What is high-net-worth insurance?
High-net-worth insurance, also called private client insurance, is not one policy but a category. It covers households whose homes, vehicles, and possessions have larger and more diverse exposures than the standard market will write policies for.
Luxury is not the point. Once you have significant assets, default limits and valuations start to leave coverage gaps. Private client insurance closes those gaps and runs the household as one coordinated program.
What It Is
A different policy, not a fancier one.
The insurers that write high-net-worth policies are specialists: a small group that underwrites affluent households and little else. The forms they use are broader than the standard market's, with open perils instead of named perils, replacement cost instead of depreciated value, and agreed value on the things that don't depreciate.
The whole program is coordinated, so one advisor sees the entire household. The standard market sells policies one at a time, often through different agents and carriers, each underwritten in isolation. Private client insurance treats your home, cars, collections, and liability as a single picture: the only way to be sure the coverages and limits match and nothing falls through a gap.
What sets a private client program apart
Broader forms
Open perils instead of named perils, replacement cost instead of depreciated value, and agreed value where it matters.
Higher limits
Dwelling, liability, and valuables limits sized to what you own, not form defaults.
Coordinated program
One advisor sees home, auto, collections, and liability together: the only way to be sure nothing is overlooked.
Who It's For
Exposure, not net worth.
There's no bright line, and net worth alone is the wrong test. The question that matters is exposure. You're likely in this market if any of these are true.
Home
Your home costs $750K+ to rebuild
Or a standard carrier has already non-renewed or declined it, often the clearest sign you've crossed over.
Properties
You own more than one property
Second homes, pied-à-terres, and rental properties all benefit from being underwritten on the same coordinated program.
Collections
Jewelry, art, wine, or watches
Standard policies cap valuables at sub-limits that often won't cover a single piece. Scheduling solves this.
Liability
Household staff, a board seat, or public profile
Each adds exposure that the standard market's umbrella forms weren't designed to address.
Assets
Significant assets, equity, or future income
Anything a single lawsuit could reach is worth protecting with limits high enough to actually absorb the loss.
Geography
Wildfire or coastal zones
Areas where the standard market is retreating are exactly where specialty carriers still write business.
What It Covers
Broader forms, higher limits.
Across every line, the same pattern holds: broader coverage, higher limits, and settlement that makes you whole rather than leaving you with a shortfall.
Home
Guaranteed replacement cost rebuilds even past the policy limit, plus cash-out and large-loss deductible waivers.
Learn more about homeowners →Auto
Replacement cost and agreed value, instead of depreciated actual cash value.
Learn more about auto →Valuables & collections
Jewelry, art, wine, and watches scheduled at agreed value, worldwide: not capped at a ~$1,500 sub-limit.
Learn more about valuables →Excess liability
Liability towers to $50M and beyond, with board (D&O) and household-staff (EPLI) coverage built in.
Learn more about umbrella →Claims service
Dedicated adjusters, replacement-cost settlements, and deductible waivers on large losses.
Learn more about claims →Coordination
Matched limits across every line so the umbrella attaches and there are no coverage gaps.
The Carriers
A short list of specialty insurers.
High-net-worth coverage is written by a short list of specialty carriers, and you can't buy most of them directly. They distribute only through independent agencies. The market has tightened lately, especially in wildfire and coastal zones, which makes the ability to shop several carriers at once matter more than it used to.
Carrier
Chubb
The long-standing standard for private client coverage, with deep specialty-claims expertise.
Carrier
PURE
A member-owned exchange known for pricing discipline and a focus on better-managed risks.
Carrier
AIG / Private Client Select
Built for global and complex households with international exposure or unusual assets.
Carrier
Cincinnati Private Client
Strong appetite for high-value homes and a long-tenured agent-driven model.
Carrier
Vault
A newer entrant built around reciprocal ownership and modern service expectations.
Carrier
Berkley One
Backed by Berkley's specialty-insurance bench, with flexible underwriting on complex households.
What It Costs
Think in ranges.
A private-client program commonly runs from about $5,000 to $50,000+ in premium per year, and more for large or multi-property holdings.
It also isn't always more expensive than the standard market for equivalent protection: these carriers underwrite better-managed risks and reward bundling the whole household together. The goal at this level is the lowest total cost of risk: the premium plus whatever a gap would cost you out of pocket.
How To Buy It
Through an independent agent.
You reach these carriers through an independent agency, one appointed with the private-client markets, able to shop them against each other and coordinate the whole household.
An independent agency works for you rather than for any single insurer. And it costs you nothing extra: the premium is the same as buying direct, because the carrier builds the commission in either way.
FAQ
Common questions.
The questions we hear most often about private client coverage: what it costs, who qualifies, and how to make the switch.
Talk to an advisor →Guides
Read deeper on private client coverage.
Do I need high-net-worth insurance?
A two-minute assessment of your exposure across home, autos, valuables, and liability.
Replacement cost vs. actual cash value
How the same loss pays very different amounts under each valuation basis.
Guaranteed replacement cost, explained
Why a private-client policy will rebuild even past its stated dwelling limit.
The high-net-worth claims experience
Dedicated adjusters, replacement-cost settlements, and deductible waivers at large losses.
Captive vs. independent agents
Why the private-client market is reached almost entirely through independent agencies.
Valuables & collections insurance
Jewelry, art, wine, and watches scheduled at agreed value: beyond your homeowners sub-limit.
Ready When You Are
Coverage built around your whole household.
A licensed Bulwark advisor will review your homes, vehicles, collections, and liability, then return a coordinated high-net-worth recommendation in about a day.