From AAA
SUMMARY:
AAA experts are encouraging families to make an annual insurance review a key financial resolution for 2026. Automatically renewing home and auto policies without accounting for life changes, home upgrades, or rising rebuild costs can leave families underinsured. A quick review, such as AAA’s free Triple Check®, helps ensure coverage aligns with current needs while identifying potential savings.
As families finalize their resolutions for the new year, AAA experts suggest adding one crucial financial task to the top of the list: reviewing their insurance coverage. While health and savings goals are common priorities for 2026, ensuring that your home, auto and assets are adequately protected is a vital step toward long-term financial security.
"Many homeowners renew their policies automatically, overlooking how their lives and homes have changed over the past year,” said Mark Jenkins, Public Relations Manager for AAA-The Auto Club Group. “This 'set it and forget it' approach can create significant coverage gaps. A comprehensive insurance review ensures policy limits align with current needs and replacement costs."
Key Moments When Homeowners Should Revisit Their Coverage
Home Additions or Renovations – Projects such as kitchen or bathroom upgrades, finishing a basement, replacing the roof, or installing a pool can significantly increase a home’s value. Policyholders should confirm that their dwelling coverage limits reflect these improvements. Recent roof replacements may qualify homeowners for lower premiums.
Life Changes That Affect Coverage – Major milestones can shift a household’s insurance needs, yet many families forget to update their policies accordingly. Changes such as marriage, divorce, teenage drivers, adult children moving out, or welcoming a new baby can influence liability considerations, personal property needs, and eligibility for certain discounts. Keeping household occupants accurate ensures the policy reflects the home’s current risk profile.
Acquiring High‑Value Items – New valuables, such as watches, jewelry, fine art, electronics, photography equipment, firearms, musical instruments, silverware, or high‑end furniture, may exceed standard personal property limits. Many of these items require a scheduled personal property rider to ensure full protection.
Working From Home – With remote and hybrid work becoming increasingly common, homeowners should consider coverage for their home office equipment. Standard policies typically cap reimbursement for business equipment at $2,500, which may not cover computers, monitors, routers, and other essential devices.
Upgrades That Lower Risk and May Earn Discounts – Certain improvements not only protect the home but may also reduce insurance premiums.
These include:
- Updated plumbing or electrical systems
- Smoke detectors and fire alarms
- Security systems and smart home monitoring
- Water leak detection devices
- Other home protection technologies that reduce the likelihood or severity of losses
Ensuring Adequate Replacement Value – Homeowners should verify that their dwelling coverage reflects the current cost to rebuild, not the original purchase price. Construction and labor costs continue to fluctuate, making it essential to confirm that coverage is sufficient to fully replace the home after a major loss.
Don’t Overlook Auto Coverage
Just like homeowners’ policies, auto insurance needs can shift over time, yet many drivers renew without reviewing their coverage.
“Changes such as buying a new vehicle, adding a teen driver, moving to a new neighborhood, or driving more (or less) than in previous years can all affect premiums and protection levels,” Jenkins said.
AAA recommends confirming that liability limits are adequate, optional coverages like uninsured motorist protection are up to date, and discounts for safe driving, good student discount for teens, telematics like AAADrive, or multi-vehicle households are being applied.
AAA Triple Check®: A Simple Review to Catch Costly Gaps
AAA offers a free Triple Check® policy review for both auto and home insurance that’s available to everyone, whether you’re insured with AAA or another provider.
The Triple Check® process ensures your coverage is tailored to your needs and competitively priced by:
- Identifying potential coverage gaps to protect what matters most.
- Assessing recent life changes that may impact your insurance needs.
- Verifying discounts you may qualify for.
- Uncovering opportunities to save across multiple policies.
“Utilizing AAA’ s Triple Check® for a quick annual review can help families avoid costly oversights and take advantage of new savings opportunities, making it a simple resolution with a big impact,” added Jenkins. “Your home is likely your biggest investment, so starting 2026 with the right coverage is one of the smartest resolutions you can make.”
For more details on AAA products and services, AAA members and consumers can connect with a AAA Insurance agent at their local branch or visit AAA.com/Insurance.
About AAA - The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 13 million members across 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 65 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow us on social media.
Key Points
- Life changes and home upgrades can create insurance coverage gaps if policies aren’t updated.
- Homeowners should confirm coverage reflects current rebuild costs, not the purchase price.
- Auto insurance needs can shift with new vehicles, teen drivers, or changes in driving habits.
- AAA’s free Triple Check® review helps identify gaps and uncover discounts.
