How we write our guides

The guides on this site exist because the same questions come up on nearly every call: what a wind/hail percentage deductible really costs, why a renewal jumped, what 30/60/25 actually pays for. We write them down so you can read the answer before you talk to anyone. Here is how they get made.

Where the facts come from

We start from primary sources: the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Insurance Code and Administrative Code, TWIA, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, and research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Every guide lists its sources at the bottom, with links, so you can check the original yourself. If we can't source a number, we don't publish it.

How they are drafted

We use software, including AI writing tools, to help research, organize, and draft the guides. We're an agency, not a newsroom, and those tools let us cover more of the questions you actually ask. A draft is a starting point, not a finished guide.

How they are checked

Before a guide publishes, every factual claim in it is checked against the sources listed on that guide, and someone at the agency reads and approves it. We also apply a few house rules: we say "many policies" rather than "all" unless a statute says otherwise, we label worked examples as hypothetical, and we don't make savings claims without a source.

Dates and updates

Every guide shows the date it was published and, if it has been revised, the date it was updated. Insurance law, filed rates, and carrier rules change, sometimes several times a year. A guide describes Texas insurance as we understood it on its date. We update guides when we learn something has changed, but we can't promise every guide is current on the day you read it, so check the date.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, we want to know. Email hello@alongsideinsurance.com with the guide and the line in question. We'll check it against the source, fix it if it's wrong, and update the date on the guide.

What the guides are not

The guides are general information about insurance in Texas. They are not advice about your policy, your property, or your business, and reading one doesn't make us your agent. Your policy documents control what is covered. If you want us to look at your actual situation,start a quote or get in touch, and we'll go through it with you.