Most people have their first contact with an insurance company through an insurance sales agent. These workers help individuals, families, and businesses select insurance policies that provide the best protection for their lives, health, and property. Insurance sales agents who work exclusively for one insurance company are referred to as captive agents.
Independent insurance agents, or brokers, represent several companies and place insurance policies for their clients with the company that offers the best rate and coverage. In either case, agents prepare reports, maintain records, seek out new clients, and, in the event of a loss, help policyholders settle their insurance claims. Increasingly, some are also offering their clients financial analysis or advice on ways the clients can minimize risk.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
What I think of Insurance agents
Friday, October 26, 2007
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Term Life Insurance VS Whole Life Insurance
Life insurance is a serious business that people should think twice about before signing, because it is not an investment tool, nor a way to save for college when purchased for children. However, for those who understand what insurance is intended for, term life insurance versus whole life insurance is a consideration coming into play.
A whole life insurance company generally may provide a term life insurance quote to help you decided on the insurance to be purchased. Money is the critical factor between both insurance coverage's. As an example, the first annual premium of a whole life insurance policy is typically much higher than the annual premium for a term life insurance.
Life insurance can be purchase for many purposes, including providing financial security for your spouse, children's education after your death, pay death expenses, donate the proceeds to a charitable organization, and so on. The top reason people usually buy life insurance is as an income replacement after death for their dependents.
a life-only coverage policy, in which the benefits are obtained after your die. Therefore, if you are alive, there is no money for your beneficiaries. Whole life insurance offer death benefits but also a savings account, called "cash value", giving money back if you are alive after the signed term, cashing the policy before it occurs, or borrowing money against the policy.
Typically, if you require a life insurance quote before buy the policy, either the insurance company, financial institution or online services, provide it for free. Purchasing life insurance from a whole life insurance company may result in a more expensive plan than buying term insurance, because of the funds put into the cash value account.
In addition, the longer your policy term, the higher cash value to the name beneficiaries or the surviving insured due to the insurance money being paid and the cash value earned dividends, interests or both, for terms ranging from 1 to 30 years. However, any whole life insurance company or other institution can lock whole and term life insurance policies into the same monthly payment over the whole life of each policy.
When it comes to life insurance, many people consider whole life insurance as a type of retirement plan; however, they are more likely forced saving with high commissions and fees, including up front hidden commissions up to 100% of the first year's premium. On the other hand, premiums for term life insurance are cheaper for people in good health up to age 50 or so. It's very convenient to get a insurance quote.
If you ask for a term life insurance quote, you will be able to notice how premiums become progressively more expensive after 50 years, although a whole life insurance company may apply higher premiums according to the insurer's age, and most companies do not sell life insurance to people over age 65.
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Advantages of a Whole Life Insurance Policy
To begin with, you need to understand that life insurance falls into two very broad categories: Whole and term. The basic difference between term and whole life insurance is this: A term policy is life coverage only. In whole life insurance policy, as long as one continues to pay the premiums, the policy does not expire for a lifetime. As the term applies, whole life insurance provides coverage for the whole life or until the person reaches the age of 100. Whole life insurance policies build up a cash value (usually beginning after the first year). With whole life, you pay a fixed premium for life instead of the increasing premiums found on renewable term life insurance policies. In addition, whole life insurance has a cash value feature that is guaranteed. In term and whole-life, the full premium must be paid to keep the insurance.
With level premiums and the accumulation of cash values, whole life insurance is a good choice for long-range goals. Besides permanent lifetime insurance protection, Whole Life Insurance features a savings element that allows you to build cash value on a tax-deferred basis. The policyholder can cancel or surrender the whole life insurance policy at any time and receive the cash value. Some whole life insurance policies may generate cash values greater than the guaranteed amount, depending on interest crediting rates and how the market performs. The cash values of whole life insurance policies may be affected by a life insurance company's future performance. Unlike whole life insurance policies, which have guaranteed cash values, the cash values of variable life insurance policies are not guaranteed. You have the right to borrow against the cash value of your whole life insurance policy on a loan basis. Supporters of whole life insurance say the cash value of a life insurance policy should compete well with other fixed income investments.
Unlike term life policies, whole life insurance provides a minimum guaranteed benefit at a premium that never changes. One of the most valuable benefits of a participating whole life insurance policy is the opportunity to earn dividends. The insurance company based on the overall return on its investments sets earnings on a whole life policy. In addition, while the interest paid on universal life insurance is often adjusted monthly, interest on a whole life policy is adjusted annually. Like many insurance products, whole life insurance has many policy options.
