Should you read your insurance policy?

Dennis and Stephanie say no—and then spend the next 40+ minutes explaining exactly why.

In this episode of Insurance Gone Wild, the duo dives headfirst into the confusing, lawyer-written, comma-dependent world of insurance policies—where “herein” still exists, endorsements giveth and taketh away, and two adjusters can look at the same roof and see completely different realities.

They break down what consumers actually need to care about (hint: it’s not just price), why deck pages lie by omission, how underinsurance can quietly wreck your life, and why trusting the right agent matters more than trusting five-star internet reviews. Along the way, they share real-world stories—from brand-new homes burning down to $200,000 coverage gaps that make absolutely no sense.

Bottom line: insurance isn’t about reading 80 pages of legal jargon—it’s about asking the right questions, understanding the three C’s (Coverage, Cost, Claims), and making sure your house can actually be rebuilt from literal dirt.

Also discussed: bad adjusters, new agents learning the ropes, why “short episodes” are a lie, and why Dennis probably shouldn’t promise timelines ever again.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00:00 – Welcome to Chaos (a.k.a. “This Will Be a Short Episode”)

00:01:20 – Why Consumers Keep Asking the Same Insurance Questions

00:04:35 – Should You Read Your Insurance Policy? (Hard No.)

00:06:00 – Stephanie’s Airport Reading Story (and Public Humiliation)

00:07:52 – Are Policies Confusing on Purpose? Lawyers, Commas & ‘Herein’

00:10:30 – Core Policy Language vs. Endorsements That Ruin Everything

00:12:41 – Good Companies Pay Claims… Bad Ones Get Billboards

00:15:15 – The Three C’s: Coverage, Cost, and Claims

00:17:17 – Why Online Reviews Lie (and Roofers Know the Truth)

00:20:44 – Adjusters: The Wild Card Nobody Warned You About

00:23:23 – New Agents, Old Mistakes, and Learning the Hard Way

00:25:49 – Success, Failure, and Why Most People Ignore Good Advice

00:32:20 – The $200,000 Coverage Gap That Should Scare You

00:35:33 – Can Your Policy Rebuild Your House… From Dirt?

00:38:45 – Debris Removal, Ordinance Coverage & Commercial Nightmares

00:40:48 – “We Said This Would Be Short” (Final Lies & Wrap-Up)

Email: Contact@IGWpodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsuranceGoneWild

Get a Quote!

Panatela Group: https://panatelagroup.com/

Call: 817-753-0093

Buying a car should be exciting. Instead, it usually comes with paperwork, confusion, and that one terrifying question: “Wait… am I actually insured right now?”

In this episode of Insurance Gone Wild, Dennis and Stephanie take a very real (and very common) scenario — buying a car from a private seller when your agent is unavailable — and break down exactly what coverage you do (and do not) have when you drive away.

They unpack liability vs. comp & collision, what happens if the other driver is uninsured, why underinsured motorist coverage might quietly save your bank account, and how claims magically turn into paperwork Olympics the second you become the claimant.

Along the way, they also explain why insurance companies aren’t always out to get you (sometimes it’s just human error), how to fight a lowball valuation without losing your sanity, and why picking up the phone is still wildly underrated.

If you’ve ever thought:

“I’ll tell my agent later…”

“There’s no way my car is worth that little”

or “Why is this taking 47 emails instead of one phone call?”

…this episode is for you.

Listen before your next car purchase — or your next claims headache.

IGW 47

Chapters

00:00 – Hollywood Apple Juice & the Longest Tuesday Ever

00:03 – Buying a Car When Your Agent Is Closed (Bold Strategy)

00:06 – Liability Only: You’re Legal… But That’s About It

00:07 – Surprise! Your New Car Might Have Comp & Collision

00:11 – Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist: The Unsung Hero

00:15 – Diminished Value Claims (Yes, That’s a Thing)

00:18 – How Insurance Decides What Your Car Is “Worth”

00:22 – When a Car Becomes Totaled Faster Than You’d Expect

00:26 – Lowball Offers, Human Error & Fighting Back the Right Way

00:32 – Why Your Loan Balance Is Not the Insurance Company’s Problem

00:36 – Stop Emailing. Start Calling. Seriously.

00:39 – Like, Subscribe… No, You Don’t Actually Get a Dollar

Email: Contact@IGWpodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsuranceGoneWild

Get a Quote!

Panatela Group: https://panatelagroup.com/

Call: 817-753-0093

Dennis is cautiously optimistic (which is terrifying), Stephanie is calling out the chaos (as usual), and together they try to explain why 2026 might be the year insurance stops punching everyone in the face monthly.

On the property and auto side, things are… dare we say… stabilizing? Premium increases are slowing, new carriers are popping up, and underwriting is loosening just enough to give people hope. On the health side? Absolute mayhem. Premiums are exploding, legislation is muddying the waters, and more people are quietly asking, “Do I really need insurance… or just luck?”

From reinsurance and deductibles to politicians meddling where they shouldn’t and why “free healthcare” is never actually free, Dennis and Stephanie break it all down with zero filters, strong opinions, and more than a few side rants.

Spoiler: nothing is getting cheaper — but it might stop getting worse. And right now, that counts as good news.

Chapters

00:00:00 – Welcome to 2026: Lower Expectations, Lower Increases

00:10:33 – Home & Auto Rates: Still High, Just Less Insulting

00:12:49 – Reconstruction Costs vs. Reality (Spoiler: Math Ain’t Mathing)

00:17:34 – COVID, Freezes, and Why Everything Broke at Once

00:21:25 – Politicians, Insurance, and Why This Never Ends Well

00:25:06 – Health Insurance Premiums: Choose Your Own Financial Disaster

00:32:54 – Dropping Coverage, Going Bare, and Hoping Nothing Happens

00:37:39 – Preventative Care: Use It Before You Rage Quit

00:42:15 – Socialized Medicine: Great If You’re Healthy, Awful If You’re Not

00:43:05 – Taxes, Incentives, and Why Nothing Is Actually “Free”

Email: Contact@IGWpodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsuranceGoneWild

Get a Quote!

Panatela Group: https://panatelagroup.com/

Call: 817-753-0093