Insurance is a personal matter and finding the right insurance agent is an important decision. Licensed insurance agents are trained to help you analyze your insurance needs and make coverage recommendations based on your personal or financial situation.

With so many TV commercials, newspaper and radio ads and unsolicited mailings to your home, how do you decide which insurance agent will best serve your needs? Here are a few ways to make sure the agent you choose fits the bill.

Captive Agent or Independent Agent?

Captive agents represent one insurance company and can only provide you price quotes and financial services from their one contracted company. They cannot “shop around” your insurance coverages with other companies. Examples of captive agents are State Farm agents, Farm Bureau agents and most Allstate agents.

Independent agents are appointed with multiple insurance companies and can quote your coverage with many different companies. They are not obligated to place your coverage with any particular company, and the choice is up to you. Read the rest of this entry

When buying car insurance from an agent, there are different types of agents you can choose from. Agents who write with companies like State Farm and Farm Bureau Insurance are captive agents, which means they only write for one company. They do not have access to car insurance rates of any other companies, so they cannot comparison shop your coverage for you.

Independent agents, on the other hand, write for many different insurance companies. They may have contracts with companies such as Travelers, Nationwide, Allstate and many other smaller regional companies. When shopping for car insurance, independent agents can quote your coverage with several companies and get you the lowest rate possible with their companies. The do not have access to the captive company rates, so in order to get the most comprehensive rate comparison, it’s a good idea to get quotes from both captive and independent agents. Read the rest of this entry