Insurance Haters Anonymous

Hello, my name is Chris, and I hate insurance. My father hated insurance before me, and for all I know his father before him. More…Kind of a family tradition I suppose. I have insurance for my home, insurance for my car, insurance for my life, insurance for my boat, insurance for my kids, insurance for my health, insurance for my teeth, insurance for my prescriptions, insurance for my bank loans, and insurance for when I travel. Wow! It's a wonder, I don't have insurance for my insurance. Don't laugh, I'm sure I heard somewhere that there is an insurance company that insures other insurance companies. Someone must be making a killing off of all this. The only insurance I don't have these days, is pet insurance. Only because we don't have a pet, and the kids are lobbying hard on that front.

Why Do We Hate Insurance So?

Everyone hates insurance, because it always feels like we never get anything in return for it. Normally, when I buy something, I get to walk out the door with it, or hear it, or see it, or just plain enjoy it. Insurance does none of that. It certainly seems like a pretty one sided deal. "Thank you for the cheque Mr Campbell. Oh, and just to be sure, we'll be taking a little more next month, and the month after and the month after that. Have a nice day." Great I think. And do I get to enjoy anything for writing all those cheques. Nope, but don't worry your very securely insured now. I cringe just thinking about how much I've spent on insurance over the years. And, feel even worse when I think how little the insurance companies have actually paid out to me. In hindsight, it seems like just a really bad investment. I feel like I've been buying stock in all these crappy companies over the years that just keep going bankrupt. The biggest scam of all, is that most people who buy insurance, are paranoid to actually file an insurance claim, because their rates will skyrocket. Not to mention that all those previously oh-so-friendly insurance company employees treat you like a leper, who just ran over their puppy three times, and stole all their kids halloween candy.

What Is Your Deepest Fear?

We all want guarantees, we all want to know everything is going to be alright. We hope that things remain status quo, and their are no major disruptions in our lives. That's what insurance buys. Peace of mind. Protection from the unknown. Salvation from disaster. And when it works, that's great. Insurance is kind of a socialist sort of thing. Everybody chips in a little bit to protect the unfortunate. And that's good. I do feel better, if I think of my insurance premiums saving someone else from a life altering disaster. And the optimist in me believes that is what truly happens most of the time. It's when insurance companies refuse to pay out for people that really need it, the irks me the most. Especially when it's done just to line the pockets of shareholders and greedy CEO's. That's really not what insurance is for. So, be smart with your insurance purchases, and remember, we're all in this together.