Put Teen Drivers on Your Policy
Usually you'll pay a lot more if you buy your children their own auto insurance.
Should I put my teenagers on my car insurance or get them their own policies?
Put them on your own car insurance. The base rate usually starts out lower, and your multi-policy and multi-car discount can cut rates by another 15%.
Meanwhile, boost the liability limits on your auto policy and consider an umbrella policy that can raise your entire family's auto and homeowners insurance limits by $1 million. An umbrella policy tends to cost just about $200 per year, says Jamahl Johnson, of Johnson Family Insurance in Washington, D.C., which is about the same as the savings you'll get from the multi-policy and safety-course discounts.
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You also can earn discounts if your child has good grades or takes a driver's safety course.
For more information about buying car insurance, see our Smart Shopper's Guide to Auto Insurance and The New Math of Auto Coverage.
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As the "Ask Kim" columnist for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Lankford receives hundreds of personal finance questions from readers every month. She is the author of Rescue Your Financial Life (McGraw-Hill, 2003), The Insurance Maze: How You Can Save Money on Insurance -- and Still Get the Coverage You Need (Kaplan, 2006), Kiplinger's Ask Kim for Money Smart Solutions (Kaplan, 2007) and The Kiplinger/BBB Personal Finance Guide for Military Families. She is frequently featured as a financial expert on television and radio, including NBC's Today Show, CNN, CNBC and National Public Radio.
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