No wonder many homeowners are hesitant about filing an insurance claim.

InsuranceQuotes reports that making a single claim in Georgia can lead to an average 6 percent hike in an annual premium. In dollars, that means the average premium in the state, $833 as estimated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, would rise to $885.

Georgians, however, don’t have it as bad as folks in Connecticut and Minnesota, where premiums can jump an average 21 percent after a first claim, or as good as Southern neighbors Florida and North Carolina, where the hike is around 2 percent. The national average increase was 9 percent, or about $150.

States with the lowest rate hikes - 0 to 1 percent - included Texas, Vermont and Massachusetts. Texans are lucky. State law prohibits insurers from increasing homeowners' premiums after an initial claim.

The study reported an increase in premiums in pretty much all 50 states. Senior insurance analyst Laura Adams of InsuranceQuotes says policyholders should think carefully about filing claims.

“Let’s say you have a $1,000 deductible and the claim is going to lead to a 20% rate hike; it’s probably not worth making a modest-sized claim,” Adams said in releasing the study.

What has been your experience in filing a homeowner insurance claim? Did your rate increase or stay the same?

Study: More men willing to relocate with spouses, partners

Most men would jump at the opportunity to relocate with a spouse if there were an opportunity for more pay and career advancement, according to a SurveyMonkey survey done by the engineering firm Burns & McDonnell.

The sampling was small (137 people questioned in September) but the finding that 93 percent of men surveyed said they would relocate if their spouse or partner found a job making more money or one offering more career advancement is supported by the general trend toward more job relocations.

According to research by CareerRelocate.com and CareerBuilder.com last year, 44 percent of workers surveyed said they would be willing to relocate for a career opportunity. The results were partly driven by the down economy and layoffs. Of the workers laid off in 2011 and found new jobs, 20 percent had relocated to another city or state.

Employers’ willingness to help pick up the tab for relocations also may play a role the decision. A third of companies said they would be willing to pay to relocate.

In the Burns & McDonnell survey, 77 percent of respondents said they would relocate for a spouse or partner’s future earning potential; 75 percent just to be in the new city; and 73 percent if the  spouse or partner will be making more money. Fifty-three percent of men also said there’s no shame in following a significant other who has found a better opportunity.

There are some things you should consider, however, before committing to a relocation, experts say. See them here.  Would you follow a spouse or partner to a new city if he or she found a better job?

Government shutdown felt across Georgia

The AJC is staying on top of the fallout from the government shutdown.

See this premium story on MyAJC.com that looks at how metro Atlantans are affected, including the thousands of furloughs, the closing of popular attractions such as the  Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site  in Atlanta, and the  interruption of critical work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Homebuyers should also brace themselves for a longer loan process, which could have costly implications.