My homeowners' insurance, for example, has a huge deductible for "damage caused by three-year-olds."

You've got to have home insurance.

You've got to have home insurance, first of all, because you're probably required to have it. If you owe money on your home -- if you have a mortgage-- then you in almost all cases are required to have home insurance by your lender, and if you don't get it, they will (and they'll charge you a bundle to do that.)

But even if you don't owe money on your home, you'll want to have insurance on it, not just for the usual reasons, like natural disasters such as fire destroying your home or a sinkhole swallowing your neighborhood, but for things you might not consider when thinking about the need for insurance, like whether you own a dog, or run a business out of your house, or own things that you value.

If your dog bites someone, you can get sued, and many home insurance policies cover that. If you run a small business from your house, you might get in trouble or an accident over that, and home insurance can help cover THAT. If you own TVs or jewelry or other expensive things, home insurance can protect you from burglary and damage to those things.

Most people end up with their home insurance by accident. They call a broker or get the company they saw on the TV while watching the big game. That's not the best way to do it, though -- you want insurance that's tailored to your needs and no more expensive than it has to be. You may want replacement cost, or theft coverage, or an umbrella policy -- so you need to shop around.

There's some sites that can help you find insurance quickly and easily and reliably, like the new york home insurance site run by 01insurance.com. They'll provide you with information on what kind of insurance you might want, how much coverage you might need - -and they'll let you get quotes online or by phone, for free, so you can shop your coverage around and find the best insurance policy for your needs and your finances.

You've got to have insurance -- so make sure the insurance you have is the insurance you need, and the insurance you want.