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You'll be in better hands if you investigate insurance. From home and health to auto and life, here's what you need to know.

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t's a safe bet that "buy adequate insurance coverage" doesn't top your wedding to-do list. Purchasing insurance policies is not like planning your honeymoon or picking out your china pattern — it's hardly exciting, it's often confusing and you can't simply register for them at the nearest department store. Nonetheless, no matter how busy you are planning your future, you also must protect it.

Your Property

The two of you may have recently moved under the same roof and bought or received as gifts some expensive stuff. Perhaps you've even bought a home together. It's prime time to reassess your property coverage. The type and amount of property you own determine the protection you need. Homeowners insurance covers the cost of replacing the structure of the house, the property inside and the items around it. So if you own a home, you definitely need homeowners insurance.

But if you've bought a condo or co-op, you don't, explains Scott Heiman, vice president of Sussex Financial Group, Inc., an independent insurance agency in Deerfield, Illinois. Typically, the condominium association or cooperative buys coverage for the structure; what you need is to insure your own space. It's less expensive than homeowners since it only insures from the "walls on in," says Heiman, protecting against theft, fire or water damage, for example.

When shopping for any type of homeowners insurance, "Find a policy that provides a guaranteed replacement value rather than actual cash value so that you can replace your property new at today's prices," says Heiman. Also, buy a policy that includes "loss of use," to cover the cost of temporary housing if your place is left uninhabitable. Finally, make sure to adequately total the value of your belongings so you can replace them. Some items, like engagement rings and other jewelry, antiques or artwork, most often exceed the limits of a policy, and need to be listed on a separate "schedule" for an additional cost.

Your Income

When you're at your happiest it's hard to think about the possibility of life not being so promising. But getting married is the ideal time to ponder life insurance, which protects against loss of income due to death, and disability insurance, which pays out if you can't work due to illness or injury. How do you decide what you need? If the two of you have made financial decisions together based on two incomes or the continuation of one income, consider purchasing life insurance, disability insurance or both, advises Howard Sharfman, managing member of the Schwartz Brothers Insurance Agency in Chicago. To determine the amount or type of insurance to buy, Sharfman says to logically play out the scenario. "As unpleasant as it is, couples must ask themselves, ‘if something happened to one of us, what would the surviving spouse do and how much would it cost to do it?' "For example, if Jack and Jill earn comparable salaries and Jack moves into Jill's apartment, presumably each could afford to maintain the apartment independently if need be, so they probably have no need for life insurance.

But if Jack and Jill buy a home together, and the mortgage payments, taxes and upkeep of their home rely on both incomes, they should consider term life insurance. "Term life is relatively inexpensive and great for fulfilling a short-term need like paying off a mortgage," says Sharfman. However, if they plan to have a child who will require years of schooling, they should look at a whole or universal life policy, which offers a death benefit and tax-deferred savings.

Right now, notes Sharfman, disability insurance is probably more important than life insurance. The reason: A young person is more likely to become disabled than to die, and a disabled individual continues to consume financially but cannot earn a living. Generally, long-term disability policies kick in after 90 days and a good policy pays benefits through age 65. Benefits are tax free, so if you insure two-thirds of your income you will receive benefits equivalent to 100% of your salary. Premiums vary according to amount of benefit, age and health history.

Employer-provided disability insurance typically covers 60% of pay and is taxable. This means that if you are in a 30% tax bracket, you will receive only 42% of your pay. Therefore, you may need to supplement any employer-provided disability coverage with an individual policy, advises Sharfman.

Your Health

Just because two people get married and become a family, does not mean they need family health coverage. For newlyweds who are covered under their respective employers' group policies, whether to switch to family coverage depends on several factors, including the percentage paid by the employers, the amount of deductibles, and the types of plans and coverage offered.

Keeping single coverage often makes sense, according to Heiman, since employers tend to pay a higher percentage of coverage for employees than for dependents. Many married couples keep their individual coverage and, when they have children, add them to the cheaper plan, Heiman says. Take a look at the numbers to decide what's best. When family coverage is the obvious choice: If one employer pays 100% of the premium, or if one of you is uninsured.

Your Car

And now for the great news: Marriage can save you money on auto insurance! Most insurers offer a multi-car discount, so if you own two cars you can save by placing both on a single policy. Also, marital status improves a young person's rating, meaning lower premiums, explains Sharfman. According to many surveys, most people spend more than they should for car insurance. Make now the time you finally get a policy that makes sense — and that you can afford.