With the fire and hurricane seasons making their debut this week, I just thought I'd write another friendly reminder to you, gentle reader, to take a second look at your homeowner's insurance policy and to know it well. I'm super-paranoid about this issue for many reasons, but mainly because 18 years ago, I had a semi-serious house fire, and that was when I really got to know what my coverage was all about. In a nutshell: BAD LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

I found these two timely (and very user-friendly) stories to help you wade through the fine print. The first, Wildfire: Insurance When All Is Lost , from CNN, focuses on fire insurance. Folks who've taken advantage of low interest rates to renovate their homes would benefit from this article, as it has tips on what to look for when updating the value of your coverage, such as higher rebuilding cost or a home upgrade. Check out the related articles, too, especially the one entitled Money 101: Insurance .

The second story, from MSNBC, entitled Do You Have Enough Homeowners' Insurance? , places emphasis on hurricane insurance coverage. Like the CNN story, it reminds the reader to revisit his or her insurance policy to account for higher building cost and recent renovations. A related story, Insurance Tips for Katrina Victims , could easily apply to anyone who's been a victim of a hurricane-related catastrophe.

Deconstructing an insurance document may not be as titillating as reading salacious items on Brangelina or TomKat , but think about it this way: Should you become a victim of a disaster, the last phrase you'd want to hear is, "NOT COVERED!"