The Hicks Agency

The Hicks Agency Our agency specializes in complex insurance situations which include Property (Residential + Commercial), Business, Life and Auto Insurance.

We are licensed in CA, AZ, NJ, IL, and TX. Hey there, I'm Mark Hicks, founder of Hicks Insurance Solutions right here in the heart of the Bay Area. Our mission is to become the agency you see as family — experts at protecting your wealth by building deep trust and growing with your family for generations to come. We honor this every day by showing up as trusted educators and advocates who have rea

l, needs-based conversations designed to uncover your true goals and help bring your dreams and aspirations to life. That's why you'll often find me hosting casual coffee chats at Philz in Campbell or diving into emerging topics like AI-driven risk management and cybersecurity. Whether we're safeguarding your home against life's unexpected twists or optimizing coverage for your business in today's tech-forward world, I'm passionate about making complex topics simple, actionable, and tailored specifically to you. When I'm not strategizing over a great pour-over or tracking market shifts, you'll catch me out in the community — supporting golf tournaments and meaningful events that bring people together. Life's too short for generic advice. Let's build a plan that feels as personal, forward-thinking, and lasting as the relationship we'll create together.

05/28/2026

An important message for anyone who lives on the Atlantic or Gulf coast — or anywhere that has experienced flooding.

Hurricane season officially begins this Friday, June 1. NOAA released its 2026 forecast last week projecting a below-normal season — 55% chance, 8 to 14 named storms, fewer hurricanes than average. That's genuinely good news for the overall season outlook.

But insurance professionals are saying something important alongside that forecast: a below-normal season is not an all-clear. The 2015 season — the last below-normal NOAA forecast — still produced 12 named storms. And it only takes one well-placed storm to create catastrophic losses for a region.

Here's the insurance message that matters most today specifically:

Flood damage is not covered by standard homeowners insurance. It's one of the most common and costly misconceptions in property insurance. Flooding from storm surge, heavy rain, overflowing rivers, or backed-up storm drains is universally excluded from standard homeowners policies. Flood coverage requires a completely separate policy — through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer — and it carries a 30-day waiting period before taking effect.

Today — Wednesday, May 28 — is effectively the last practical day to purchase flood insurance that will be active when hurricane season begins Friday. A policy purchased today would be active by June 27. A policy purchased Friday or after, when the season has already started, would not be active for any storm that develops in the first 30 days of the season.

If you're on the coast, near water, or in an area that has flooded before — please don't put this call off until Friday. I'm here to help. Just reach out.

05/18/2026

A data point from today's Insurance Journal that commercial clients with cyber coverage need to understand — especially if their limits were set before 2024.

Chubb's cyber claims data confirms that cyber claim severity nearly doubled for large businesses. This is cost per incident — not frequency. Each individual cyberattack is now dramatically more expensive to resolve than it was two to three years ago.

The cost drivers are well-documented:
→ Ransom demands are still routinely calibrated to the victim's cyber insurance limit — meaning attackers research the policy before setting the number
→ Multi-party breach notification requirements have expanded significantly
→ System restoration timelines are longer as attacks target backup systems
→ Regulatory response costs (state AG filings, SEC disclosures, international GDPR compliance) have increased
→ Supply chain incidents create third-party liability claims that compound the primary loss

The practical gap this creates: a cyber insurance limit that was "adequate" when purchased in 2022 or 2023 may be materially underbuilt relative to what a claim actually costs to resolve today. In most cases, the policyholder doesn't know this until the claim is filed — at which point the limit is fixed.

The limit review conversation is no longer optional for commercial cyber clients. It's one of the most consequential coverage gaps in business insurance right now — and one of the easiest to close with a single conversation before renewal.

When did you last review their cyber insurance limits?

05/08/2026

The life insurance conversation that most business owners haven't had and need to.

Key person life insurance and buy-sell agreements funded by life insurance are two of the most undersold products in business insurance. They're also two of the most consequential. When a business partner or key employee dies without a funded succession plan in place, the surviving owners face simultaneous grief and existential business crisis.

The scenarios that typically unfold:
→ A forced buyout of the deceased partner's equity that the surviving owners can't fund from operating cash
→ A deceased partner's family inheriting an ownership stake in a company they know nothing about and may not want
→ A bank calling in a loan that was personally guaranteed by the deceased partner
→ A key revenue-generating employee whose relationships and institutional knowledge cannot be quickly replaced

LIMRA research shows fewer than 30% of small businesses have formalized key person coverage in place. Banks increasingly require key person life insurance as a condition of business lending meaning many business owners have it for the bank but haven't thought through what the actual payout structure should look like for the business itself.

