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Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by roenxi on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:08PM (#20522243)
> Maxed out insurance (home, car)

This isn't a problem I'm ever likely to deal with, but what was the thinking behind this one? I'd have thought >$1 mil in net worth is the time to cancel any insurance you have (maybe not health) on the basis that you can self insure now.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by Thriptic on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:13PM (#20522266)
Definitely not. You want to insure against catastrophes as they can wipe out all your assets. This includes regular insurance (home, auto, health) and personal liability insurance AKA umbrella up to the value of your assets. If you hurt someone, the victim could seek large damages if they realize you are wealthy. Liability insurance can protect you against that.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by roenxi on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:18PM (#20522277)
But you can afford to replace your assets if a catastrophe strikes. Insurance won't help you if you die in a car accident, so you are taking out a negative-net-expected-value deal that protects you against a very slim selection of catastrophes. In my experience, probably protecting from risks that are less likely than dropping dead at random one day.

And taking the risk that the insurance company won't pay out for some reason. And creating more paperwork and recurring expenses to keep track of. $5 mil is a lot but it isn't enough to take eyes off expenses.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by Thriptic on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:29PM (#20522317)
If you drive without insurance, hit someone, and kill or severely injure them, you will almost certainly lose most if not all of your assets in the subsequent lawsuit.

If you have a house and it burns down in a fire, you will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or more replacing it.

If you get rid of health insurance, there is enormous potential downside risk.

If someone is on your property and injures themselves or you accidentally harm someone, they can sue you for millions.

Insuring against all of this and more is almost certainly under 1000 per year. That is a trivial expense for someone with that much money. Even shit ROI on a portfolio is yielding at least a hundred thousand per year in growth assuming this person no longer works. The more money you have, the more insurance you want because you have far more to lose.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by dragonwriter on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:42PM (#20522371)
> Insuring against all of this is almost certainly under 1000 per year.

Um, no.

Average auto insurance premium is $1,470/yr. [0]

Average homeowners insurance is $1,130/yr. [1]

Average health insurance (in 2018, probably more now), was $440/mo., Or $5,280/yr. [2] (And average health insurance will leave a lot of exposure to costs, so you still have a lot of downside risk at that price.)

The idea that you could almost certainly insure against all of that for under $1,000/yr is...wildly inaccurate.

[0] https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insurance/average-auto-insuran...

[1] https://www.creditdonkey.com/average-cost-homeowners-insuran...

[2] https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/resources/affordable-care-a...

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by slowhand09 on Thursday July 25, 2019 @11:52AM (#20526419)
I concur with your statements. My guess is the poster accidentally omitted a zero, and likely meant $10k.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by _nalply on Thursday July 25, 2019 @02:23AM (#20523068)
At 5M+ it doesn't really matter if you pay $1000 or $10000 for insurance.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by shoo on Thursday July 25, 2019 @05:02AM (#20523805)
Being indifferent to a recurring unnecessary 9k annual expense is roughly being indifferent to 9000 / +4% * 5m) = 4.5% loss of income from investments. If you're indifferent to too many decisions of this form, it's a good way to solve the problem of figuring out how to manage your assets
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by kondro on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:40PM (#20522359)
Unless you're in the US in which case just your health insurance could cost you $1000+ per MONTH.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by stickfigure on Thursday July 25, 2019 @03:01AM (#20523276)
...and that's if you never use it. If you actually need health care, prepare to shell out about another $5-$10k until you hit your annual out of pocket maximum.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by gtirloni on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:47PM (#20522384)
>If someone is on your property and injures themselves or you accidentally harm someone, they can sue you for millions.

That was a bit of stretch, no? I agree with the other points.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by henry_uhnw on Thursday July 25, 2019 @07:40AM (#20524499)
It really isn’t. I’m an advisor and work almost exclusively with clients who have $10mm or more. At that point if you get in an accident or hurt someone and someone finds out that you’re wealthy, there is a reasonable chance they will come after you. I’ve seen it happen and heard it anecdotally.

A $5mm umbrella policy with one of the best insurance companies in the US is like $500/year. I just went out and got a quote on it last week. The best part is if that were to happen, the person suing will have to go up against the insurance company’s lawyers, who are most likely very good.

Even if the probability of that happening was in the low single digits, would you really want to run the risk over $500/yr?

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by dragonwriter on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:50PM (#20522408)
> That was a bit of stretch, no?

No, healthcare costs plus lost wages and other damages for injuries can get into the millions quite easily, and slip and fall injuries are a real legal liability of property owners.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by claviska on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:41PM (#20522368)
Do not underestimate the value of umbrella coverage. Cheap to get. Expensive to ignore.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by Spooky23 on Thursday July 25, 2019 @07:33PM (#20530922)
$1M liability with car/home insurance is less than $500. Anyone with a 401k should have it.

If you end up in a bad situation, getting liquid enough to pay out a big judgement will kill you with taxes.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by dragonwriter on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:48PM (#20522392)
> But you can afford to replace your assets if a catastrophe strikes

No, you can't, unless your income is large compared to your assets and not dependent on them.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by shortandsweet on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:12PM (#20522259)
The point of insurance is to protect your wealth in an accident. You actually buy more insurance as your wealth increases, at least I do.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by jsjw7sbw on Thursday July 25, 2019 @09:54AM (#20525351)
In my opinion the point of insurance is protect your assets you can't afford to lose. Most people cant afford to risk losing their house so they have insurance. However, if you are wealthy enough and can afford losing it then it's statistically cheaper to not insure it since you are not giving a cut to the insurer.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by koheripbal on Thursday July 25, 2019 @03:27PM (#20528611)
People with wealth are targeted by scammers who file fraudulent claims against them. These fall under the liability portion of your insurance.

It's not about the house or car, it's about that $10MM in your bank people want to go after by claiming that you tripped them and they broke their back.

Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by meritt on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:47PM (#20522391)
It's absolutely not about the replacement cost of stuff. It's about protecting your assets from lawsuits.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by dennisgorelik on Thursday July 25, 2019 @01:37AM (#20522840)
Insurance makes lawsuits against property it covers -- more likely, because insurance increases chances of plaintiff to get paid.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by analog31 on Thursday July 25, 2019 @01:20AM (#20522768)
Indeed, for example, mandatory auto insurance in my state is primarily to cover liability.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by hn_throwaway_99 on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:13PM (#20522267)
Deep pockets make you an attractive target for lawsuits.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by windexh8er on Wednesday July 24, 2019 @11:14PM (#20522268)
Because you're a larger, more profitable, target if you're found at fault.
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by bryanrasmussen on Thursday July 25, 2019 @12:42AM (#20522601)
So your theory is that slightly wealthy people do not have insurance policies?
Re:Ask HN: What did you do when you suddenly got rich? by LiamPa on Thursday July 25, 2019 @02:45AM (#20523189)
Agreed, insurance is a tax on the poor.