Earl Haskins is a fictional character. Every fact in his books comes from a public source you can check.
From the FBI's latest numbers
39.7%

of the burglaries the FBI counted in 2025 were entries without force.1 No kicked door, no broken glass.

The best protection for your home costs a few dollars and a habit.

And the most expensive surprises come later, when the policy you paid for years doesn't cover what happened. The Claim-Proof Home is three plain books about both: the cheap fixes, the scams aimed at retirees, and what your homeowners policy won't pay.

Get all three booksInstant PDF download · Large type · Print as many as you need

30-day money-back guarantee. Or start with the free night checklist.

Volume One cover: The Cheap Fixes Volume Two cover: The Scams Aimed at You Volume Three cover: What Your Policy Won't Pay
Choose your state

How common is burglary where you live?

The FBI collects burglary reports from police and sheriff's departments in every state. Pick yours to see the 2025 rate next to the country's.

United States, same data

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, burglary offenses reported by law enforcement agencies, January to December 2025, data refreshed October 15, 2026. Rate = burglaries reported per 100,000 residents of the areas whose agencies reported.2 A low rate is good news, not a guarantee: every one of these numbers is somebody's house.

The math

What a break-in costs, and what the fixes cost

$5,524

The average amount insurers paid per homeowners theft claim, 2019 to 2023. That's what got paid, on top of what the family covered with the deductible.3

~$100

Roughly what the weekend plan in Volume One costs at a hardware store: long screws for every door, lamp timers, sticks for the sliders, window pins. Our estimate at 2026 prices.

$200

A typical cap on cash under a homeowners policy, in New York's regulator's list of examples. Yours may differ. Volume Three shows you where to look.4

The point isn't to scare you. Burglary has been falling: the FBI's 2025 rate was the lowest in twenty years.1 The point is that the cheapest protection is a habit and a few screws, and the most expensive mistake is finding out what your policy says after the fact.

What's inside

Three plain books

Volume One cover

Volume One · The Cheap Fixes

Twenty fixes for $0 to $50, each with what it costs, why it works and the mistake that ruins it.

  • Why three-inch screws in the strike plate matter more than a fancy lock
  • The door everybody forgets
  • Sliders, windows and the window air conditioner
  • An honest look at lights, cameras and signs
  • Where burglars look first, and what they said scared them off
  • A one-weekend plan for under about $100
Volume Two cover

Volume Two · The Scams Aimed at You

People 60 and over reported $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025.5 This volume is your script.

  • The four signs every scam shares
  • "Social Security," "the IRS" and "your bank's fraud department"
  • The grandchild call, voice cloning and the family code word
  • Medicare, the door, the computer and the mailbox
  • The forwarded warnings that aren't true
  • The first hour after a scam, step by step, with every number to call
Volume Three cover

Volume Three · What Your Policy Won't Pay

How homeowners policies generally work, written by a character who spent his life on the claims side. General education, not advice on your policy: it ends with the twelve questions to take to your agent.

  • Reading your declarations page in one evening
  • Replacement cost, actual cash value and the 80 percent rule
  • Seven common gaps, from flood to the coffee can of cash
  • Documenting the house before anything happens
  • The first days after a loss, and when a claim is denied
  • The knock after the storm
Get the books

The Claim-Proof Home

All three volumes · PDF
$47
  • Volumes One, Two and Three, 57 pages in large type
  • Every number linked to its public source at the back
  • Print as many copies as your household needs
  • Instant download, read on any phone, tablet or computer

Get all three books

Secure checkout by Gumroad. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Two printable add-ons you can add at checkout:

Home Inventory Kit cover
Home Inventory Kit · $12

A sheet for every room, the policy snapshot, serial numbers, a claim log and a receipts page. The list the adjuster asks for, made ahead of time.

Scam Script Cards cover
Scam Script Cards · $7

Eight cut-out cards to keep by the phone and the front door: the signs, the exact words to say, and what to do after.

30 DAYS
MONEY
BACK

If it isn't useful, you don't pay.

Read the books, do the fixes, call your agent. If within 30 days you feel it wasn't worth it, reply to your Gumroad receipt and you'll get a full refund. No questions, and you keep what you printed.

Earl Haskins, a fictional character
Who is Earl?

Earl Haskins is a character.

Earl is a retired insurance claims adjuster from the Midwest: forty years of walking through homes after the bad night, and learning what went wrong. He is a fictional character, voiced and illustrated with AI, created to explain home safety, scams and insurance in plain words.

Because Earl is invented, nothing in his books rests on his word. Every number and every rule comes from a public source: the FBI, the FTC, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute, Social Security, Medicare and others, all listed at the back of each book. When the books describe a situation, it's an illustration, and they say so. There are no made-up testimonials on this page, and there never will be.

The books are general education, not legal, financial or insurance advice. For your own policy, talk to your agent or your state insurance department.
The 10-Minute Night Checklist cover
Free

The 10-Minute Night Checklist

Ten things to check before bed, on two printable pages. Tape it inside the front door. Pay what you want, starting at $0.

Get the free checklist
Questions

Before you buy

Is Earl Haskins a real person?

No. Earl is a fictional character, voiced and illustrated with AI. The facts in the books are real and sourced; Earl is the voice that explains them.

Where do the numbers come from?

From public sources you can check: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program and Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Federal Trade Commission, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute, Social Security, the IRS, Medicare and others. Each book lists its sources at the back, with links. The 2012 survey of burglars from UNC Charlotte is included with a note that the alarm industry's research foundation paid for it.

Is this insurance or legal advice?

No. It explains how homeowners policies generally work and what questions to ask. Every company and state is different, so the books keep sending you to your agent and your state insurance department.

What do I get, and in what format?

Three PDF books in large type, made for US Letter paper. You can read them on a phone, tablet or computer, or print them at home. The download link arrives by email right after checkout.

Do I need tools or a contractor?

No contractor. Most fixes in Volume One need a screwdriver; a few need a drill. The rest are habits that cost nothing.

I rent, or I live in a condo. Is it for me?

Volumes One and Two, yes. Ask your landlord or association before changing locks or doors. Renters and condo policies work differently from homeowners policies, so use Volume Three as a list of questions for your agent.

What if I don't like it?

Ask for a refund within 30 days by replying to your Gumroad receipt. You'll get your money back.

Is the night checklist really free?

Yes. On Gumroad you can type $0. If you'd like to pay something, that's up to you.

A few screws, a phone call and a red folder.

That's most of it. The books cover the rest.

Get The Claim-Proof Home · $47