The four rules
- Liability = your assets. Auto BI, home liability, and umbrella should collectively cover what a lawsuit could take — tally it once and the limits pick themselves.
- Property = rebuild/replace cost. Homes to reconstruction cost (estimate it), contents to what refilling the house would cost, vehicles to the loan-vs-value math (hello, gap coverage).
- Life = income replacement. A serviceable shortcut: 10–12× income while people depend on you, adjusted for debts and college. Term until the math says otherwise.
- Deductibles = your emergency fund. Carry the highest deductible you could pay tomorrow without flinching — premium savings compound annually; deductibles are paid rarely.
Michigan footnotes
- PIP is its own decision, tied to your health coverage — the six levels.
- Toys count as assets and liabilities — the boat is both a thing to insure and a way to get sued.
- Cottage inflation is real — lakeside rebuild costs run ahead of statewide averages.
Sizing is annual, not once. Assets grow, kids drive, roofs age, health plans change. Our renewal review re-runs these four rules automatically — that's what the agency is for.