a P&L check. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services compares commercial property and business interruption…
Your landlord has insurance on the building. Does that cover your furniture, clothes, laptop, and liability if someone gets hurt in your apartment, or do you need your own HO-4?. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services explains what renters insurance and HO-4 policies are generally for in California, how contents, personal liability, and loss of use…
What happens when a claim climbs past your home or auto liability limits? Aaron explains the personal umbrella as a second layer of liability on top of home and auto. He covers how carriers look at underlying limits, using an auto policy at 100/300/50 as the example, and how the umbrella protects both you and the underlying insurer. He walks through…
A general contractor or property manager rejects your certificate because it is missing hired and non-owned auto. What now? Aaron explains HNOA for businesses that do not own vehicles but whose employees drive for work. He explains why a $2 million general liability aggregate does not answer an auto requirement, and when HNOA can be added to a BOP or GL by…
Insurance can decide whether you close on a California home. Aaron explains why buyers should price insurance early, using an illustration where a $2,400 estimate becomes $7,000 a year, or about $400 more per month. He covers why some homes are harder to insure: wildfire exposure, roof age, claims history, and older systems. He explains the FAIR Plan as an…
An employee runs a work errand in a personal car and causes a serious accident. Who pays? Aaron explains why a vehicle having auto insurance does not mean the business is protected. He covers personal versus commercial auto use, owned fleet exposure, and hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) for vehicles the business does not own. He explains why general liability…
Sometimes all a cyber loss takes is one email. Aaron opens with a hypothetical SoCal contractor who wires $85,000 to a criminal after a fake change to a supplier's bank details. He explains business email compromise, how AI makes impersonation more convincing, and the difference between first-party and third-party cyber coverage. A key point: a cyber policy…
A cheaper landlord policy can cost far more after a loss. Aaron starts with a $4,000-a-month rental that is unlivable for six months after a fire, or $24,000 of lost rent. He explains why a homeowners policy does not fit a rental, and what a dwelling policy like the DP-3 covers. He covers replacement cost versus actual cash value, lost rental income, and…
A fire can close a business for months even when the building is insured. Aaron walks through business interruption, also called business income coverage, using a SoCal restaurant example. He explains why it pays lost net income plus continuing expenses rather than gross sales. The illustration: $100,000 in monthly revenue, $10,000 in monthly profit, and…
California homeowners often focus on market value or the premium, but those numbers do not tell you what it would cost to rebuild after a major loss. That gap can leave a high-value home underinsured when a fire, smoke event, or other disaster hits. Aaron Bollinger explains dwelling coverage, replacement cost versus actual cash value, and how extended or…
California contractors and business owners can face costly delays when a certificate of insurance doesn’t meet a project’s requirements. Having insurance in place is only the first step, making sure the paperwork, endorsements, entity names, and coverage terms align with the contract is what keeps a job moving. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance ,…
Before renewing your California homeowners insurance, make sure your coverage reflects the home you actually have, not just its market value. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance by Bollinsure Insurance Services, Aaron Bollinger explains how to review your dwelling limit, replacement cost estimate, and policy details so you can better understand whether…
California homeowners, contractors, and business owners face mounting hurdles when building or renovating a property, and even when a project gets underway, ensuring you have the right protection in place is critical. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, Aaron Bollinger breaks down a vital insurance distinction that catches many property owners and…
California homeowners, contractors, and business owners face mounting hurdles after a disaster—and even when an insurance claim gets approved, the fight might not be over. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, Aaron Bollinger breaks down a critical insurance roadblock that catches many property owners by surprise: what happens when your insurance company…
California drivers, contractors, and business owners face rising liability risks and shifting insurance markets, and standard policies might not protect them the way they think. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron Bollinger breaks down the personal umbrella insurance market in California. He explains the recent market shifts, stricter…
California drivers, contractors, and business owners face hidden risks every time they hit the road, and standard insurance policies might not protect them the way they think. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron Bollinger breaks down the critical differences between personal and commercial auto exposures. He explains why standard personal…
California workers’ compensation costs are changing, and contractors, employers, and growing businesses need to be prepared. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron Bollinger breaks down what rising claim costs, legal expenses, cumulative trauma claims, and changing insurance rates could mean for California employers. He explains why insurers can…
