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California lawmakers are advancing a package of wildfire-focused legislation aimed at helping homeowners better protect their properties while stabilizing a strained homeowner's insurance market. The effort follows years of destructive fires and insurer pullbacks that have left many residents struggling to find or afford coverage.

Three key bills are designed to give homeowners more tools, clearer guidance and, ultimately, better access to insurance.

It's normal for our mood and energy levels to fluctuate every now and then. However, it can affect our daily routine, including how we normally function in our everyday lives.

While we can't always control what triggers our stress and mood changes, there are certain steps you can take to controlling them without having to resort to alcohol or other vices. Here's how you can boost your mood and mindset naturally.  

While teenagers react with glee when they get their driver's license, for parents it is a time of angst and the specter of higher insurance premiums.

Sticker shock is not uncommon when parents receive that first quote for coverage, but there's a reason for those higher rates. Teen drivers are unproven and due to their lack of experience behind the wheel, insurers try to protect themselves with higher premiums. But don't fret. There are a number of ways to reduce the cost of teen drivers' insurance costs. This item highlights seven of them.

More than two-thirds of renters are uninsured for fire, natural disaster and burglary.

Why do so many people take this unnecessary risk? Some may think that their landlord's insurance will cover any claims, or that only houses are broken into – and not apartments.

But the fact is that more apartments are broken into than houses, and apartments also burn. Worse yet, if a fire starts in one unit it will often affect nearby flats, as well. Here's a look at why you should spring for coverage if you're a renter.

Today's smart home technology has become synonymous with convenience, but it can have a significant positive impact on the quality of life for seniors.

It can make their homes easier to manage and it can also make them safer. This is particularly the case for older adults who need to take medication on schedule, and for those whose mobility is impaired.

Employers generally understand their obligations when harassment comes from supervisors or co-workers. The risk becomes less clear when the offender is a customer, vendor or outsider, but the legal exposure does not disappear.

While federal statutes like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act do not explicitly address third-party harassment, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and most federal courts apply a negligence-based framework. The focus is on what the employer knew and how it responded. Once an employee reports harassment, an employer's defense weakens if it fails to act.

Lenders are tightening commercial insurance requirements for borrowers to ensure that they are adequately covered as property, liability and business interruption claims costs rise across the board.

With lenders tightening their standards, commercial property buyers should start their insurance planning well before closing or refinancing discussions. Lenders want to know that the property is protected, not only for the sake of your investment but also to safeguard the money they are putting into the loan. 

When pricing commercial auto policies, insurers want to know that employers, especially those with fleets, have drivers with clean driving records and don't pose a risk. The main tool they use is motor vehicle records, and if one of your drivers has a bad one, the insurer may require that they don't drive for you as a condition of binding the policy.

Employers should also rely on MVRs. Here's why.

Fed-OSHA has extended its targeted heat illness prevention program for another five years and expanded the number of industries under scrutiny.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Apr. 10 updated its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on indoor and outdoor heat hazards, increasing the number of targeted industries where workers face the highest risk of heat illness to 55 from 33 and extending the program through 2031. Is your industry on the list?

California's workers' compensation rate-making agency has recommended that average benchmark "pure premium" rates increase by 10.4% for policies incepting on or after Sept. 1, 2026.

The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau cited an increase in cumulative trauma claims as well as rising medical and administrative costs. The insurance commissioner will still need to weigh in and has the authority to set the rate, so the final change is still up in the air. How will this affect your policy?

You probably haven't thought about it much, but what would you do if you suddenly suffered from a serious health condition, such as a disability? Would a family member be able to take you in and care for you? What would the impact be on their immediate family in regards to finances and emotion? 

What if a family member suddenly suffered from a serious health condition? Would you be able to afford taking them in? Would you sacrifice money as well as time with your children in order to care for them?

There's a simple answer to these questions.

You hear a lot on TV and the radio debating the merits of term insurance versus the merits of permanent life insurance policies, including whole life and universal life insurance.

Anyone who advocates 100% for or against any kind of life insurance structure is missing the point: The best kind of insurance to own is the kind that is in place when the insured dies. Here's how to cut through the noise and find the policy that is best for you.