Best Karl Susman Podcasts (2025)

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Understanding How Insurance Works — The Hidden Mechanics Behind Your Premiums 54:15

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4d ago54:15

54:15

The Foundation of Insurance: Sharing Risk for Stability Insurance isn't just a bill you pay every month — it's one of the oldest and most practical financial tools ever invented. As Karl Susman explained in Insurance Hour, the essence of insurance lies in its design: to spread risk so individuals and businesses can grow, invest, and live without fe…

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The Truth About Rising Auto Insurance Costs — And What You Can Actually Do About It 53:01

7d ago53:01

53:01

Why Your Insurance Costs Keep Rising — Even as Your Car Gets Older Many drivers assume that as their car depreciates in value, their insurance premium should automatically go down. After all, if the car is worth less, shouldn't it cost less to insure? The reality is more complicated. Your premium is made up of multiple parts — not just the value of…

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Demystifying Insurance: From Quotes to Claims — What Every Consumer Should Know 54:01

16d ago54:01

54:01

1. The Hidden Trap of Online Insurance Quotes In today's digital-first world, most consumers start their insurance shopping with a quick Google search — something like "best auto insurance quotes." But as Susman explains, what many people don't realize is that the top search results are often not insurance companies at all. Instead, they're lead ge…

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Understanding Insurance Resentment — Why We Resist What Protects Us 53:01

23d ago53:01

53:01

Insurance. It's a word that rarely inspires enthusiasm. For most people, it represents another bill, another obligation, another reminder that life comes with risks. Yet, as Karl Susman explains in his episode of Insurance Hour, this aversion to insurance often masks a deeper misunderstanding about why it exists, how it protects us, and what role w…

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When Coverage Fails: Eustis Bridge Collapse Leaves Residents Stranded 2:28

1M ago2:28

2:28

When Coverage Fails: Understanding Insurance Gaps After the Eustis Bridge Collapse When disaster strikes, most homeowners turn to their insurance providers for help. Whether it's storm damage, fire, or flooding, insurance is meant to act as a financial safety net. But what happens when the damage occurs to something essential — like a bridge — that…

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Shutdown Shockwaves: Flood Insurance Paused, Housing Market Jitters 3:18

1M ago3:18

3:18

When the Flood Insurance Flow Stops: How FEMA's Shutdown Freeze is Rippling Through Real Estate and Housing Markets When the federal government shuts down, the headlines often focus on furloughed workers, closed parks, or delayed paychecks. But this time, another critical consequence has emerged — the freezing of FEMA's National Flood Insurance Pro…

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KCal News Aug 13th 2025 4:48

2M ago4:48

4:48

California's Insurance Crossroads: Can a Grassroots Ballot Initiative Fix a Broken Market? California's insurance market is in crisis. Homeowners are struggling to find coverage, insurers are retreating from wildfire-prone regions, and regulatory bottlenecks are freezing premium approvals. Amid this turmoil, a new grassroots ballot initiative has e…

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To The Point Aug 12 2025 3:01

2M ago3:01

3:01

California's Insurance Market at a Crossroads: New Ballot Initiative Seeks to Repeal Proposition 103 California's insurance crisis has hit a boiling point—and the next big showdown may come not in the legislature, but at the ballot box. This week, a new initiative called the California Insurance Market Reform Act of 2026 was submitted to the state …

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Proposition 103 Is Broken: Why California's Insurance Crisis Is About to Explode 23:58

2M ago23:58

23:58

Proposition 103 Is Broken: How California's Insurance Crisis Reached a Breaking Point When Proposition 103 passed in 1988, it was hailed as a triumph for consumers—a law that promised lower rates, greater fairness, and tighter oversight of "greedy" insurance companies. Nearly four decades later, that same law is being blamed for helping create one …

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auto coverages 1:18

2M ago1:18

1:18

Understanding Auto Insurance Coverages: What Every Driver Should Know Auto insurance is one of those necessities most people purchase out of obligation — to satisfy state laws, lenders, or lease requirements. But few truly understand what they're paying for or how their coverage works when it matters most. Yet, in an age where repair costs, medical…

