Don’t overlook your roof! This important structure affects more than curb appeal. It’s responsible for protecting many structures and systems.

The parts of a home that get the most attention tend to be visual, and more or less at eye level: paint color, landscaping, porches, and decks. The roof is the one part of the home that doesn’t tend to get a lot of notice unless the gutters overflow or an enthusiastically tossed toy goes a little too high.

This important structure affects a lot more than your house’s curb appeal – it’s responsible for protecting interior structures from water, ensuring your HVAC system operates efficiently, safeguarding your loved ones in dangerous weather, and, in some cases, making your attic safe storage space.

Roof Age and Replacement Tips

How long does a roof last? Sales pitches for roofing companies can come fast and furious, inviting doubt to creep in over the integrity of the shingles overhead.

Here’s a short intro guide on the various types of roof materials, and when you may want to consider repair, replacement, or maintenance:

Asphalt Shingles

Typically black with a gravel-like surface texture, asphalt shingles are the most common type of domestic home roof material in America. With proper care and upkeep, this type of roof will offer between 15 to 30 years of viable service before you’ll need to replace them entirely. Because of the nature of its overlapping construction, it’s also relatively easy to swap out or replace broken or damaged shingles.

Composition Shingles

Made from a wider variety of materials in a multilayer design that can include fiberglass, composition shingles have a slightly shorter lifespan, between 12 and 20 years before replacement is necessary. Like asphalt shingles, they may become damaged or lost periodically due to weather and exposure but can be replaced as needed.

Wooden Shingles

This type of roofing – as the name suggests – is made out of wood, often cedar for passive pest control, but also woods like cypress, pine, or redwood. This natural material is hardy and offers between 20 and 25 years of use before you will need to replace your wooden roof. While rot and pest-resistant woods and coatings are used, this type of roof material can be vulnerable to problems like moisture, mosses, mildew, and insects.

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs are durable and industrial, offering between 50 and 75 years of dedicated protection, on average. Because of their overlapping design and potential corrosion, these types of roof coverings are susceptible to leaks, so care must be taken to maintain and assess them regularly, usually bi-annually unless specific issues crop up. If they become dented or warped (think storm-fallen limbs), they can be expensive to repair or replace.

Rubber Roofs

A rarity in domestic neighborhoods and typically the domain of industrial buildings, rubber roofs last between 30 and 50 years before a full replacement is called for. Over time, particularly in hot, sunny, or damp climates, this roofing material may shrink and pull back at its seams, causing issues with peeling and leaks from moisture buildup and pooling.

Do I Need to Replace My Roof?

If you know when your roof was installed and the material falls within the normal lifespan, likely not unless you’re experiencing specific issues. That being said, if you are nearing the end of that lifespan or an in-place warranty is due to expire, it’s a smart move to schedule a full roof assessment.

In addition to regular visual inspections as you walk around your house or in your attic, it’s best to have a roofing company inspect, repair, and maintain your roof at least every other year. If your home is in an area with extreme weather or a great deal of direct sunlight and high temperatures, an annual checkup is an even better idea.

It may not be on your radar, but there are important factors to consider when determining if your college student needs life insurance.

While students of all ages are currently making their way to the digital and physical seats in college classrooms, higher education – particularly undergraduate college – is defined by younger attendees. Fresh out of high school with decades of learning and living ahead of them, life insurance isn’t typically even a blip on a college student’s radar – but should it be?

Determining if your College Student Needs Life Insurance

Indeed, the life situations and needs of a 19 or 20-year-old are often significantly different than someone 40 or older, but that doesn’t mean there are not important overlaps to consider, such as:

• Lingering debts from housing or vehicle loans
• Open grants or student loans that require repayment
• Cohabitation costs

Debts Linger On – Even for Students

Large debts have a stubborn way of sticking around, even if the original debt holder isn’t able to pay them. That means that a new, reliable vehicle financed to help ferry a college student to and from campus ends up as an expensive liability in the event a student can no longer pay their car note.

While college students may be living out of the dorms or renting a partial or full apartment in the short term, a car or truck can end up being a financially painful burden in an uncertain time. If the student carried an appropriate amount of life insurance, the remaining debt could be paid off and a liability transforms into a resource that may help in a trying time.

Grants and Loans Need Repayment

Unexpected situations, by definition, won’t wait for a convenient moment to strike. If a life insurance policy is needed mid-term, all the school debts associated with that semester (or even that year, depending on a college’s billing practices) may come due from an estate. That means considerations like tuition, room and board, books, equipment or lab rental, and more all need to be paid, regardless of how much they’ll go unused in the future.

If a college student is relying on a conditional grant or an on-campus work-study program to pay their debts as they go along, this is an especially important consideration. A college student’s life insurance policy takes the stress of the unknown out of settling a semester’s financial obligations.

Cohabitation Concerns

It’s not unusual for groups of college students to rent a home or apartment together for school, or for college student couples to do the same as they start their lives together. With so much time and energy devoted to studies, the types of jobs that college students typically have are generally more of a hand-to-mouth variety than positions with generous pay.

The loss of even partial income can be devastating if it occurs without warning, which is why a life insurance policy for college students can be a genuine lifesaver for those they care about. Partners, friends and family can be financially provided for in nearly every life scenario – plausible and improbable alike with a bit of forethought.

If you’re looking to lock in financial security for yourself as you attend higher education, or to secure that stability for a student in your family, consider buying a term life policy for college students. It’s one less worry at one of the most stressful periods in an academic lifetime, after all.

Summer is here and people are flocking to the water — whether it’s the beach, a lake, a river or a backyard pool. But, wherever there’s water, there’s also danger.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 people drown every day — and two of those are children 14 or younger. Even seasoned swimmers can find themselves in dangerous situations, so brush up on these basic safety tips before your first – or next – swim:

Swimming Safety Tips

1. Consider the swimming level of everyone in your party before selecting a place to swim. Just because swimmers are comfortable in a pool doesn’t mean they can handle swimming in the ocean.
2. Swim in designated areas with a lifeguard present, and follow any posted warnings or instructions. However, don’t rely on the lifeguard alone. Never leave young children or other inexperienced swimmers unattended or in the care of another child.
3. Teach children to ask permission before going near the water. If a child is missing, always check the water first.
4. Young children should wear swim diapers and Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Even still, maintain constant supervision.
5. Avoid alcohol or drug use during water activities.
6. Know CPR and other life-saving measures.
7. Don’t dive into unfamiliar water. You never know what might be below the surface.
8. In open bodies of water, watch for dangers that just aren’t present in pools. These can include plants and animals, as well as riptides, currents, waves and rapids. If you see someone in danger, reach out to them with a pole or tree branch – anything that extends your reach – or throw them a floating object while someone else alerts the lifeguard. Wading in yourself could put you in just as much danger, so leave the water rescues to the professionals.
9. Don’t swallow the water, no matter where you’re swimming. It could cause illness.
10. Check the weather and be aware of changing and potentially dangerous conditions.

If you happen to have a pool on your property (lucky you), you have even more responsibilities. Your pool should be completely surrounded by a locking fence, at least 4 feet tall, and all pools and spas should have compliant drain covers. Keep life-saving equipment, such as life rings and poles, within easy reach. If you have a small kiddie or wading pool, be sure to empty it after each use. A baby can drown in just 1 inch of water.

Summer fun in and around the water is for people of all ages — just keep in mind that some people need more supervision than others, and everyone needs to keep safety in mind at all times. Happy splashing!

Reposted with permission from the original author, Safeco Insurance®.

Top image by Flickr user Virginia State Parks used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.