Postcards: Free Insurance on a Burning House and Crushed SUV

Equity momentum has been under pressure for two days as we move into an ugly seasonal pattern. Time to play the rules of negative momentum as the month accelerates.

Dear Fellow Expat:

What would you do with $700 right now?

Would you rent a hotel for two days in a nearby city? Maybe attend a special dinner with a friend or loved one? Pay down debt?

Well, in my case, a bill arrived yesterday for six months of car insurance. We put up about 40 miles a week on our SUV - which has, of course, lost value over the last year. It goes to and from my daughter’s school twice daily, and that’s about it.

There's no accident history. No tickets. No collisions.

The insurance premium jumped – get this - 25% year over year.

What was the primary driver of this increase?

The cost of covering the accident if the other driver isn’t insured.

Somebody please make it make sense.

Our primary liability is about $135 over six months.

The cost of coverage if the other driver isn’t insured is $225.

Somebody please make it make sense?!

These out-of-control increases mean I have to ask the question: How many people out there are simply forgoing auto insurance?

I dove into these numbers thi…