When I got my home insurance bill and it showed a massive payment for my policy renewal, I actually laughed. I flipped the page over, believing I’d received someone else’s mail by mistake … probably a neighbor down the street. But when I saw my own name, I wasn’t laughing anymore when I grabbed my calculator and discovered that the new amount was a 45 percent increase over last year.

Still, ever hopeful, I called my insurance company, wondering if someone else’s home had been

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