Comfort is our policy.

What is high-net-worth insurance, and who needs it?

High-net-worth (private client) insurance is personal coverage written by carriers that specialize in larger homes, valuable collections and higher liability limits, using broader policy forms than mass-market insurers. It typically fits households with homes that cost more to rebuild than the local average, more than one residence, collections of jewelry, art or watches, collector vehicles or boats, or enough assets that a lawsuit could reach them. The difference shows up in how losses are valued and paid, not in the price alone.

Why is mass-market insurance risky for complex households?

Mass-market policies are designed for the typical home, so they rely on sublimits, depreciation and narrow definitions that rarely matter for an average household but can leave a complex one badly short after a loss. A standard homeowners form, for example, limits theft of jewelry, watches and furs to $1,500 in total unless items are scheduled. When homes, cars, toys and umbrella sit with different carriers, gaps and conflicts appear between the policies, usually discovered only at claim time.

What does a private-client coverage review include?

A coverage review inventories everything a household owns and every way it could be held liable, then reads the current policies against that inventory. We look at each home and its rebuild cost, vehicles and drivers, boats and other toys, collections, domestic staff, rental properties, board seats and the umbrella that is meant to sit over all of it. You receive a single matrix showing what each policy covers, where it stops, and what we recommend changing.

What we ask you to bring:

• Declarations pages for every home, auto, watercraft, umbrella and valuable-articles policy.
• Any recent appraisals for jewelry, art, wine or collector vehicles.
• A list of household drivers, including students away at school.
• Board, trustee or volunteer roles, rental properties, and household employees.

How do lake homes and secondary homes change coverage in Michigan?

Seasonal and secondary homes create risks a primary residence does not: long unoccupied stretches through freezing winters, water systems left unattended, docks and boat lifts exposed to ice, and in many cases short-term rental use. Standard policies restrict coverage when a home is vacant or unoccupied for extended periods, and most exclude business use such as short-term rentals unless endorsed. Out-of-state homes, such as a Florida condo, bring separate hurricane deductibles and state-specific forms that must be coordinated with the umbrella.

What we resolve for lake and secondary homes:

• Freeze and water conditions. Whether heat must be maintained or water shut off and drained, and whether remote water-shutoff and temperature monitors are in place.
• Vacancy wording. How long the home can sit empty before vandalism or glass coverage is restricted.
• Docks, lifts and shoreline. Ice damage to docks and lifts may be limited; shoreline erosion is generally not covered by homeowners insurance at all.
• Rental use. Whether renting the cottage for a few weeks in summer voids coverage or requires an endorsement.
• One umbrella over every address. Each home must be listed as underlying coverage, or the umbrella may not respond.

How should jewelry, art, watches and wine be insured?

Valuable collections should be scheduled on a valuable-articles policy or endorsement at an agreed value, which pays the listed amount for a covered loss instead of a depreciated or capped figure. Scheduling typically extends coverage worldwide, includes mysterious disappearance, and often carries no deductible. Values should be supported by current appraisals and reviewed every few years, because values for jewelry, art and collectibles move with markets.

How often should a household review its insurance?

Review personal coverage at least annually and whenever life changes: buying, selling or renovating a home, adding a teen driver, marriage or divorce, an inheritance, a new boat or collector car, joining a nonprofit board, or hiring household staff. Each of these events changes either what you own or what you could be sued for. We offer scheduled reviews between renewals, and telling us about changes as they happen is the best way to keep coverage current.