Make sure you can budget for whole life insurance for the long term and do not buy whole life insurance unless you can afford it. You should buy all the coverage you need now while you are younger, and if you cannot afford whole life insurance, at least get Term. That is why whole life insurance policies have the highest premiums it is insurance for your whole life, no matter when you pass on. The level premium and fixed death benefit make whole life insurance very attractive to some. Unlike some other types of permanent insurance, with whole life insurance, you may not decrease your premium payments.Articles Source - Free Articles
Florida Health Insurance Agents
There are a number of different types of health insurance agents in the state of Florida. Independent health insurance agents and captive health insurance agents comprise the two main categories of health insurance agents in Florida. Learning some of the differences between the two types of health insurance agents can greatly help you in choosing what type of Florida health insurance agent can best meet your health insurance needs.
First of all, there are many outstanding Florida insurance agents that are captive agents just as there are many outstanding Florida insurance agents that are independent agents. It should go without saying that you want to work with a health insurance agent that actually lives in Florida, handles himself/herself in a professional and ethical manner, and looks out for your best interests. Contrasting the pros and cons of both Florida independent insurance agents and Florida captive insurance agents should not be misconstrued as a positive or negative outlook on a specific individual agent or his/her character and business practices.
That being said, there are many advantages to working with an independent health insurance agent as opposed to working with a captive health insurance agent. Why is that? First of all, let's define both a captive insurance agent and an independent insurance agent so that we have a clear understanding of what each term means.
A captive health insurance agent is an agent that is held "captive" by one specific health insurance company. That captive agent can only work with that one health insurance company and can only sell health insurance products from that particular health insurance company. All of this is specified in the agentýs contract and to attempt to sell a product from another health insurance company is not possible.
An independent health insurance agent is an agent that is not tied to working with only one particular health insurance company. An independent health insurance agent typically has a contract with 3-5 of the top health insurance companies that offer coverage in the agentýs state (some independent agent's have contracts with even more than 5 insurance companies - although the level of quality of the health insurance companies begin to drop off quite significantly after the top 3-5). Independent health insurance agents have many more options available to them that they are able to offer to their clients than does the typical captive health insurance agent.
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Life Insurance and Medicare Insurance
AARP Life Insurance and Medicare Insurance: An Overview
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) boasts a membership of over thirty five million people aged fifty years and older. The massive non-profit organization is recognized as a political advocacy powerhouse whose influence seems to grow along with the "graying" of America. AARP, however, does not limit itself exclusively to legislative lobbying for its membership demographic; it also (in conjunction with established companies) provides insurance opportunities to its members. Two of these products include AARP life insurance and AARP Medicare health insurance.
For well over ten years, AARP has been offering whole and term life insurance policies to its members in association with the New York Life. The AARP life insurance program offers plans featuring premiums touted as "affordable" that are specifically designed for people age fifty and older. Coverage amounts vary, with policies being available with benefits ranging from only a few thousands of dollars to fifty thousand dollars.
AARP life insurance is available to any AARP member between the ages of fifty and eighty. Spouses of AARP members may also receive coverage, so long as they are forty-five years of age or older. AARP life insurance does not require a medical exam. According to AARP, approval is based on answers to "three simple health questions." Policies can be applied for via mail and the program touts the ease of application and approval as two of its strengths.
AARP offers a health insurance policy designed to supplement the coverage provided by Medicare. This "Medicare Supplement Insurance" is offered in association with United HealthCare Insurance Company. Premised on the notion that Medicare generally covers slightly more than half of an individual's health care expenses, AARP's Medicare health insurance plan seeks to provide a means by which to cover costs such as co-insurance, deductibles and prescription medications.
AARP's Medicare health insurance program allows members to continue utilization of their own physicians and is promoted with a focus on its ease of use, as well as its coverage. For instance, AARP members using this supplementary insurance plans are not required to fill out claim forms and the coverage is valid across the U.S., making it available for use when traveling and in other similar circumstances. According to AARP, rates for this insurance product are not increased based on age alone. Individuals are not to be "singled out" for rate increases, either. Rate changes are applied to all members of a matching class insured under the plan and residing in the same state.
AARP is one of America's largest organizations and is one of its most politically powerful. In addition to using its membership to wield political clout, AARP has also used its massive membership as a group for insurance purposes. Teaming up with established providers like New York Life and United HealthCare, AARP offers its members insurance packages ranging from AARP life insurance to AARP Medicare supplementary health insurance.
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