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5 Reasons People Dislike Insurance Companies 0:29

2M ago0:29

0:29

Five Reasons People Dislike Insurance Companies — and What Needs to Change Let's be honest — few people have warm feelings about their insurance company. Whether it's homeowners, auto, health, or life coverage, many consumers view insurance as a necessary evil: something you have to buy, rarely use, and never quite understand. In a lighthearted but…

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How to get an insurance claim denied 1:18

2M ago1:18

1:18

How to Get an Insurance Claim Denied — And How to Avoid It Nobody ever plans on having an insurance claim denied. But every year, thousands of homeowners, drivers, and business owners find out the hard way that insurance coverage isn't guaranteed — it's conditional. When you buy insurance, you're not just purchasing peace of mind. You're entering i…

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Why You're Required to Buy Insurance: Protecting Lenders' Interests Explained 0:52

2M ago0:52

0:52

Why You're Required to Buy Insurance: Understanding How It Protects Lenders—and You Have you ever wondered why insurance feels like something you're forced to buy? Whether you're financing a car, buying a home, or leasing commercial property, there's always a condition attached: you must carry insurance. At first, it can feel unfair—another expense…

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Insurance Buying Guide: Agent, Broker, or Direct - Which Is Best for You? 0:55

2M ago0:55

0:55

Insurance Buying Guide: Agent, Broker, or Direct — Which Is Best for You? Buying insurance used to be simple — you called your local agent, filled out a few forms, and got covered. Today, consumers have more choices than ever: traditional agents, independent brokers, and direct-to-consumer platforms. Each offers its own advantages, but also its own…

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How Politics Shapes Your Insurance: Understanding Policy Impacts on Premiums and Coverage 1:50

2M ago1:50

1:50

How Politics Shapes Your Insurance: Understanding Policy Impacts on Premiums and Coverage When most people think about insurance, they think of personal choices — which company to use, what deductible to select, and how much coverage to buy. But behind every insurance policy lies another, often invisible factor shaping your rates and options: polit…

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Never ask for full coverage insurance 1:00

2M ago1:00

1:00

Why You Should Never Ask for "Full Coverage" Insurance — and What to Ask Instead When most people walk into an insurance office or call an agent, they often begin the conversation with the same phrase: "I want full coverage." It sounds reasonable. After all, who wouldn't want their car, home, or business to be "fully covered"? The problem is that "…

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Homeowners Insurance: What It Won't Cover on Farm Properties 0:59

2M ago0:59

0:59

Homeowners Insurance: What It Won't Cover on Farm Properties — And Why It Matters When you own a property that blends residential living with farm activity, you quickly learn that "homeowners insurance" and "farm insurance" are not the same thing. The differences aren't just in terminology — they can determine whether you're protected or left expos…

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How to Make Money and Build a Career in the Insurance Industry 0:48

2M ago0:48

0:48

How to Make Money and Build a Career in the Insurance Industry For many professionals, a career in insurance doesn't start with a grand plan — it starts by accident. Maybe you took a customer service role at an agency, joined an underwriting team at an insurer, or stumbled into claims work after college. But for those who stay, the reason is nearly…

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Is Your Car Watching You? How Modern Vehicles Collect Driver Data 0:57

2M ago0:57

0:57

Is Your Car Watching You? How Modern Vehicles Are Redefining Privacy and Insurance Once upon a time, cars were simply machines—gears, gas, and grit. Today, they're computers on wheels. They know how fast we drive, where we go, when we brake, and even how we feel behind the wheel. While this technology promises safety and efficiency, it also raises …

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Why Your Insurance Premium Rises After Just One Claim – Explained! 1:00

2M ago1:00

1:00

Why Your Insurance Premium Rises After Just One Claim – Explained! You've been a loyal customer for years. You've never missed a payment. Then one day, you have a small fender-bender—or maybe a burst pipe in your home. You file a claim, and your insurer pays it quickly. A few months later, your renewal arrives—and your premium has gone up. It feels…

