as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
should i carry less renter's insurance if i can self-insure?
user
i believe your statement is mostly correct:  ...all the expert recommendations are based on an inflexible conventional wisdom that presumes that all renters are relatively resource-poor. when you purchase a $50 electronic item at the store and are offered an extended warranty for $3, most people turn it down, not only because they don't think it's worth it, but also because in the event that the item fails between say years 1 and 3, they don't worry enough about that $50 to care if they have to buy a new one, or live without it. the percentage of your net worth also matters. for example, if you had an entire loss tomorrow, you'd be out $20k if you needed to re-purchase your possessions. (30k minus 10k in current coverage.) $20k is approximately 1/44 or 2.3% of your net worth. if a catastrophe occurs and you only lose 2.3% of your net worth, some might consider that lucky, so from that point of view it isn't really a big deal. but on the flip side, if the extra insurance only costs you $50 more per year, you may not even notice that dent in your net worth either. i think for most people, the value of items in their home may be their net worth, or at least a much larger percentage of it, in which case the insurance makes more sense. for someone in your position, it probably doesn't make much difference either way. if you had $300k in valuables in your house, perhaps your point of view would be different.
assistant