Feeling Back in Control? Try Starting With What You Can Control. 

As we emerge from the shadows of the pandemic and economic shutdown, things may still seem uncertain. We’ve been separated from people we love and may still be worried for their safety. We’ve been ordered not to do business and not enjoy our favorite activities. Worse still, things may never return to “normal.” All this may leave you feeling that nothing is in your control, and on top of that the things we always fear, like suffering from an accident, injury, or natural disaster, have not moved aside to make room the new worries.

How can we deal with these new worries and long-time fears while maintaining hope and confidence in the future? How do we know we’re doing all we can to protect our families, our businesses, our homes, and everything we’ve worked to build and preserve? One thing we should always do, especially when everything might seem big and scary, is focus on the things that are within our control. Here’s an easy – and perhaps unexpected – starting point. Is your personal insurance program up to date? Do you think insurance is a commodity? Well, you shouldn’t. In today’s uncertain world, you should think of your insurance program as a long-term investment.

Do you have the appropriate coverage in place to protect what you’ve worked so hard to build? How strong is your relationship with your insurance advisor? Does your advisor “get” your lifestyle? Are you confident that that they can recommend the right insurance for you and your family? When I’ve had these questions myself, I turned to my friend Tierney Aldridge at narrative™ by Denver Agency for answers and sound advice.

Tierney specializes in working with successful individuals and families to protect their lifestyle, including their homes, automobiles, and valuable collections and to protect them against liabilities. As a part of Denver Agency – a company that has been independent since 1932 – she’s not beholden to a single insurance carrier’s product. Tierney helps her clients assess their exposures through a simple review process that is actually quite creative and refreshing in an industry not exactly admired for imagination. She enjoys connecting with people, hearing their stories, and then designing customized insurance programs that are both comprehensive and surprisingly competitive. Her most interesting projects involve complexity, which may mean the client owns properties in multiple states, several cars, collections, or needs asset protection strategies.

The process is simple and often begins with a review of the client’s existing insurance program, looking at coverages, loss experience, rate increases, and premiums – things that are frequently overlooked by complacent advisors. Tierney often finds that coverages have not been fully explained to the client, leaving uncertainty and doubt about how the policy will respond in various loss scenarios. As part of their review, Tierney and her team analyze their findings and present them in a clear, simple and yet sophisticated way. Tierney tells me that these reviews often include discussions about self-insurance, increasing deductibles, and the risk benefits of using premium savings to increase liability limits. After the review has been completed and the policies put in place, Tierney and her team continue to provide continuous service and counsel to maintain the integrity and stability of the program.

Can Tierney save every client insurance premium? Perhaps not, but she can almost always improve the structure and coverage of their policies. Many of Tierney’s clients are high net worth families. Many clients own a business or have commercial liability exposure from real estate or other investments. Tierney has the background and team at Denver Agency to solve for both personal and business insurance needs.

As we’ve been reminded in the past couple of months, things can rapidly change. Perhaps now, more than within recent memory, it’s important to make sure your insurance program protects the things you hold dear. If you’re interested in getting to know Tierney or learning more about narrative™ by Denver Agency, please reach out to me. I’d be honored to connect you.