Plain English for what the policy actually says

What the policy actually says.

Plain English for coverage, escrow, PMI, APR, and 401k terms.

An insurance statement on a wooden table beside two stacks of banknotes.

Coverage basics

Deductible: the part you pay first

The amount subtracted from a covered claim before your insurer pays - and the main lever on your premium.

Jul 31, 2026•6 min read
A model house and a model car banded together on a folder.

Home coverage

Bundling home and auto insurance

Putting both policies with one insurer usually earns a discount - and changes a few things worth knowing about.

Jul 29, 2026•6 min read

Plain English

Clear explanations of tricky terms and fine print.

Real-world examples

Practical scenarios so you know what to do.

No sales pitches

Independent information to help you decide.

Every explainer

50 terms across three sections. One page per question.

An open curbside mailbox holding three plain white envelopes on a quiet residential street. Coverage18 Auto and home insurance terms, explained in the order you actually meet them: what the coverage does, what it does not do, and what to check on your own declarations page.
  • Premium: what you pay to keep coverage
  • Deductible: the part you pay first
  • Auto liability: the coverage for harm you cause
  • Collision coverage: crashes and your own car
Browse Coverage An empty office chair pushed back from a bare desk with a jacket left over the back. Life and health17 Life, disability, Medicare and health plan vocabulary. The words that decide what a policy pays and who it pays, defined without a sales pitch attached.
  • Short-term vs long-term disability
  • Elimination period
  • Own-occupation disability
  • COBRA continuation
Browse Life and health The aisle of a small grocery shop with produce crates and shelves of stock, nobody inside. Business5 The policies a small business is asked to carry, and the certificates and endorsements clients keep requesting. Plain definitions for terms that usually arrive inside a contract.
  • General liability insurance
  • Business owners policy (BOP)
  • Professional liability (E&O)
  • Workers' compensation
Browse Business An opened mortgage statement lying beside a set of house keys on a kitchen counter. Home finance4 The parts of a mortgage payment that are not principal and interest, and why the number on your statement moves.
  • Escrow account: taxes, insurance, and why it moves
  • Escrow shortage
  • PMI: what it is and when it ends
  • Is homeowners insurance deductible?
Browse Home finance A long printed loan amortisation schedule lying across a desk with a pen resting on one edge. Money terms6 Borrowing and retirement vocabulary, defined plainly, with the trade-offs stated out loud.
  • APR: the number that includes the fees
  • APR vs interest rate
  • Amortization schedule
  • 401(k) basics: contributions, match, vesting
Browse Money terms