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How to Handle a Letter of Non-Renewal from Your Insurance Company 1:16

2M ago1:16

1:16

How to Handle a Letter of Non-Renewal from Your Insurance Company Few things feel as unsettling as opening your mailbox and finding a letter of non-renewal from your insurance company. One day, you have coverage. The next, you're being told it's ending. Across the country — and especially in California — these letters have become increasingly commo…

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Homeowner Insurance Savings: Republican Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil on California's Fair Plan 47:17

2M ago47:17

47:17

California's Insurance Crossroads: Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil on FAIR Plan Reform, Discounts, and the Future of Fire Coverage California's homeowners insurance market has become a case study in what happens when risk, regulation, and reality collide. Across the state, families are being priced out of coverage or pushed onto the California FAIR Plan…

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Unedited 2:31

2M ago2:31

2:31

Fixing the California FAIR Plan: The Three T's of Reform — Training, Technology, and Transparency California's insurance market is in a state of unprecedented upheaval. As private carriers continue to pull back from writing homeowners policies in high-risk areas, more residents are being pushed toward the California FAIR Plan, the state's insurer o…

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New California Law Could Change Home Insurance Forever | FAIR Plan Shakeup Explained 2:51

5M ago2:51

2:51

How a New California Law Could Transform Home Insurance: The FAIR Plan Shakeup Explained California's homeowners insurance market has been in crisis for years—and now, lawmakers may finally be taking decisive action. A pair of new pro-consumer bills moving through the state legislature could reshape how the California FAIR Plan, the state's insurer…

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State Farm Wants Massive Rate Hikes in California | Insurance Crisis Deepens 4:56

5M ago4:56

4:56

State Farm's Push for Massive Rate Hikes: What It Reveals About California's Deepening Insurance Crisis California's homeowners are once again facing a harsh financial reality: State Farm, the state's largest home insurer, is asking for another round of major rate increases—just months after receiving emergency approval for a 17% hike. This time, t…

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California Insurance Meltdown: State Farm, FAIR Plan, and Smoke Damage Crisis Explained 11:10

5M ago11:10

11:10

California's Insurance Meltdown: State Farm, FAIR Plan, and the Battle Over Smoke Damage Six months after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, California is still grappling with the fallout — not just in rebuilding homes, but in rebuilding trust in its insurance system. As new legislation, lawsuits, and regulatory actions unfold, what's becoming …

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California's Insurance Market Has Collapsed — Is Prop 103 to Blame? 1:57:49

5M ago1:57:49

1:57:49

California's Insurance Market Has Collapsed — Is Proposition 103 to Blame? California's insurance market, once one of the most competitive and innovative in the country, is now in crisis. Homeowners are struggling to find coverage, major carriers are pausing or canceling policies, and regulators are scrambling to patch a system that many experts sa…

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How Prop 103 Broke California's Insurance Market | Kristian Fors Exposes the Crisis 28:45

5M ago28:45

28:45

How Proposition 103 Broke California's Insurance Market — and What Can Be Done to Fix It In 1988, California voters passed Proposition 103, a sweeping ballot initiative intended to make insurance more affordable and transparent. At the time, it sounded like a consumer victory — a 20% rollback in auto insurance rates and stronger oversight of insure…

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Prop 103 Is Failing Californians: Sam Sorich Reveals the 4 Horsemen of the Insurance Crisis 37:22

5M ago37:22

37:22

Proposition 103 and the Four Horsemen of California's Insurance Apocalypse Why a 37-Year-Old Law Is Failing Homeowners, Consumers, and the Insurance Market When California voters approved Proposition 103 in 1988, it was billed as a consumer victory—a promise to make insurance fair, affordable, and available for everyone. Nearly four decades later, …

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California's Insurance Crisis: A Case Study in Regulatory Failure | Lars Powell's Prop 103 Breakdown 23:09

5M ago23:09

23:09

California's Insurance Crisis: A Case Study in Regulatory Failure For decades, California's insurance market has been a battleground — not between insurers and consumers, but between economics and regulation. While natural disasters and inflation often take the blame for the state's spiraling premiums and insurer exodus, insurance expert Lars Powel…

