In This Issue:

Kelly S. Olson Pedersen, 
CFP®,  CDFA
7825 Washington Ave., Suite 625
Bloomington, MN 55439
Main Line: 952-777-2270
TORPEDO PROOFING RETIREMENT VISIONS 
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A Note From Merissa
Managing risk....

In the wake of the recent wildfires in the western United States following multiple hurricanes impacting Texas and Florida and other regions; it serves as a great reminder for all of us in Minnesota to take note of what our Homeowner's insurance covers and what is excludes.

Most of us that live in Minnesota wouldn't think of our state as a high risk for insurance claims since we don't have earthquakes, hurricanes or high risk of wide spread wild fires like our friends in the west.  Well...most of us would be wrong!  In fact, in 2007 and 2008 Minnesota was one of the top 3 states for catastrophic losses, ranking higher than any of the hurricane states!  How can this be, you might ask?     Wind, hail and water! 

Even if you have never filed a claim before, this WILL impact you.  It is extremely important to review your insurance policies and understand what they mean.  You need to know what will be covered, what the limits of coverage are and what the exclusions are (or what's NOT covered).  Depending on your policy, you might only be covered for a claim if it is due to the perils (or risks) listed in your policy.  Or your company might charge you a higher deductible for a wind/hail claim than your regular homeowner's deductible.  Perhaps your company won't pay to replace undamaged siding to match the new siding you need from a hail storm.  Or, you might have to wait 5 years to switch insurance companies if you have had a claim instead of 3, locking you into paying those higher premiums.

Then let's talk about liability.  Whether you are looking at your homeowners, auto or business policy; you should absolutely understand what your liability coverage and limits are.  If you have a high net worth or a lot of assets, you could be at risk for being sued.  Whether it is your fault or not, your insurance company will only pay out or defend you to the limit of your insurance policy and everything above and beyond that would be your responsibility.  A fairly inexpensive umbrella policy would dramatically reduce your chances of a liability claim hitting your bottom line. 

Insurance is a great tool to provide us peace-of-mind should something happen, provided we know what we are...and aren't covered for. We can help you analyze your insurance policies and help you detect any gaps their might be.

Don't wait until a catastrophe hits and find out the hard way!

Kelly, Julie, Denise and Merissa

P.S. Don't forget to click on the links in the newsletter below for some helpful quick tips and Kelly's quarterly update!
Top 5 Reasons Why Caissa feels This Market has Room to Run! 
...and our consensus
The most common questions we get are focused on potential short term tumbles of the market and what to do about it...Take a look at our quarterly market update to find out why Caissa feels the market still has room to run.  

Reviewing Your Homeowner's Policy
Don't wait until it's TOO late
Insurance is a tool that can help us to reduce our exposure to different types of risk.  Not only risk of damage or theft of your property, but equally important is the risk of financial loss which could potentially impact that nest egg you've worked so hard to build.

We came up with the tips for reviewing your homeowner's policy we think you will find very useful.

Caissa Connection: Creating a Catastrophe Plan
4 Easy Steps
Caissa Colleague, Rick Kaufan is an insurance advisor with Ameristar Agency in Wayzata.  

Check out what Rick has to say in his recent blog about creating a 4 step PLAN in the event of a catastrophic event.


CAISSA Wealth Strategies
7825 Washington Ave., Suite 625
Bloomington, MN 55439
Main Line: 952-777-2270

Expect more from your financial advisor.