It was a sunny Saturday morning and Laura was unloading boxes from her car along with the help from her Mom and Dad.  Its Laura’s first time living away from home.  She will be starting her first day of her college career on Tuesday.  Instead of living in the dorms she and her parents decided it would be cheaper and better for Laura’s study needs to rent a small apartment off campus.  She plans to stay in her apartment over the summers as well therefore Laura wanted to move all her belongings to her first place.  She couldn’t be more excited and scared at the same time.  It was a new chapter in her life. 

As Lauer was carrying two boxes up the stairs another girl passed her in the staircase then stopped and turned to Laura and said, “Do you need some help with those boxes?”  “I have some time before I need to be on campus to give a tour to new students.”

Laura looked at the girl with an appreciative smile, “Sure, I could use some help, my name is Laura, I’m in 5C.”

“My name is Dani, I’m in 5A, we will be neighbors.”  Dani grabbed one of the boxes from Laura and they began to make their way up the stairs.  Over the course of a couple hours Laura and Dani became fast friends.  In a rush Dani told Laura she had to get to campus but said when her tour was over she would come back and help Laura get settled in.  Laura smiled and thanked her and looked forward to her return.

After all Laura’s furniture and boxes were moved in her parent’s with tears in their eyes kissed Laura goodbye and told her to call them and keep them updated on her first few days of school.  When Laura’s parents left, she felt alone and a bit overwhelmed at all the boxes sitting around.  She told herself, “Well, I better get to work.”

After an hour of sorting through boxes and putting things away there was a knock on her door.  It was Dani.  “Hi Laura!” “I’m back to help you get settled in.”

With a sigh of relief Laura thanked Dani and welcomed her in.  They began chatting while opening boxes and putting things away.  “Hey Laura, you have a lot of great stuff and a gorgeous wardrobe.”

“Thanks Dani, I probably brought too much stuff but I will be staying here year round.”

“Do you have renter’s insurance,” asked Dani.

Laura looking a bit perplexed she answered, “No.”

“Well I didn’t think of getting renter’s insurance at first but I looked into it and my policy is affordable and protects all of my apartment’s contents.  My policy is with Travelers and I get a discount because I also have my auto insurance with them as well.”

Laura was thinking to herself about all her expenses she is going to have and wondered if renter’s insurance was really worth shelling out more money.  “Dani, my budget is tight do you think I really need renter’s insurance?”

“I would definitely recommend it, Laura.”

“What do I get for my money with renter’s insurance from Travelers, Dani?”

“Well, here let me jot down what is all covered under your renter’s policy with Travelers.”  Dani grabbed a sheet of notebook paper and wrote down the following”

• Furniture

• Clothing

• Appliances

• Personal belongings

• Minor improvements made to rental unit

• Belongings taken with you during travel

• Living expenses if you have to move out due to rental repairs

Dani handed the paper to Laura.  “The renter’s insurance also covers your personal liability.”  “For example, if someone gets hurt while in your apartment.”  “These are just the basic coverages; you can purchase additional coverage for a very small fee for items such as high dollar items and replacement cost for lost, stolen or destroyed items.”

“Your right Dani, this sounds like something I should look into.  I do have my own auto policy, I could bundle it all with Travelers to get a discount?”

“You sure can!  I will give you my Agent’s phone number.  They are easy to work with and can provide you with the coverage that fits you.”  Dani wrote down the number for Etler-Kettenacker agency.  “Give them a call and tell them Dani referred you.”

“Thanks, Dani!”  “I think it would provide me with some peace of mind while I am away from my apartment.”  “I’ll give Etler-Kettenacker Agency a call Monday.”

“No prob, Laura.”  “What do you think about taking a break from all these boxing and going to grab a slice of pizza?”

“I have a lot to do but pizza sounds better!”  “Let’s go!!”