Having the right insurance policies for your health, home, car, and other important assets is essential. When it comes to protecting yourself and your family, your property, and your finances, it is crucial to spend adequate time and energy finding the right policies.
But what if you can’t find the right policies at the right prices — no matter how much time and energy you spend?
This is the situation that many Coloradans find themselves in. To be sure, insurance is not a simple industry to navigate. The best way to find ideal policies that meet your needs and your budget is to work with someone who knows what they’re doing —an independent insurance agent.
What’s Different About Independent Agents?
Essentially, those in need of insurance have three options when it comes to purchasing policies.
First, they can buy direct. This means going directly to the insurance company without dealing with a “middleman” like an agent. Generally speaking, companies like Geico and Esurance top the list of “direct” insurance companies, and most policies can be purchased online.
The second way to purchase insurance is through what’s called a captive agent. Captive agents are technically independent agents, but they work only for one insurance company. For example, you might sign up for insurance with a captive agent who works only for State Farm Insurance. This means you can only get policies through State Farm with this captive agent. Even if State Farm doesn’t offer the best rates on coverage plans, that’s what the captive agent is going to sell you.
The last option is to work with an independent agent. Better in nearly every way, an independent agent allows you the freedom to look at policies from numerous different insurance companies — they don’t work for just one provider.
Specific Benefits of Working With an Independent Agent
The most important benefit of working with an independent agent is that you have a choice. Your independent agent is going to work for numerous insurance carriers and be able to filter through the policies available to not only find you the one that meets your needs but also to find you the best value.
With captive agents and buying direct, you’ll get one quote and one option. Independent agents give you a range of quotes and options, which greatly improves your chances of getting a better value out of your insurance.
Independent agents (and captive agents as well) are also local, meaning you can actually meet one-on-one with them in person to conduct your business. In fact, really, you’ll only need to have one meeting with your insurance agent to settle all of your insurance needs. That’s another great thing about and dependent agents. They can help you with health insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and all of the insurance policies you require.
And if your rates end up going up after a while with one of your policies? You can simply cancel it and speak to your agent about finding a policy with a better rate. Unlike working with a captive agent or buying direct, there’s no need to change independent agents entirely and start from scratch.
Those who already work with independent agents know the numerous benefits you can reap from this path of buying insurance. It’s something worth telling your friends and family about if you value your independent agent’s service.
If you’re not yet working with an independent agent, however, give Hopson Insurance Agency a call today, or stop in to see us. We would be happy to speak with you about your policy options.
