PROTECT · VOLUME 1 OF 3 · FOUNDATIONSInsurance and protection shelf
Insurance Protection Essentials
The first book to read on protecting what you have. It explains how insurance works and which risks are worth insuring, how to rank your own risks, how cash and coverage work together, and what to look for in disability, life, health, home, auto and umbrella policies, with a yearly review that keeps them current.
Chapters8
Reading time45 min
Worked examples17
Updated2026-10-01
What you will be able to do
- Tell which risks to insure and which to keep yourself, and read any policy's declarations page, exclusions and limits.
- Rank the risks that could do your household the most damage and stress-test whether your cash and coverage would hold.
- Size an emergency fund and match it to your deductibles, out-of-pocket maximum and disability waiting period.
- Estimate how much life and disability coverage you need and judge the policy terms that decide whether a claim pays.
- Compare health plans on your worst year, use an HSA well, and set home, auto and umbrella limits that protect your savings.
Contents
8 CHAPTERS · ABOUT 45 MIN- 01How Insurance Works and What It Is For How pooling turns a large, unpredictable loss into a small, known premium, the severity test that sorts every policy into insure or keep, the main kinds of coverage, and how to read and buy a policy.7 min1 computed
- 02Finding the Risks That Could Break Your Finances A simple way to list what you could lose, rank threats by likelihood and severity, choose between avoiding, reducing, transferring and keeping each risk, and stress-test whether your cash and coverage would hold.5 min2 computed
- 03Building a Cash Safety Net Under Your Insurance Why cash fills the gaps insurance leaves, how many months of essential spending to hold, how to match the reserve to deductibles and waiting periods, sinking funds for planned costs, and where to keep the money.5 min3 computed
- 04Disability Insurance: Protecting Your Paycheck Why future earnings are the asset most worth protecting, where disability income comes from, the policy terms that decide whether a claim pays, how taxes change a benefit, and how to cover the waiting period.5 min3 computed
- 05Life Insurance and a Plan for the People Who Depend on You Who needs life insurance, how a needs analysis sets the amount, the trade-offs between term and permanent coverage, laddering and conversion, and the beneficiary designations and documents that get the money to the right people.6 min3 computed
- 06Health Insurance and the Health Savings Account The five numbers on every health plan, comparing plans on your worst year rather than your average one, the 2026 HSA rules and limits and the three tax breaks they bring, and keeping coverage through a job change.6 min3 computed
- 07Home, Renters and Auto Insurance What home and renters policies cover, insuring the rebuild cost rather than the market value, replacement cost versus actual cash value, the common exclusions, auto liability limits, deductibles, discounts and when to file a claim.6 min1 computed
- 08Umbrella Liability Insurance and Your Yearly Insurance Review How a liability claim reaches savings and wages, how an umbrella policy sits on top of home and auto coverage, how much to consider, how all your policies fit together, and a checklist for the yearly review.5 min1 computed
CALCULATORS USED IN THIS BOOK