What Is Umbrella Insurance? And How Does It Work? | RamseySolutions.com

You’ve worked hard for your money, as the song goes, and you’ve finally built some wealth. You’re well on your way to reaching the million-dollar mark by the time you retire, but you’re worried. You’ve heard stories of friends who lost everything in lawsuits and had to start all over again.

You shouldn’t have to worry about being sued for no good reason and letting somebody take what you’ve worked for. So how do you protect yourself—and your money?

It’s called umbrella insurance. Umbrella insurance provides coverage for lawsuits and large claims that aren’t covered by your primary liability terms. So it’s pretty much your money’s best friend.

Let us explain why.

What Is Umbrella Insurance?

Basically, umbrella insurance is extra liability coverage. This type of insurance protects you (plus your family and any other members of your household) from large claims or lawsuits that go above your other insurance policies, such as homeowners or auto policies.

Think of umbrella insurance as protection for your assets. Just like an umbrella for the rain that protects you from getting wet, umbrella insurance protects your money by filling the financial gap that your primary liability insurance doesn’t cover.

How Does Umbrella Insurance Work?

Imagine this scenario: You’re driving your SUV in the rain. You’re late to work and going too fast, and suddenly you hydroplane into oncoming traffic. Your SUV slams three sedans, resulting in $100,000 in car damages. You injure six people and the medical bills come out to $500,000. One of the drivers discovers that you’re wealthy, and because the car accident caused him “emotional trauma,” he’s going to sue you for $400,000.

In seconds, that one accident cost you $1 million in damages and injuries. You have $500,000 in liability coverage on your auto insurance, which means you need to come up with the other $500,000 fast.

Enter umbrella insurance. Instead of clearing your retirement fund or going back into debt, umbrella insurance will cover the remaining $500,000 your auto insurance didn’t cover and all the court fees associated with the lawsuit. See why it’s your money’s best friend?

More good news. There is no separate umbrella insurance deductible. Once you pay your primary policy deductible (your auto insurance deductible in this case), you won’t have to pay the deductible again.

Why Do You Need Umbrella Insurance?

You’ve worked decades to build up your savings and investments. Decades. Unfortunately, that money could be gone in the blink of an eye because of a nasty lawsuit. That’s why you need umbrella insurance.

If you’re making good money, starting to build up some wealth in your retirement accounts, and have a paid-for-home or at least sizeable equity, you need umbrella insurance. And if you have a net worth of at least $500,000, you definitely need it. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for financial risk.

If someone suffers a serious injury on your property or is in a car accident that was your fault, how much do you think you could be sued for?

$500,000?

$1 million?

$5 million?

More?

Oftentimes, yes.

To put it bluntly, you could potentially be on the losing side of a really large lawsuit or accident claim that could wipe you out financially. And all for something that was completely unintentional on your part. But unfortunately you’re on the hook financially for all of the damages. Major ouch.

What Does Umbrella Insurance Cover?

Umbrella insurance covers you for lawsuits and very expensive claims. In particular, you’ll have extra coverage in the following four areas:

Bodily Injury

Whether your neighbors’ kid breaks his arm on your trampoline or your dog bites someone, umbrella insurance will help cover the medical bills or lawsuits that exceed the limits of your homeowners insurance.

Injury to Reputation

Slander. Libel. Defamation. If you injure someone’s reputation, whether in person or online, you could be sued for a large amount. Umbrella insurance will cover you if you lose these lawsuits.

Property Damages

If you get into an accident and the repair costs exceed the liability on your auto insurance, umbrella insurance kicks in to cover the rest of the costs. It can even cover you if you rent equipment. For example, if you rent a Jet Ski and you lose control and smash the dock, your umbrella insurance may help you with the repair costs.

Court Costs

That’s right, umbrella insurance will even cover your lawyer fees when you have to defend yourself in a lawsuit.

What Doesn’t Umbrella Insurance Cover?

Umbrella insurance won’t cover everything under the sun. Be aware of these four cases where umbrella insurance doesn’t have your back.

Personal Property

Umbrella insurance won’t cover damages that you make to your personal belongings. So, if you thought driving your motorbike into the pool was a good idea (you were trying to ramp over it, right?), and now the oil and gasoline and brake fluid have damaged your pool, don’t expect umbrella insurance to cover the repair costs.

Criminal Acts

If you hurt someone on purpose, whether that means injuring them or damaging their property, umbrella insurance won’t cover the injuries you cause or the lawsuit that follows.

Flood Damage

Just like homeowners or renters insurance, umbrella insurance doesn’t cover damages caused by floods. You need a flood insurance policy for that. Now, if you accidently flood your apartment, and your neighbors sue you for the damages you cause to their apartment, umbrella insurance will help with that lawsuit.

Contracted Worker Injuries

If you hire workers through a construction company, they should have their own insurance. Sometimes, however, you sign a contract that makes you responsible for the workers. Read the disclosures carefully. If you sign a contract that makes you liable for the workers, and one of them gets hurt on your property, umbrella insurance will not cover you.

How Do You Buy Umbrella Insurance?

In order to buy umbrella insurance, you must have a homeowners, renters or auto insurance policy. Umbrella insurance is an add-on to an already existing policy, and you can’t buy it separately. Work with an independent insurance agent who can help you buy the right amount—you may be able to bundle umbrella insurance with your home or auto insurance to save on your premium.

How Much Does Umbrella Insurance Cost?

For the amount of coverage you get, the price of umbrella insurance is dirt cheap. You can easily get $1 million of coverage for $150–300 a year.¹

It gets even cheaper after the first $1 million. It costs an additional $75 for $2 million dollars of coverage and then $50 for every million dollars of coverage after that.²

How Much Umbrella Insurance Do You Need?

Umbrella insurance starts at a minimum coverage of $1 million. You may think that’s enough, but don’t get stingy. You want to buy enough umbrella insurance to cover your net worth, so the more assets you have, the more umbrella insurance you need to get. You may be surprised how affordable it is.

After you’ve calculated your assets, ask yourself, How much risk do I have of being sued? Chances are, you’re more at risk than you think.

Who Needs Umbrella Insurance?

If your net worth is over $500,000, you need umbrella insurance. And you might need more than the $1 million minimum coverage if more than two of the following apply to you:

To remove any doubt you might have, take our 5-minute Coverage Checkup to make sure you have what you need.

Get the Coverage You Need

Here’s the deal: If you have wealth, you’re at risk of being sued. It doesn’t matter how nice and friendly you are. And it definitely doesn’t matter how much time and energy you’ve put into getting out of debt, building savings, and growing your investments. All it takes is one nasty lawsuit to take it all away.

If your net worth is above $500,000 and you don’t have umbrella insurance, what are you waiting for? Find your local, recommended independent insurance agent who will shop around for you to get the right insurance at the right price. They’ll evaluate your assets and determine how much umbrella insurance you really need.

Don’t put this off! Protect your assets today and experience the peace of mind that comes from knowing your wealth is off-limits to other people.