Umbrella insurance for what you've built
A serious lawsuit can reach past your auto and home limits to your savings, home equity and future paychecks. An umbrella adds a layer of liability protection over all of them, usually for a modest annual cost.
Often about $1 a day per $1M of protection · No cost to compare
How much protection do you need?
Start with what you'd want to protect: savings, investments, home equity and future income. Anything above your current auto and home liability limits is exposed in a large claim. A sensible umbrella limit generally covers at least your net worth, rounded up to the next million, with more where your household has several of the risk factors below.
Cost scales gently. A $2M umbrella typically runs about $200–$310 a year, often close to a dollar a day per $1M of protection. We recommend a limit based on your actual assets and exposures.
Exposures that raise your liability
The more of these that apply, the stronger the case for a higher limit.
Teen or young driver
Young drivers cause more, and costlier, accidents; a top reason families add an umbrella.
Swimming pool or hot tub
An attractive nuisance and a leading source of serious injury claims.
Dog
Dog-bite claims are among the most frequent home-liability payouts.
Trampoline or play structure
Backyard injuries to visiting kids are common and expensive.
Household staff
Nannies and housekeepers add employment-related liability.
Rental or investment property
Being a landlord adds tenant and visitor liability exposure.
Boat, jet ski or ATV
Recreational vehicles carry serious injury risk to others.
Frequent guests or short-term rental
More people on your property means more chances for a claim.
Hosting gatherings or serving alcohol
Host liability can make you responsible for a guest's actions after drinking.
Volunteer, coach or board member
Nonprofit board and coaching roles can carry personal liability.
Active public or social-media presence
Visibility raises the odds of libel or slander claims and of being targeted.
Public-facing job or notable income
Higher earnings make you a more attractive lawsuit target.
More than extra liability
An umbrella sits on top of your auto and home policies, and covers a few things they don't.
Excess liability
When a covered auto or home claim exceeds those policies' limits, your umbrella pays the rest, up to $1M, $2M or more. Carriers require minimum underlying limits (often 250/500 auto and $300K home); we make sure your base layer qualifies.
Legal defense costs
Pays attorneys, court costs and expert witnesses to defend you, frequently on top of your limit. Even a suit you win can cost tens of thousands to defend.
Personal injury
Covers claims such as libel, slander, defamation and invasion of privacy, increasingly relevant with social media, where standard policies often exclude them.
Rental & recreation
Extends liability to rental properties, boats, jet skis, ATVs and other things you own that create risk to others. These need to be listed so the umbrella extends over them.
What it won't cover
An umbrella is personal liability protection. It doesn't pay for your own injuries or property, business or professional acts, or intentional harm. Business exposures need commercial or E&O coverage, which we coordinate too.
An umbrella that connects to everything beneath it
Right-sized protection
We assess your assets and exposures to recommend a limit that protects you without overbuying.
Coverage that connects
An umbrella only works when your underlying auto and home limits qualify. We coordinate all of it so there are no gaps.
Help at claim time
If you're ever sued, we help coordinate the defense and work with the carrier through resolution.
Protect what you've built
Share a few details and a broker will recommend the right umbrella limit and follow up, usually within one business day.
- Extends over your auto, home, boat and rental liability
- Covers legal defense, often the most expensive part of a claim
- Typically a few hundred dollars a year for $1M–$2M
Prefer to talk it through?
Call our Kirkland office and a broker will review your underlying limits and recommend an umbrella that fits.
Coverage descriptions are general summaries for education. They are not legal, tax or coverage advice, a statement of coverage, an offer or a binder. Suggested limits and premium ranges are illustrative, not a quote. Recommended limits, coverage, eligibility and premiums vary by carrier, applicant and state, require qualifying underlying policies, are governed by the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies issued and are subject to underwriting.