Use it, don't lose it: Get insurance for your computer

The storm season is rapidly approaching for my part of the country, and that got me thinking. Because our locality seems to be rather prone to lightening strikes, we had better make sure we have proper insurance coverage on our computers.

I've already had one modem fried by lightening. Luckily enough the manufacturer's warranty covered that one occurrence. But now, we have two rather expensive computers which are each used for generating income. You can bet that I'll be making sure they're protected by proper insurance before storm season hits.

Generally, homeowner or renter's insurance will provide adequate coverage for the average personal computer in the event of damage or theft. However, it's a good idea to check to see if the policy covers actual value or replacement value. Computers depreciate very quickly once we put them into service. In my own case, I'll gladly pay the modest up-front charge for a policy which provides replacement of my machine at current market prices for new equipment, if something unsavory should happen.