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NEW STUDY SAYS PETS ARE WORTH PLENTY Most pet owners already know their furry friends make life better, but according to a new study, the value might be higher than anyone realized. Some researchers say it’s close to $100,000. Researchers in the U.K. aimed to measure how much happiness dogs and cats bring to people’s lives. Using data from more than 700 people, they found that owning a pet can boost life satisfaction as much as getting married or landing a massive raise. In economic terms, it’s the emotional equivalent of earning nearly $93,000 more per year. To determine whether pets actually improve happiness, rather than the opposite — happy people are more likely to have pets — the team factored in things like age, income, personality traits, and family size. They also used a clever workaround: They asked people whether they look after their neighbor’s house while they’re away. That behavior is linked to pet ownership but not directly to happiness, which helped researchers isolate the impact of pet ownership. It’s not just a fun fact, either. Experts say findings like this could affect everything from housing laws to public health programs. If pets fight loneliness and lift people’s moods, it might make sense to rethink rules that prevent pet ownership in some apartments and assisted living facilities. While the researchers focused only on cats and dogs, the message came through clearly. Pets matter, maybe even more than we thought. And if you already live with one and know how they benefit your well-being, the science now backs you up. That wagging tail or soft purr might be worth more than you ever guessed.
You might think having car insurance protects you from the worst headaches after an accident. But what if the other driver doesn’t have any? It happens more often than you’d expect. In Texas, roughly 20% of drivers are uninsured, according
to some estimates. That means one out of every five cars on the road could leave you holding the bag after a crash. Texas law says drivers must carry insurance, but that doesn’t stop plenty of people from slipping through the cracks. Sometimes drivers let their policies lapse. Other times, they ignore the law altogether and hope for the best. Either way, if one of them hits you, things can get complicated fast. If you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, you’re in far better shape. This coverage can be rejected in writing in Texas, but it’s something I strongly recommend. UM/UIM can help
cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and even damage to your vehicle if the other driver can’t pay. Without that coverage, you’re left trying to collect from someone who probably doesn’t have the means to pay. Winning a lawsuit is one
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