Are you paying too much for homeowners insurance in California, or are you paying for coverage that might not fully protect your home?. In this episode of the Speaking of Insurance Podcast, we break down the changing California homeowners insurance market, new insurance company eligibility opportunities, wildfire risk mitigation, and practical ways to get…
Thinking about starting a contracting business in California, expanding your construction company, or bidding on larger projects? Before you take on your next job, understanding contractor insurance, licensing, permits, and surety bonds can make a major difference. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance by Bollinsure Insurance Services, we're breaking down…
California employers are facing a workers’ comp rate increase, but the real risk is treating it as just a routine bump. Aaron Bollinger breaks down the 6.6% advisory increase, the average pure premium rate, and the factors that can push costs higher, or help businesses manage them. If you run payroll, manage a team, or work in a higher-risk class code such…
With real estate investing on the rise, proper risk management is critical for property owners. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, host Aaron Bollinger breaks down everything you need to know about California landlord insurance, from navigating short-term vs. long-term rentals to avoiding costly coverage gaps. We cover:. Homeowners vs. Landlord…
With the California Great ShakeOut approaching, earthquake readiness is top of mind. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron Bollinger breaks down whether earthquake insurance is actually worth the cost in California and highlights the key questions homeowners must ask before buying a policy. We cover:. Current Coverage Check: Why standard…
Speaking of Insurance dives into one of California homeowners’ biggest concerns: water damage, flooding, and what El Niño weather could mean for your insurance coverage. In this episode, Aaron Bollinger explains why not all “flooding” is treated the same by insurers, and why the source of the water can make all the difference in a claim. We cover:. • The…
California’s property insurance market is changing fast, especially for homeowners in wildfire-prone areas. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, Aaron and Brian Bollinger discuss what they’re seeing in California right now: rising California FAIR Plan premiums, limited carrier availability, underwriting restrictions, older roofs, brush exposure, and why…
California is considering several insurance bills that could affect how insurers collect your information, underwrite risk, handle regulatory compliance, and provide certain health and life insurance benefits. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, Aaron and Brian Bollinger break down six pending pieces of insurance legislation and discuss what they could…
California is considering major changes to how insurance claims are handled after wildfires and other catastrophic events, but new laws don’t automatically mean every problem in the insurance market gets fixed. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron and Brian Bollinger break down several major California property insurance bills, including SB 876,…
As your business grows, your insurance should grow with it, but growth doesn’t always mean every premium goes up. And when a business slows down, there may be opportunities to adjust payroll, sales projections, limits, and other exposures before waiting for an audit or renewal. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance , Aaron and Brian Bollinger break down…
California’s property insurance market has changed dramatically, and the California FAIR Plan now reportedly insures approximately $768 billion in property across the state. In this episode of Speaking of Insurance, Aaron and Brian Bollinger break down what the growth of the FAIR Plan means for California homeowners, why it should generally remain an insurer…
Building wealth is only half the equation. Without the right insurance and asset-protection strategy, one serious accident, lawsuit, or uncovered exposure could put years of work at risk. Aaron and Brian Bollinger explain why high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and families with growing assets need more than a basic home, auto, and umbrella…
Workers' comp mistakes can quietly cost employers 20% to 50% more - and one bad misclassification can wreck your rates. If you're hiring employees, running a contracting business, or trying to keep insurance costs under control, this conversation shows exactly where workers' comp pricing gets won or lost. Brian Bollinger breaks down the simple moves that…
Bonding can make or break a contractor's next big project, and most people misunderstand it completely. If you think a bond is just cheap paperwork or a form of insurance, this conversation with Aaron and Brian Bollinger will change how you approach every bid, every underwriter, and every promise you put your business behind.Aaron and Brian break down what…
Received a California home insurance non-renewal notice? Don’t wait until your coverage expires to start looking for options. Aaron and Brian Bollinger explain what homeowners should do when an insurance company decides not to renew their policy, especially in wildfire-exposed areas. They discuss how to act within the notice period, evaluate the market,…
Before you make an offer on a home, you should understand whether it can be insured, how much that insurance may cost, and what property issues could create problems later. Aaron and Brian Bollinger explain the home insurance questions buyers should ask before closing - especially when purchasing an older, high-value, or wildfire-exposed property in…
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