The question I ask every business owner I work with:
"If your most important partner or employee passed away tomorrow, what would happen to the business in the next 90 days?"

The pause that follows that question is almost always the beginning of the conversation that should have happened years earlier. Key person life insurance converts a potential business catastrophe into a manageable transition. It's one of the most valuable things a broker can put in front of a business owner and one of the least frequently discussed.

05/04/2026

A study published today via the AP claims Americans are being overcharged $150 billion annually for home, auto, and business insurance and I want to share some honest context before this headline starts making the rounds.

The Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator found that insurers paid out 62 cents per premium dollar in 2024, compared to 80 cents in the 1980s and 90s. They argue consumers could save $150 billion per year if insurers returned to that historical payout ratio.

The insurance industry's response: those lower ratios reflect years of unprecedented catastrophic losses wildfires, hurricanes, floods, rising repair costs. They say the retained capital is what keeps companies solvent to pay future claims.

Both sides have legitimate points. The public frustration behind this study is real and I hear it from clients regularly.

Here's my honest take: the practical answer available right now without waiting for federal legislation is working with an independent broker who shops the market across multiple carriers and finds the best value for your specific situation. That's the job I do, and in today's market there's real competition and real room to save. If you feel like you're paying too much, let's talk.

04/29/2026

Something I want to share as we head deeper into storm season — because it's a gap that catches people completely off guard, always at the worst possible moment.

Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. This is one of the most consistent misconceptions I encounter as an insurance broker, and it costs people enormously when they find out the hard way.

The exclusion is nearly universal. Flooding from rain, storm surge, an overflowing river, a backed-up storm drain — none of it is covered under a standard homeowners policy. Flood insurance is a completely separate product, purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer, and it comes with a 30-day waiting period before the coverage takes effect.

That waiting period is what makes timing critical. If you don't currently have flood insurance and a major storm is forecast in your area this week, it's already too late to purchase coverage for that storm. The policy won't be active for 30 days from purchase.

There are roughly 90 million homeowner households in the United States. Only about 4.7 million have flood insurance policies. And importantly, you don't need to live near a coast or a river to be at risk — more than 20 percent of flood insurance claims come from properties outside high-risk flood zones.

If you're not sure whether you have flood coverage, check your policy. If it doesn't specifically reference a flood insurance policy, you don't have it. I'm happy to walk through what flood coverage looks like for your specific location and what it typically costs. Just reach out.

04/29/2026

Something worth sharing for anyone who rents and for anyone who knows someone who rents!

About 55% of U.S. renters currently have no renters insurance. When researchers ask why, the most common answer is some version of: "I thought my landlord's insurance covered me."

It doesn't. And this is one of the most important things I can tell someone who rents.

Your landlord's insurance is designed to protect the landlord's property — the building itself. The walls, the roof, the structure. It has nothing to do with your personal belongings inside that building. If there's a fire, a burst pipe, a theft, or any other covered event, your landlord's insurer will pay to repair or rebuild the building. Your furniture, electronics, clothing, and everything else you own? You're on your own without a renters insurance policy of your own.

Renters insurance also covers something most people never think about: personal liability. If a friend or guest is injured in your apartment and decides to pursue a claim against you, renters insurance provides coverage for legal costs and damages. Without it, that exposure is entirely personal.

The cost of renters insurance is genuinely surprising to most people typically between $15 and $30 a month, depending on your location and how much coverage you need. That's often less than a single streaming service. For that amount, you can protect everything you own and have liability coverage on top of it.

If you rent and don't currently have renters insurance, I'd encourage you to take a look at it. And if you do have it, when did you last check whether your coverage limit still matches what you actually own? Happy to help with either question.

04/27/2026

Something I think about a lot in my work as a broker — and that I want to share in case it prompts a conversation worth having.

One of the most common situations families face after losing a loved one is discovering that the life insurance coverage they had was far less than what was needed. Not because the person didn't care. Because they bought a policy years ago, assumed it was handled, and never went back to look at it as life changed around them.

Here's the piece most people don't realize about employer-provided life insurance: the typical group life benefit covers one to two times your annual salary. The industry guideline for adequate life insurance coverage is ten to twelve times. For someone earning $80,000 a year with a mortgage, children, and a household that depends on their income — the difference between $160,000 and $960,000 in coverage is not a minor gap. It's a completely different financial outcome for the family left behind.

