I am often pressed to explain the rising cost of insurance — not an easy task. As with the rising cost of anything, a complete explanation involves revieiwng many factors (boring). There is one leading factor driving the rising cost of insuring homes that the WSJ recently decided to cover.

I am surprised that many I speak with do not realize insurance carriers also buy insurance on the risks they insure. The process of buying “reinsurance” allows insurance companies to spread their exposure to large, catastrophic losses that can strain their ability to pay many claims and remain in business.  

I share this because the factor with the greatest influence on the rising cost of home insurance (especially those in coastal areas) is the rising cost of the reinsurance that insurers are paying. Of course, those rising costs are passed along to all of us in the form of rising premiums. This page one Wall Street Journal article offers a thorough and interesting explanation behind the factors driving of the rising cost we are all required to pay to insure our homes.