Millennials get a lot of flak. Some of it may be well founded, but many perceptions about my generation aren’t.

The things I hear about my fellow millennials include that we’re selfish, lazy and some even claim we’re  entitled.

For those of us who were born between the 1980s and early 2000s, I can tell you one thing is for sure: We are very educated, at least generally speaking.  The fact that most of us are drowning in student debt supports that.  And for those of you who still struggle with changing the time on your dusty VCRs, we also are quite savvy when it comes to understanding the digital world and emerging technology like no one else.

While each generation has its strengths and weaknesses, I have found that at least one area where fellow millennials sadly lack behind: the world of insurance. Allow me to help make our generation more informed about insurance which I think is very unselfish of me so we are I’m improving on two stereotypes here.

I’ve been working in the insurance biz for more than three years. I’m not an agent, simply a marketing and social media buff working in the industry. One of the reasons I was so excited to join InsuraMatch is because it is built by a group of people that sincerely want people to understand insurance, especially their own insurance policies. There really is more to insurance than just finding the cheapest price (hey, I understand you can barely afford rent, but it’s worth it) and gimmicky commercials that make us laugh.

Among the hundreds of things about me that make me the life of the party (okay, now I’m being selfish), my wealth of insurance knowledge isn’t one of them. It may not be the most exciting thing about me, but it may be one of my more useful traits. Ask my roommates, who know I can’t change a light bulb and forget to retrieve the mail for a solid month. I feel as though I have a way better understanding of what policies I need, the value of those policies, and my coverage options thanks to my time working in insurance.

Here’s the bottom line for my fellow millennials: You NEED renters insurance. The fact that none of my friends have renters insurance seems crazy to me. While I may not have a lot of assets to claim in in my small apartment I share with other roommates,  I do know that if my building catches fire I’d actually have thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff to replace, pretty quickly.

My laptop, furniture, handbags and other items took me years to accumulate and I cannot imagine having to pay out of pocket to replace those things.  Without insurance I would have to. We all have at least one laptop, cell phone, and tablet. Add up the replacement cost on those items alone and it’s enough to make you want insurance.

My next lesson is on the concept of “bundling.” Simply put, bundling is combining two or more other insurance policies with the same carriers, who typically offer discounts as an incentive for your business. And bundling isn’t just for homeowners – it’s for renters too.  Many commercials target homeowners to get these savings, especially if you combine your auto policy with them.  The good news is that you don’t have to actually own a home to bundle, it’s also available to those of us who  pay a landlord each month.  Furthermore, in some cases, the discount ends up being equal to or more than renters insurance costs. Yes, that math in your head is right. You pretty much end up getting free renters insurance.

Have you put the torture of renting behind and recently purchased a condo? Make sure you really understand how your condo insurance works. There’s special insurance for condos and the first step is to understand what your condo association covers and make sure your own insurance covers everything else. Example: Some condo associations include coverage for cabinetry and maybe even appliances (you wouldn’t need coverage) and others don’t (you need to make sure you have this coverage). If sifting through your condo association by-laws seems like a lot, don’t worry because any good insurance agent is going to be willing to help you.

Remember, just because you have insurance doesn’t mean everything is covered. That new engagement ring may not be insured. Check your personal possessions limits on your renters, condo, or home insurance to be sure there is enough coverage if your ring is lost or stolen. If not, there’s a simple solution: jewelry insurance. It can help you be confident, with the help of an appraisal, that you would be given enough money to replace your ring. As a side note: us single people don’t need to see a fresh batch of Instagram pics with the replacement ring.

Another simple lesson: life Insurance isn’t for our parents. It’s also a great investment for us younger grownups. Young, relatively healthy people (pending the pizza and beer or wine isn’t catching up with you too much) can get really affordable life insurance rates. Getting it sooner rather than later can really help in the long run and is also much cheaper. Lock in an affordable rate now while you are young and healthy and it could continue to benefit you in 15 years (when we are less young, but hopefully still healthy).

I get that “Things You Need to Know About Your Insurance” isn’t exactly click bate. However, you’ll learn more information here than in those other “15 Ways to Know He’s the One” (he probably isn’t if you need to read that to find out) or “Why Your Best Friend Knows Everything About You” (because he or she your best friend). Sorry I guess I should have included a spoiler alert.

While we are still at the age where we can get away with “Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway”, let’s just roll with “knowing better” when it comes to insurance. Millennials having the title of knowing a lot about their insurance may not be exciting, but I think it has a nice ring to it. Hey, it’s better than selfish, right?