The most common trigger for this gap: people stop reviewing their coverage after a major life change. A bigger home. A second child. A significant income increase. A business launched. Each of those events changes the math — but most people don't revisit the policy to reflect it.

One question I encourage everyone to ask themselves: when did I last actually look at my life insurance? Not just confirm that I have it — but look at the coverage amount and ask whether it still matches my life as it is today? If the answer is "when I first got it," that's probably worth a conversation. I'm happy to be part of it.

04/23/2026

Something I thought was worth sharing — new consumer research just out this week on AI and insurance, and the findings are more nuanced than "people love AI" or "people hate AI."

In 2026, 84% of Americans use AI tools at least occasionally. And comfort with AI in insurance has nearly doubled in just one year. But the research reveals a very clear line in the sand:

People are fine with AI doing the routine, informational stuff. Nearly half would let AI generate an insurance quote. About 39% would let AI track a claim's status.

But the moment AI gets decision-making power over their actual coverage — the trust drops sharply. Only 22% would let AI file a claim on their behalf. Only 16% are comfortable with AI renewing or canceling their policy. Nearly half don't trust AI to make decisions about whether a claim is approved.

The interpretation: people have figured out the difference between AI as a convenient tool and AI as an accountable decision-maker. For things that genuinely matter — the coverage you have, the claims that get paid, the decisions that affect your financial protection — they want a real person who can explain their reasoning and be held responsible for it.

I think that's the right instinct. And it's exactly what an independent broker provides that an algorithm can't: judgment, accountability, and someone who actually knows your situation. Happy to be that person for you.

04/16/2026

One of the most important coverage conversations in insurance right now — and one of the most overlooked — is about umbrella limits.

An umbrella policy sits on top of your home and auto insurance. When someone sues you for more than those policies cover, your umbrella steps in. For years, $1 million felt like more than enough. That's no longer the case.

Jury awards exceeding $10 million — called nuclear verdicts — have increased 57% over the past decade. They're happening in everyday situations: car accidents, slip and falls, rental property incidents. And when they happen, they're not just exceeding primary policy limits — they're blowing through umbrella layers once considered untouchable.

The market has responded. Lead carriers have reduced their maximum umbrella lines from $10–25 million down to $2–5 million in many sectors. Average personal umbrella renewal rates rose more than 9% in a single quarter. The new industry consensus: $5 million is the minimum baseline for any household with meaningful assets, a teenage driver, a rental property, or a pool.

For business owners — especially in transportation, construction, real estate, or hospitality — $5 million may not be sufficient either. Many advisors now recommend $10 to $25 million in combined umbrella and excess liability capacity.

If you haven't revisited your umbrella limits in the past couple of years, it's a worthwhile conversation before your next renewal. The coverage that was "plenty" in 2021 may not match today's legal reality. Feel free to reach out — I'm happy to walk through your current program.

04/13/2026

Something worth reflecting on as we start a new week — a data point that underscores one of the most important financial conversations families are having right now.

According to LIMRA's latest research, only half of U.S. adults own life insurance, and more than 100 million acknowledge they have a coverage gap. That's not a group of people who are indifferent to the issue — it's people who know they need more protection and haven't yet taken action.

The industry's largest annual life insurance conference — hosted by LIMRA, LOMA, the Society of Actuaries, and the American Council of Life Insurers — kicks off today in Tampa, focused specifically on how to close that gap and better serve families across generations.

There's a larger context too. Approximately $124 trillion in wealth is expected to transfer between generations by 2048. Families without adequate life insurance plans are entering that transition in a vulnerable position — and often don't realize it until it's too late.

The conversation around life insurance has also meaningfully evolved. It's no longer only about "what happens when I die." Modern life insurance products — living benefits, hybrid life/long-term care policies, indexed whole life — provide value while policyholders are alive: cash value that can be accessed during financial hardship, long-term care coverage built into the policy, and structures that can supplement retirement income.

The question I ask every client: If your income stopped tomorrow, how long could your family maintain their current lifestyle? The answer to that question tells you a great deal about how much coverage actually makes sense.

If you haven't reviewed your life insurance coverage recently — or if you've had a major life change in the past year (new home, new child, marriage, divorce, business launch) — this is a worthwhile conversation to have. I'm happy to walk through it with you.

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PO Box 667
Gilroy, CA
95021

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
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