How valuable is the advice of an expert? I've learned from experience that it's hard to put a price on advice from a professional. It's worth a lot more than the money it costs when you think about how much your time is worth, how much stress it saves you, and how much it keeps you from getting distracted from your important day-to-day tasks. Making smart decisions based on information that is usually free can save you a lot of time, stress, and trouble. As an example, if you don't know how to plumb, you might hire a plumber. I once tried to fix my own pipes. I quickly found out that I am not a plumber. I not only broke the parts of the faucet I was trying to fix, but I also got water damage in my house. When I finally got a professional plumber to do the job and clean up the mess I had made, it cost me a lot more than if I had just hired him from the beginning.
Using a lawyer's advice to stay out of trouble with the law is another example. I thought I could get a divorce by using a "divorce kit" when I ended my marriage a dozen years ago. This plan might work for some, but it didn't work out very well for me. Even though I did a lot of research, stuck to a strict schedule, and made sure every "I" was dotted and every "T" was crossed on the petition, I paid the price for not asking an expert for help. Even though I was sure of myself on the day of the hearing, I got caught up in a verbal battle that made my head spin. Because of this, I had to pay a lot of child support. Years later, when my kids were old enough to make decisions on their own and my ex-wife had remarried, it was time to ask for help. I hired a lawyer this time. My expert told me not only to stop sending out too much money, but also, to be fair, to try to get back some of what I had been forced to send out. The court agreed, and I found that I had gone without money for many years when I didn't need to.
Lastly, finding insurance professionals is a good example of how to avoid not having enough coverage or having to deal with a lot of trouble when it comes time to cash in on a policy. A few years ago, I decided to get renters insurance to protect the things in my home. I looked on the Internet for the best deals because I was trying to save money. I found a website that offered the insurance for a "cut rate," so I filled out the form and got a "automatic quote." It came up on the screen quickly and seemed pretty standard, so I called the toll-free number they gave. I wanted to know if I should number my things or mark them in some other way so they could be found later. I also wanted to know if I should send in a list of my things and how much I would value them. The "automated insurance agent" on the other end of the line wasn't very helpful, and I eventually gave up trying to talk to a real person. I was a fool to sign up for the insurance and start paying the premiums, which were taken out of my checking account automatically. I tried several more times to talk to an insurance agent, but I never was able to. When someone broke into my house and I filed a claim, I found out that I would only get a few cents on the dollar and that my premiums would go up in the future. Again, not asking an expert for help turned out to be expensive.
Many people find it hard to understand insurance, whether it's for their life, health, home, or car. Most people try to avoid it and only carry what they have to. For example, mortgage insurance, which is needed because they are paying for their home with a loan. The word "insurance" has a reputation that makes people think of spending hours researching or sitting at the kitchen table with an agent and feeling overwhelmed by all the options. I've found that it makes me nervous to talk about my own death and to think about the need for insurance coverage that will help my loved ones after I'm gone. When I was in my 20s, I used to laugh when someone brought up life insurance. I didn't think it was necessary because I still had a long way to go before I had to worry about those things. If I had been smart when I was young, I would have asked an expert for advice. I could have bought a policy that would cover me for life for a small amount. Advice given to young people on this subject is very helpful. I've noticed a trend in the insurance business that has brought customer service full circle, back to face-to-face and one-on-one attention. This helpful service, along with the ease of modern life and the Internet, helps me learn more about insurance and understand it better. There are good, trustworthy companies where the first contact on the Internet is immediately followed by a personal phone call from a knowledgeable and professional insurance expert whose job it is to help people understand an expert's advice in clear, simple language.
