Life is full of risks. That’s what makes it so interesting and exciting. But some unexpected events can really set you back.

General insurance helps us protect ourselves and the things we value, such as our homes, our cars and our valuables, from the financial impact of risks, big and small – from fire, flood, storm and earthquake, to theft, car accidents, travel mishaps – and even from the costs of legal action against us. And we can choose the types of risks we wish to cover by choosing the right kind of policywith the features we need.

In general, insurance works by spreading the cost of unexpected risks among a large number of people in the same region who share similar risks.

When you take out an insurance policy, you pay a monthly or annual premium. That money joins the premiums of many thousands of other policyholders and goes into a big pool of funds.

With any luck, you will never need to draw on that pool. But if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones affected by an unexpected calamity, perhaps through severe weather or accident, that pool of funds can be used to help you up to the limit you have selected in your policy.

If things go wrong, your insurer may either repair or replace the items that have been lost or damaged, depending on the terms of your policy. You may also have the choice of receiving a cash settlementfor the amount of money agreed in your policy.