Life, Laptops and Loss

A friendly reminder for you to check your household insurance policy carefully before ever placing a drink on the same table as your laptop. Don't assume that laptop is covered in the same way as your desktop computers because somewhere in the fine print, about 12 pages down, it may be specifically excluded. As she learned. The hard way. Kiplinger's offers some excellent advice about homeowner policies, exclusions and riders.
If you have a home office, don't assume that your equipment is protected by the personal-possession coverage in your homeowners policy. Homeowners and renters policies typically cap coverage for business property at $2,500. The coverage drops even more if you take any of the property out of your house for example, it pays only $250 if your laptop is stolen while you're on a business trip.A typical policy provides no liability coverage for business-related claims, either. If, say, the UPS guy slips on your front stoop while delivering a business package and ends up suing, your homeowners company may leave you high and dry.
Homeowners Insurance Exclusions [Kiplingers]