Welcome to Money As If — and Happy Fourth of July! Today's issue is a bit shorter than usual, as I'm sure everyone is enjoying the holiday, but we still have some fireworks.

Namely:

— Jeanine

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I've been covering disaster insurance for Investopedia ahead of (and now during) wildfire, hurricane, and tornado season, and, well, as you may have guessed, it's a disaster.

Insurers are increasingly pulling out of and non-renewing policies in high-risk, hard-hit markets, leaving a host of homeowners with little to no affordable options. And that's causing people to forgo home insurance altogether.

I tried valiantly to get some homeowners to go on the record about that choice, but, while I had a few leads who either had no coverage, knew someone without coverage, or, at the very least, couldn't get coverage for the major threat in their zip code, no one wanted to risk drawing attention to themselves and getting into some trouble.

And there is trouble to be had, outside of simply assuming all the financial risk associated with owning a property, particularly for mortgage holders, given almost every lender requires homeowners insurance as part of their loan agreements.

Skip coverage and you can lose your house, though it's more likely that the lender will first slap you with force-placed insurance, which is uber-pricey, rolled right into your mortgage payment, and typically only enough to cover what you owe the bank on your home. So, you know, not enough to rebuild if your house is totaled or badly damaged in a disaster.

This is all very depressing for sure, but I've learned a few things during my reporting that are worth re-sharing here as they could help, should you find yourself struggling to find affordable home coverage.

Most encouragingly, environmentalist group The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recently partnered with insurer Willis Group to offer $2.5 million in wildfire coverage to a homeowners association in high-risk Truckee, California.

They chose the HOA because it has a robust wildfire prevention program, and while the product is currently not covering actual homeowners, TNC hopes it'll serve as a proof of concept for how insurers can offer affordable policies to residents of disaster-prone areas. (TNC is also hoping the possibility of insurance will encourage better forest management and fire prevention initiatives, so, you know, it’d be a win-win for all.)

They generally fall into two buckets that are not entirely mutually exclusive.

I'm not a fan of the term "self-insure" because, as I've said before, it's not really a thing. It's just a fancy way of sugarcoating that someone's assuming all financial risk associated with their property because, maybe, they have enough money to, or, maybe, just maybe, rolling the dice is the better of two terrible options.

Having said that, if you don't have a mortgage and can technically skip homeowners insurance, you can insulate yourself a bit by (a) taking some of the personal risk mitigation efforts outlined above and (b) paying a "premium" into a high-yield savings account each month just as you would if you had coverage and a regular insurance payment.

If you're looking for more tips on dealing with disaster insurance, head on over to Investopedia. The team is extremely knowledgeable, and you'll find numerous comprehensive educational explainers on the basics, as well as breakdowns of the latest trends and news items.

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Two points if you spot any of these at today's barbecue.

🇺🇸 $8.99

for a 12-pack of miniature — and waveable! — American flags sold at Walmart, for decorating your lawns or ponytails, natch.

🍝 $40

for an Olive Garden pool noodle, an inflatable raft designed to look like one of three top OG dishes, and, you guys, honestly, I can't even with these (in a good way).

🌽 $223.50

for a rustic American flag cornhole board coming directly from the American Cornhole Association; bags sold separately.

💡 $429

for a 12.5-pound Lit LED Patriotic Flag from Pottery Barn, suitable for use in covered outdoor areas or, if you don't have one of those, a bathroom.

🍔 $1,999.95

for a Blackstone Select 36" Gas Griddle (with cabinet) over at Williams Sonoma; Grill Daddy cleaning brush sold separately.

Nowadays, most financial takes are boilerplate. These aren't.

And, finally, today, in things I would buy if I could, you know, just buy things …

Unwilling to let an ugly-cute $40 mostly plastic gremlin dominate the booming (not a joke) bag chain market, my old friend Louis Vuitton has debuted a new collection of plush portables.

The latest version of Vivienne Fashionista and her new friend, Louis Bear, are only available on the Louis Vuitton app (which, yes, I have now downloaded on my phone), although they don't appear to be in stock just yet, ICYWW.

They cost between $1,270 and $1,390, so, yeah, this accessory is decidedly more pricey, actually less ethical (Vivienne's made partially of mink), and, dare I say, less fun than their current competition, but, hey, there's a bag for every charm.

Got questions, comments, receipts, tips, thirst traps, etc. you’d like to share? Send them to [email protected].

_{This article is for educational purposes only. We don’t recommend or advise individuals to buy, not buy, sell, or not sell particular investments or other assets, as everyone’s circumstances are different. Also, it’s your money and ultimately up to you to decide the best use for it.}