Insurance 101
Insurance! It's a word that is sure to bring a variety of emotions. Some think of insurance as nothing more than a scam or at best, a bad financial product. Others have been so blessed by their insurance policies that they think the concept of insurance ranks as the 4th member of the trinity.
Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, perhaps we can shed some light. Here are some thoughts.
1. Insurance is by Definition: "The sharing of risk." Regardless of what kind of insurance (health, auto, life, disability, flood, homeowners, etc. etc.) it's all about a person or group of people paying an insurance company in exchange for the insurance company taking on a level of risk. As one may understand, the more risk the insurance company takes, the more we as the consumer will pay in premium for their willingness to take on that risk. In short, insurance is all about risk.
2. Life Happens! Because of that people tend to go to one of two extremes. They become afraid of the future and purchase every type of insurance that they possibly can - whether they NEED it or not. Consequently, they find themselves in a financial situation where they cannot order a pizza when they want to because they have so many insurance bills to pay. The other extreme is the person who throws caution to the wind and says, "Whatever will be will be." They refuse to recognize that some insurance is not only helpful to them but also to their families. Somewhere in between these two extremes is the balance that we attempt to discover for our clients.
3. Captive vs. Non-Captive. When looking for an agent, make sure you find someone who is not "Captive" to just one insurance company. Agents who are "Captive" are either not allowed to sell but one insurance carrier's products or they are strongly discouraged from doing so. "Non-Captive" agents on the other hand are independent and free to "shop the market" for the best products to suit your needs.
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