Truth. As a kid, I loved the game I Spy. As a parent, I taught it to my kids the game so we could play it on long road trips. I will also readily admit that I play this game when I go to businesses or homes. I put an insurance spin on it. I look around the structure and spy insurance risks that require coverage.

In a home, for example, I look at steps with no hand rails. That’s a liability exposure. I notice jewelry. I wonder what the value of the item is and if the person has insurance coverage on it, because their homeowners policy probably has a limited amount of coverage for the item. I look at the artwork. How expensive is it? And, is it a unique piece that you’d want to replace if something happened to it? (I once had a client who turned in a claim on artwork that had been damaged by a glade scented oil warmer.   It was literally melting the paint off her artwork. She had her artwork scheduled on a separate policy and we submitted a claim for replacement of the damaged pieces.) I sometimes feel like Ben Stiller in the movie “Along Came Polly.” Although, maybe not quite as neurotic!

The community I live in has an event every year called Q-Fest. There are numerous booths at the event hosted by local artists and you can buy their unique work. We have several amazing paintings from the events we have attended over the years. If anything were to happen to them, they would be irreplaceable. They are unique pieces created by the artist that were one of a kind. They sort of make our house look like an art museum because they are all amazing. We would definitely want to be compensated if something happened to them.

The best way to do this using insurance is to take out a personal articles policy and list each piece for a specific value. There is no deductible per item. There is no homeowners rate increase if you submit a claim when something happens to the artwork, because it is insured under a separate policy.

If you enjoy art as much as our family does, consider purchasing separate insurance coverage for your unique pieces! You’ll be glad that you did!