It's the American Dream: Buying a home, putting down roots in a place you love, and building long-term equity to be proud of. Luckily for today's American Dreamers, choosing to take the home-buying path is more attainable and affordable than ever before.

We take notice when you take care. At Cornerstone, we believe proactive homeowners and drivers deserve to be rewarded for their safe habits. That's why we carefully crafted a long list of unique policy discounts designed to bring out the best in every CNI policy. Check out all the ways you can save at CNI.

We're excited to let our friends in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois know: we have officially launched our long-awaited homeowners product-line for you to conveniently package with your Cornerstone Auto policy! 

The long road ahead doesn't have to be scary. Enjoy the ride with an auto policy armed and ready for any unexpected pit stops in your journey.

Ah, Spring: You bring us warmer weather (at least in the afternoon hours), pretty flowers, and green grass - a welcome sight after enduring months of drab scenery and freezing temperatures. While it's no secret that spring can be a beautiful thing about 80% of the time, the remainder is often spent enduring some of the year's most damaging storms.

As Midwest natives, we know by now that this area we call home is no stranger to sporadic, volatile storm patterns. Therefore, as property owners in a very bipolar-weather region, the only way to cope with the inevitable each year is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Before jumping into our list of the best precautionary measures to help you and your property survive storm season, let's quickly look at what a typical Midwest storm season can involve. Plus, we'll assess the risks that follow as a result. 

Fact: Floods are the number one most frequently occurring natural disaster in the United States, and the most costly, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

This statistic probably comes as no surprise, given the Midwest's many notorious flooding disasters over the years. But flooding events affect every part of the country, and uninsured homeowners in low-to-moderate risk areas are often unprotected against severe losses, leaving them with expensive out-of-pocket repair costs.

Much like parents try to prevent scrapes and bruises on their kiddos, homeowners do the same when it comes to their property. Nobody wants to see a big, blaring ouchie on their home, especially the kind that isn't budget-friendly to fix. But we all know by now that life (and Mother Nature) is highly unpredictable.

While we may not be able to control every weather event or issue to pop up at home base, we can control how well we plan for them. Keeping the three most common homeowners insurance claims in mind, let's jump into the most effective preventative measures every property owner can take to minimize or altogether avoid the damage of an unwanted what-if.

Who doesn't love a good package? Ask any Amazon customer, and they'll agree. If you online-shop from time to time at Jeff Bezos' highly addictive virtual superstore of all the things, you can relate to the picture we're about to paint. You come home to see a brown box stamped with that iconic grin disguised as an arrow lying on the porch, and you're overcome by child-like joy. As you rip the tape off that box and lay eyes on the steal of a deal you literally just ordered last night (shoutout next-day shipping), it's gratifying.

Just like we go to the doctor for regular checkups and wellness visits throughout our lifetime, our cars need the same care and attention when it comes to maintaining their overall health. Unlike us humans, though, our vehicles come with this handy booklet called an Owner's Manual - you may have heard of it? If you haven't taken yours out of the 'ol glove box in a while, consider doing so sooner rather than later.

Life is full of seasons. And I'm not just referring to the beautifully guaranteed weather-related kind. I'm talking about the unexpected series of hours, days, months, or even years that creep in quietly - or obnoxiously loud - and challenge us in all kinds of ways... the positive kind... the negative kind... or maybe a little bit of both.  

It's no secret that accidents happen all the time, especially over the road. With more distractions than ever impairing drivers behind the wheel, the chances of one happening around you or involving you are higher. To help inform and educate you on how to best avoid an accident, our experienced claims team has compiled a list of the most common auto claims we see on the regular, along with helpful tips for preventing the risk altogether.