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Best Money Move of 2020: Investing in Renters Insurance

One Sunday in the winter of 2017, Sheila Bridges’ sprawling Harlem apartment went up in smoke. Not flames, luckily, but a fire that started in a basement storage room shot thick black vapor straight up to the top of her pre-war building as if through an efficient flue.

The fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes but within half that time, Bridges’ 8th floor home of more than 20 years was filled with a dark haze that ultimately blanketed every surface from her walls and window treatments to her dishes, computers, and clothes.

It would’ve been a crisis for anyone, but for Bridges, a renowned interior designer who not only works from home but uses the finely appointed space as a showplace for her work, this was an all-encompassing nightmare—and an expensive one.

“My home is my calling card for potential clients and I’ve lived there for most of my adult life,” says Bridges, whose clients have included former President Bill Clinton, entrepreneur Sean Combs, music mogul Andre Harrell, and bestselling author Tom Clancy. “Renting sometimes feels transient—when I don’t own it, why would I paint it or fix it or invest in it? But I invested tremendously. I’ve painted, papered, and renovated. And, like anyone, it’s my home, so all of my belongings are there, all those irreplaceable personal things that mean the most.”

Sheila Bridges

The logistics of restoring her home to normal were daunting, but what eased Bridges’ stress and prevented the fire from being a financial disaster was the fact that she had renters insurance.

After her $500 deductible, a policy that cost her less than $700 a year fully covered more than $200,000 in expenses, enabling her to fully restore her home and most of its contents, which meant both a great deal to her personally and to the vitality of her business.

“Even without any actual burning, fire is just so damaging,” she says. “My apartment had this fine black dust over everything and it just got worse as it came through the heating system and settled into every cavity, crack and crevice in my and my neighbors’ homes.

“I had to send more than 75 pieces of art and photography to be restored,” she recalls. “That alone cost about $100,000.”

The Philadelphia native says she has her late father to thank for her ability to salvage so much despite the catastrophe. “This is one of those things my dad was big on. From the moment I moved to New York, my father said you have to get renters insurance. It’s probably hands-down the best financial decision I ever made.”

More Renters—and Need—Than Ever

At a time when more people are renting than in the last 50 years—about 37% according to the Pew Research Center—renters insurance could be one of the best and most overlooked investments around.

“People will get car and homeowners insurance because they’re made to by lending agencies,” explains Jain Williams, a State Farm insurance agent in Oakland, California. “Even here in California, where fires are an issue, a lot of people don’t know about renters insurance and don’t take it even when it’s offered.”

This is especially true of millennials, who have a uniquely complicated relationship with the idea of homeownership. Despite rising rental costs nationwide, the number of millennials who say they plan to always rent is also on the rise. According to a 2019 survey by Apartment List, 12.3% of millennials don’t expect to ever own a home, up from 10.7% in 2018.

Their reasons largely hinge on an inability to save a down payment while also paying off education debt. According to Apartment List, the primary obstacle cited by black millennials is bad credit.

Yet, despite its affordability, Williams says renters insurance is still vastly underutilized. Created to protect renters primarily in case of theft or fire, she notes, “Everyone always says, ‘it’s not going to happen to me.’”

Sheila Bridges’ Harlem apartment

That was the case with Bridges’ neighbors, the majority of whom didn’t have insurance. Some had to get rid of most of what they owned and start over. Others attempted to clean up themselves, something Bridges said was virtually impossible to do thoroughly, not to mention dangerous due to the exposure to carcinogens.

Bridges, whose unique African American toile wallpaper lines the dining room of CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King, quickly called in the pros. In addition to the artwork restoration and cleaning every surface, nook, and crevice, including the paint and wallpaper on every wall, she had to have her computer equipment specially cleaned. Her dry cleaning bill—for not just clothes but draperies, fine bedding, and pillows—was $37,000.

In addition, she says, her policy covered her short-term stay in a hotel until the apartment was safe for her to inhabit, as well as boarding for her dog.

State Farms’ Williams notes that the typical policy even pays for food if renters are forced to move into temporary housing that lacks a kitchen.

While some newer rental complexes are requiring renters insurance because owners are afraid of the liability, Williams says most still don’t, and most renters don’t appreciate the value of the relatively small investment.

“Financially, it just makes sense,” Williams says. “Especially if you bundle it with auto insurance, sometimes the discount pays for the renters insurance.”

No one is more of a believer than Bridges, who notes that most of her neighbors have now joined the club. Even with insurance, she describes the experience as devastating, “but I was covered,” she says. “I can’t even imagine the level of devastation if I hadn’t been.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/35xLO7k

Best Money Move of 2020: Investing in Renters Insurance

One Sunday in the winter of 2017, Sheila Bridges’ sprawling Harlem apartment went up in smoke. Not flames, luckily, but a fire that started in a basement storage room shot thick black vapor straight up to the top of her pre-war building as if through an efficient flue.

The fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes but within half that time, Bridges’ 8th floor home of more than 20 years was filled with a dark haze that ultimately blanketed every surface from her walls and window treatments to her dishes, computers, and clothes.

It would’ve been a crisis for anyone, but for Bridges, a renowned interior designer who not only works from home but uses the finely appointed space as a showplace for her work, this was an all-encompassing nightmare—and an expensive one.

“My home is my calling card for potential clients and I’ve lived there for most of my adult life,” says Bridges, whose clients have included former President Bill Clinton, entrepreneur Sean Combs, music mogul Andre Harrell, and bestselling author Tom Clancy. “Renting sometimes feels transient—when I don’t own it, why would I paint it or fix it or invest in it? But I invested tremendously. I’ve painted, papered, and renovated. And, like anyone, it’s my home, so all of my belongings are there, all those irreplaceable personal things that mean the most.”

Sheila Bridges

The logistics of restoring her home to normal were daunting, but what eased Bridges’ stress and prevented the fire from being a financial disaster was the fact that she had renters insurance.

After her $500 deductible, a policy that cost her less than $700 a year fully covered more than $200,000 in expenses, enabling her to fully restore her home and most of its contents, which meant both a great deal to her personally and to the vitality of her business.

“Even without any actual burning, fire is just so damaging,” she says. “My apartment had this fine black dust over everything and it just got worse as it came through the heating system and settled into every cavity, crack and crevice in my and my neighbors’ homes.

“I had to send more than 75 pieces of art and photography to be restored,” she recalls. “That alone cost about $100,000.”

The Philadelphia native says she has her late father to thank for her ability to salvage so much despite the catastrophe. “This is one of those things my dad was big on. From the moment I moved to New York, my father said you have to get renters insurance. It’s probably hands-down the best financial decision I ever made.”

More Renters—and Need—Than Ever

At a time when more people are renting than in the last 50 years—about 37% according to the Pew Research Center—renters insurance could be one of the best and most overlooked investments around.

“People will get car and homeowners insurance because they’re made to by lending agencies,” explains Jain Williams, a State Farm insurance agent in Oakland, California. “Even here in California, where fires are an issue, a lot of people don’t know about renters insurance and don’t take it even when it’s offered.”

This is especially true of millennials, who have a uniquely complicated relationship with the idea of homeownership. Despite rising rental costs nationwide, the number of millennials who say they plan to always rent is also on the rise. According to a 2019 survey by Apartment List, 12.3% of millennials don’t expect to ever own a home, up from 10.7% in 2018.

Their reasons largely hinge on an inability to save a down payment while also paying off education debt. According to Apartment List, the primary obstacle cited by black millennials is bad credit.

Yet, despite its affordability, Williams says renters insurance is still vastly underutilized. Created to protect renters primarily in case of theft or fire, she notes, “Everyone always says, ‘it’s not going to happen to me.’”

Sheila Bridges’ Harlem apartment

That was the case with Bridges’ neighbors, the majority of whom didn’t have insurance. Some had to get rid of most of what they owned and start over. Others attempted to clean up themselves, something Bridges said was virtually impossible to do thoroughly, not to mention dangerous due to the exposure to carcinogens.

Bridges, whose unique African American toile wallpaper lines the dining room of CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King, quickly called in the pros. In addition to the artwork restoration and cleaning every surface, nook, and crevice, including the paint and wallpaper on every wall, she had to have her computer equipment specially cleaned. Her dry cleaning bill—for not just clothes but draperies, fine bedding, and pillows—was $37,000.

In addition, she says, her policy covered her short-term stay in a hotel until the apartment was safe for her to inhabit, as well as boarding for her dog.

State Farms’ Williams notes that the typical policy even pays for food if renters are forced to move into temporary housing that lacks a kitchen.

While some newer rental complexes are requiring renters insurance because owners are afraid of the liability, Williams says most still don’t, and most renters don’t appreciate the value of the relatively small investment.

“Financially, it just makes sense,” Williams says. “Especially if you bundle it with auto insurance, sometimes the discount pays for the renters insurance.”

No one is more of a believer than Bridges, who notes that most of her neighbors have now joined the club. Even with insurance, she describes the experience as devastating, “but I was covered,” she says. “I can’t even imagine the level of devastation if I hadn’t been.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/35xLO7k

CASTING NEWS: Aldis Hodge joins Regina King’s directorial debut ‘One Night In Miami’

It looks like Regina King has selected the leading men for her directorial debut One Night in Miami. 

