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Life & Health · Chapter 2 · Handling Risk

Methods of Handling Risk (STARR)

Definition
Sharing (spread among parties — reciprocals, coinsurance), Transfer (shift by contract — buying insurance), Avoidance (eliminate the activity — the MOST COMPLETE method), Reduction (lessen frequency/severity — smoke alarms), Retention (keep some risk — deductibles, self-insurance). Plus loss prevention (actions to eliminate loss).
Exam tip
Buying insurance = TRANSFER. A deductible = RETENTION. 80/20 coinsurance = SHARING. Not building in a flood zone = AVOIDANCE.
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These are what this term gets tested against — if you can't tell them apart cold, drill the contrast.

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Verified against primary sources · 2026-08-10