You can’t miss them. Do any kind of life insurance search and you will find them right at the top of the page because they have the money to get there. Whether it is Selectquote, Reliaquote or Insweb, they got their by grinding out hundreds of thousands of life insurance policies.

Is it easy? Sure it is. Is it easier than purchasing through an independent agent? No! Is it the best place to buy your life insurance. No!

Call me old fashioned, but I like service. I hate scripted sales and I hate it when someone tries to get me to buy. I want to be comfortable that who I am talking with has the knowledge and concern for my situation that will drive them to do what is right for me.

While the “big boys” I mentioned above will show you all of the companies they represent on their website, they will generally steer you toward one company. That would be the company that has offered the largest bonus to get business pushed their way. They will simply tell you that, for instance, American General is the best fit for you. Actually American General puts more money in their pocket than say Prudential does.

A lot of the big shops are using American General these days, and it would be baffling if you didn’t understand the contracts the big shops  get to be somewhat exclusively selling American General products. Why would it be baffling? Because American General is simply not competitive and hasn’t been for some time. Truth is that Prudential stomps them pretty routinely. They just don’t pay big bonuses.

A guy could go on and on, but suffice it to say that just like the home town agents of old, honesty, integrity and service are found with independent life insurance agents in the 21st century. Like their predecessors, they have to build relationships with every customer in order to grow and stay in business.

One last thing. Can you get better rates by going to Selectquote or any of the other big agencies? Absolutely not. Prices are controlled by state agencies and any agent licensed with a company will get the same price for their customer as any large agency can. No breaks for the big guys.

Think before you click on the life insurance shops that can afford to pay to be on top. It may not be in your best interest.

This post is somewhat dated. Life insurance underwriting is changing and evolving continually. For more updated information check out some of the key word links. If you have a specific question or topic you need information for do a search. If you don’t find the answers you need contact me and we’ll make sure you get the information that is important to you.