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The Wildfire Wake-Up Call: How Prop 103 Is Killing CA's Insurance Market 23:44

5M ago23:44

23:44

The Wildfire Wake-Up Call: How Proposition 103 Is Killing California's Insurance Market California is burning—literally and figuratively. In recent years, wildfires have destroyed entire communities, displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, and cost billions in insured losses. Yet amid the physical devastation, another crisis is quietly raging…

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California FAIR Plan smoke damage ruling 4:44

6M ago4:44

4:44

California FAIR Plan Smoke Damage Ruling: A Major Victory for Homeowners — and a Turning Point for Insurance Accountability In a landmark decision with statewide implications, a California judge has ruled that the California FAIR Plan Association violated state insurance law in how it handled smoke damage claims from the January wildfires. For thou…

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CBS News Los Angeles - Homeowners insurance crisis panel 13:32

6M ago13:32

13:32

California's Homeowners Insurance Crisis: What Experts Say You Need to Know California's insurance crisis has officially reached the living rooms of everyday homeowners. With coverage costs climbing, non-renewals spreading, and confusion growing, consumers are now asking the same urgent question: What do I really need in my homeowners policy — and …

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CBS Special phone bank for Homeowners Insurance 5:42

6M ago5:42

5:42

California's Home Insurance Crisis: What the CBS "Phone Bank" Revealed About Consumer Frustration — and Power When CBS News Los Angeles hosted a live homeowners insurance phone bank, the response was overwhelming. Within minutes of going live, the newsroom's phones lit up — and they didn't stop ringing for hours. Homeowners from every corner of Sou…

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CBS, KCAL News, homeowners insurance hotline, 6/3/2025 2:42

6M ago2:42

2:42

California's Home Insurance Hotline: What the CBS/KCAL Special Revealed About the State's Coverage Crisis When CBS/KCAL News Los Angeles opened a special homeowners insurance hotline in June 2025, the phones began ringing before the broadcast even started — and they didn't stop all evening. Producers expected a busy hour. Instead, they got a vivid …

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CBS, KCAL News, homeowners insurance hotline, 6/3/2025 1:48

6M ago1:48

1:48

California's Home Insurance Hotline: What CBS/KCAL's "Home Insurance Week" Revealed About a System Under Stress California's homeowners insurance crisis has finally reached prime time — literally. When CBS/KCAL News Los Angeles launched its "Home Insurance Week" coverage with a live homeowners insurance hotline on June 3, 2025, the phones began rin…

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Insurance expert weighs in on State Farm's emergency rate hike 11:23

6M ago11:23

11:23

Understanding State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike: What It Means for California's Home Insurance Market When California's largest insurer, State Farm, announced it would implement an emergency rate hike for homeowners policies, it sent ripples through an already unstable insurance market. The move — a 17% temporary increase granted ahead of the compan…

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'We don't have a lot of money:' California FAIR Plan provides updates to Assembly lawmakers 3:03

6M ago3:03

3:03

California's FAIR Plan Is Running Out of Money — What It Means for Homeowners and the Future of the Insurance Market California's insurance safety net is fraying. The California FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, is facing a financial emergency that could affect nearly every homeowner in the state—not just those living in wildfire zones…

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State Farm's rate increase fuels insurance worries in Northern California's fire country 2:54

7M ago2:54

2:54

California's Wildfire Belt Faces a New Threat: Soaring Insurance Premiums For years, Californians in wildfire-prone regions have learned to live with the flames. Now, they're learning to live with something else—skyrocketing insurance costs. In late May 2025, the California Department of Insurance approved a historic emergency rate increase for the…

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State Farm Increasing Home Insurance Rates 3:58

7M ago3:58

3:58

State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike: What It Means for California Homeowners, Renters, and the Future of the Insurance Market California's homeowners just got hit with another jolt—this time from the nation's largest property insurer, State Farm. Following approval from California's Department of Insurance, State Farm has been granted emergency author…

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A look at the statewide rate hike in State Farm insurance prices | On Your Side 4:46

