You can buy insurance for just about anything. There are the usual suspects, such as auto insurance, homeowners insurance, business insurance and renters insurance, but that’s just the beginning. It goes way beyond that for some people. For example, did you know you can buy insurance to protect yourself in the event there’s a zombie apocalypse? Yep, just in case you think AMC’s hit show “The Walking Dead” is a documentary, you can buy complete zombie protection from My Zombie Insurance.
Here are a few other wacky policies that you might not consider for yourself, but may give you a good laugh.
1. Fantasy Football Insurance
When the Patriots’ Tom Brady experienced a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of the 2008 NFL season, a light bulb went off for two insurance agents. Anthony Giaccone and Henry Olszewski created Fantasy Sports Insurance (FSI) to give owners peace of mind in the event of player injury or suspension. Team owners can insure their players for $100 to $1,000 with FSI. The lowest plan covers one key player who misses nine out of the first 16 NFL regular season games due to injury.
2. Prize Indemnity Insurance … er, Hole in One Insurance
The odds of an average golfer making a hole in one are 12,000 to 1, according to a study by Golf Digest. Yet, sponsors are still not comfortable with those odds since the prize is usually a new car or stacks of cash. If a company ends up having to pay the prize, they may find themselves in a hole too. Instead, they often take out insurance policies to protect against the chance that someone makes the shot.
3. The Big Day
Newlyweds and their families spent an average of $28,427 on weddings and related events in 2012, according to statistics released by The Knot. Wedsure, the “Wedding Insurance Expert”, offers policies that cover financial loss ranging from a missing caterer to a change of heart. However, don’t expect a payout if you get left at the altar, as that’s only reserved for people who paid for the wedding.
4. Improbable Odds – Multiple Birth Insurance
From 1980 to 2009, the birth rate for twins in the United States rose 76 percent, from almost 1.9 percent to about 3.3 percent of all births, according to the Center for Disease Control. Lloyd’s of London, famous for having some of the oddest insurance policies, allows you to take out a policy against this surprise. If you are expecting a baby girl and have twins, triplets or more, this policy will cover some of the extra expenses that come with raising multiple children.
5. David Beckham’s Right Foot
According to a study from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), there are four injuries per one training hour and a team of 25 players can expect 50 injuries per season. It’s no wonder David Beckham took out a $151 million injury policy during his soccer career…and it wasn’t just on his right foot, but on his entire body.
What do all of these policies have in common? They’re all based on statistics and probability. Each one provides protection in the event something happens and the companies that write them create their pricing based upon the likelihood the purchaser will make a claim. Companies like Mercury Insurance look at years of data to develop pricing for their insurance products … zombie apocalypse insurance is a little more subjective.
*Taken from Mercury Insurance Social Media Issue #10