The award-winning actress has enlisted Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Eli Goree in the film that’s based on the play by Kemp Powers.

Regina King brings four Black icons back together in directorial film debut, ‘One Night in Miami’

The impressive list of talented actors will portray some truly impactful figures like Malcom X (Adir), Sam Cooke (Odom, Jr.), Cassius Clay (Goree), and Jim Brown (Hodge).

“One Night in Miami is a love letter to Black manhood that powerfully explores themes of race, identity and friendship,” said King in a statement to Deadline. “Each of them has contributed so much to culture and history. We’re so excited to have Kingsley, Eli, Aldis and Leslie in the lead roles showing a different side of these iconic men.”

Netflix inks an exclusive film distribution deal with Regina King

Check out the official description:

Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center as the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he’s defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the world of boxing. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach’s hotspots to celebrate the match, Clay — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the men emerge determined to define a new world.  In One Night in Miami, Powers aims to pinpoint exactly what happened during those pivotal hours. Featuring the music of Cooke, including his hit song, “A Change Is Gonna Come,” the film offers a piercing narrative for the evening, which challenges the four men, strips them bare and reveals them for who they were.

Aldis Hodge on his heartbreaking role in ‘Clemency’: ‘This is something of value’

Regina King inked an overall deal with Netflix in May and we can’t wait to see One Night in Miami when it hits the streamer.

The post CASTING NEWS: Aldis Hodge joins Regina King’s directorial debut ‘One Night In Miami’ appeared first on TheGrio.

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FIRST LOOK: 4 reasons to Netflix & chill this month

Netflix is serving up several reasons to stay in and keep warm while watching some of Hollywood’s brightest stars in new projects.

There are tons of new titles available this month and we decided to fill you in on some of the unmissable content the streamer has in store.

Leslie Jones speaks on ‘SNL’ departure: “I will miss holding it down”

Leslie Jones: Time Machine 

Synopsis: Comedian, actress and Emmy Award-nominated SNL alum, Leslie Jones, is all about having fun. Through the years that fun has encompassed wild times, crazy experiences, celebrity encounters and a few awkward mishaps.  Now older, and enlightened, the comedian imparts  her hilarious wisdom on all ages. Strap in, because you’re headed on a wild side-splitting ride from young adulthood to the present with Leslie Jones.

Release date: January 14

Leslie Jones lands Netflix standup special to kick off in D.C.; warns Trump not to come

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

Synopsis: As a gifted young football athlete from Bristol, Connecticut, Aaron Hernandez had capitalized rapidly on his promise, playing for a top tier college program before being drafted into the National Football League at the age of 20. But in 2013, fresh off of a newly inked five-year, $40 million contract with the New England Patriots, Hernandez would become a household name for the most infamous murder case involving an American athlete since OJ Simpson. Hernandez’s trials for the brutal killing of Odin Lloyd and two Boston-area men yielded a Pandora’s box of secrets: a tumultuous and often abusive upbringing, a growing fascination with gang life, and other discoveries that painted a maelstrom of motivations behind his violent behavior.

A three-part documentary series featuring exclusive courtroom footage, Hernandez’s phone calls from prison, and interviews with those who knew Hernandez and Lloyd, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez meticulously examines the perfect storm of factors leading to the trial, conviction, and death of an athlete who seemingly had it all.

Release date: January 15

A Fall From Grace

Synopsis: Grace Waters (Crystal Fox), a longtime pillar of her Virginia community, stays composed when her ex weds his mistress and her son moves away. With convincing from her best friend Sarah (Phylicia Rashad), she tries putting herself first, and a handsome stranger (Mehcad Brooks) becomes her surprise second love. Yet any woman can snap, and Grace’s new husband soon ravages her life, her work and — many say — her sanity. Shuttered in a cell awaiting trial for his murder, Grace’s only hope for vindication lies with Jasmine Bryant (Bresha Webb), a public defender who has never tried a case. Co-starring Oscar nominee Cicely Tyson and writer/director Tyler Perry, A Fall From Grace is a mesmerizing thriller built from unthinkable secrets.

Premiere date: January 17

Spike Lee and the Obamas to drop projects on Netflix in 2020

Sex, Explained

Synopsis: This one is NSFW but still worth watching, thanks to Janelle Monae and her uncanny voice narrating the series that attempts to explain how people are doing the deed in 2020. From the biology of attraction to the history of birth control, explore the ins and outs of sex in this entertaining and enlightening series.

Release date: January 4

The post FIRST LOOK: 4 reasons to Netflix & chill this month appeared first on TheGrio.

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