7M ago4:46

4:46

What California's State Farm Rate Hike Really Means — And Why It's Not Over Yet California homeowners are facing another rate shock. In late June 2024, a judge and the state's insurance commissioner approved a 17% statewide rate increase for State Farm's homeowners policies, marking one of the most significant insurance decisions in recent years. T…

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State Farm wins first-ever emergency rate hike in California 3:56

7M ago3:56

3:56

State Farm Wins First-Ever Emergency Rate Hike in California: What It Means for Homeowners, Renters, and the Insurance Market For millions of Californians insured with State Farm, change is coming—and it's going to be costly. In a landmark decision, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) has approved State Farm's emergency request to raise ra…

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California's insurance commissioner approves significant rate hikes for State Farm 4:45

7M ago4:45

4:45

California's Insurance Commissioner Approves Major Rate Hikes for State Farm: What It Means for Homeowners, Renters, and the Market California homeowners, renters, and landlords are about to feel the effects of one of the most significant insurance rate increases in recent memory. Following months of financial turbulence in the state's insurance ma…

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State Farm Insurance one step closer to raising rates | KTVU 6:37

7M ago6:37

6:37

State Farm Rate Hike Approved: What California's Emergency Insurance Decision Means for Homeowners and Renters California's largest property insurer, State Farm, has officially received approval to move forward with major rate increases—and the ripple effects could reshape the state's fragile insurance market. Following a court ruling and subsequen…

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California homeowners accuse insurers of colluding to deny coverage 4:24

8M ago4:24

4:24

California's Insurance Crisis Deepens: Allegations of Collusion and the Future of the FAIR Plan As wildfires continue to devastate California, the state's insurance system faces its most turbulent chapter yet. In a new legal twist, homeowners have filed lawsuits accusing major insurers of colluding to deny coverage in high-risk wildfire zones — eff…

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San Diego earthquake sparks interest in insurance for homeowners 2:16

8M ago2:16

2:16

San Diego Earthquake: Why Homeowners Should Rethink Their Earthquake Insurance Coverage When a 5.2-magnitude earthquake rattled San Diego earlier this week, it did more than shake walls—it shook Californians into reconsidering how prepared they truly are for the next "big one." It's a familiar story: after every tremor, the phones of insurance agen…

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California Assemblyman Heath Flora Talks AB 637 & AB 1354 - Keeping You Safe & Saving You Money 53:01

8M ago53:01

53:01

🧭 Protecting Californians After Disaster: New Legislation Targets Scams and Insurance Relief When disaster strikes, chaos doesn't end with the flames. For too many Californians, the aftermath of a wildfire or natural disaster brings a second wave of hardship—fraud, confusion, and rising insurance costs. In a recent episode of Insurance Hour, host K…

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Listen: Insurance Expert Karl Susman is following the California Department Of Insurance hearing with State Farm regarding their emergency rate increase request. 2:26

8M ago2:26

2:26

California's Insurance Crossroads: Breaking Down the State Farm Rate Hearing and What It Means for Homeowners California's insurance crisis continues to dominate headlines, and the latest chapter — State Farm's emergency hearing before the California Department of Insurance (CDI) — underscores just how fragile the system has become. In an interview…

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Insurance expert breaks down State Farm's rate hike request hearing in California and what's next 10 4:50

8M ago4:50

4:50

nside California's Insurance Showdown: What State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike Means for You California's property insurance market has reached a boiling point. Wildfire losses, skyrocketing reinsurance costs, and outdated regulations have all collided—leaving insurers squeezed and homeowners panicked. The latest flashpoint? State Farm's emergency re…

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Homeowners affected by wildfires frustrated over FAIR Plan claims | On Your Side 6:41

8M ago6:41

6:41

When the Smoke Clears: Why California Homeowners Are Losing Faith in the FAIR Plan California homeowners have endured a relentless barrage of wildfires, each season seeming worse than the last. But for many survivors, the real battle begins after the flames are out. As news stories and firsthand accounts continue to reveal, a growing number of Cali…