Apparently, you didn't read the rest of my message.....I distinctly made a
distinction between liability and comprehensive automobile insurance.....I
am 72 years old, and have never purchased comprehensive automobile
insurance. I have had liability insurance all of my life, on both my
automobiles and my homes.

What's a, "no brainer", is how you think some insurance company can afford
to pay for all those claims, and big buildings and hundreds of employees,
each with their own computers and desks, and do all this without charging
you more for your coverage than it's really worth. Have you ever thought of
insuring your own automobiles? That's what I have done all of my life. Now,
if I were a taxi driver, and needed my car in order to work, well that might
be different. But since my cars and motorcycles have just been recreational
vehicles, I saw no reason to insure them for comprehensive coverage, and
give all that money to some insurance company, who doesn't know me from a
hole in the wall, but is willing to take a chance on my driving
ability......I have never had an accident, and I know that, so why shouldn't
I take a chance on my own driving ability? Also, since I knew that I didn't
have comprehensive coverage, I was careful about where I parked, and whether
or not I licked my car, and what valuables I left in plain view on the seat,
and etc.....IOW, I took a little responsibility upon myself, instead of
wasting my money on comprehensive insurance.

Exactly......You have helped me make my point........Only buy insurance for
liability, and then, make sure you read all the fine print carefully. For
dumb, replaceable stuff, do it yourself, and save a bundle without having to
rely on the honesty of someone else. Do you really think the veterinary
insurance would pay for an involved operation on your cat? - Hell no, they
wouldn't. But you can make that choice for yourself if you have money in the
bank.

"Nothing gives a man confidence like money in the bank." (My father, in
1950)

What ever happened to the guy on this usenet newsgroup who used
to extort money on their behalf?

Quicken.   Amazing what you learn when you review your finances.

For my last two cats I spent about $7500, the price I was
quoted for pet insurance was $12,000+.

Around here you can't get cat health insurance after age 2 or so.
After that they exclude coverage (prior conditions, etc.)

In news:rvKdnR9wNPotT4rVnZ2dnUVZ_sSlnZ2d@comcast.com,
William Graham <weg9@comcast.net> typed, for some strange, unexplained
reason:

[snip]

For things where you can, possibly. But we're not all financial experts
and some things like cars legally require insurance.

Ivor