December 26, 2014
Eleven Common Questions for an Insurance Broker
Insurance Broker Scott Johnson in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin
11 Common Questions for an Insurance Broker
– and why it matters to you the consumer.
As an Insurance broker who lives in Marin County California, people often want to know which questions I get the most often. It is an intriguing conversation point, but I am never quite sure why the general public would care. In retrospect for me, it is quite fascinating to sit down and consider all of them. Hopefully this post will help people out with some of these more general insurance related questions.
As a general note, this in not intended to be a scientific list, I sat down and looked through some of my notes over the years to compile them. Obviously I had to modify the questions into their clearest form.
Here are Eleven Common Questions for an Insurance Broker:
- Why are Marin, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties difficult place(s) to get home insurance?. And why can it make it more expensive to buy home insurance in Marin and San Francisco.
- Why has level term insurance become the gold standard of life insurance? As opposed to whole life, universal, and other forms of life insurance. What is the best type of term life insurance to buy?
- How does my roof affect the cost for my homeowners (home) insurance? What type of roofs are insurers concerned the most with.
- Who needs an umbrella policy? Who needs Umbrella coverage and Why. How to think about the amount of Umbrella coverage you may need.
- What are the most popular coverage endorsements that can be added to a typical home insurance policy? What are the most common perils not covered under a homeowners policy?
- What Insurance companies do you write insurance with? Are you appointed with them or are you a broker?
- What can I do to lower my home and auto insurance bill? What actions can I take?
- How do I buy cheap auto and cheap home insurance? Where to start.
- What is the difference between an insurance broker and an insurance agent?
- What do you mean my work from home business is not covered under my homeowners policy? Why is my work from home business not covered?
- What exactly is the non-standard insurance market for home and auto? How will I know if I need non-standard home insurance?
Those are the most common questions I receive. Please note that many of these are merged from rather vaguely similar questions. In other words, some people just ask me how to get cheap auto insurance, while others ask me how what is the best way to get the cheapest home insurance.
If you have a questions, please feel free to contact us for a quick and immediate response.
Why it matters to you the consumer:
These eleven questions are important to you the consumer because all of them, all eleven of them can be helpful in your understanding some of the challenges that are present in getting a fairly priced policy in California. Contrary to popular opinion all insurance is NOT the same. Insurance companies can be financially rated very differently and they can add small coverages that are built in for free. People that live in more expensive locals have different needs than the general population. It is in your best interest to be able to read your insurance documents and of course ask intelligent questions. You will most likely be more adequately covered if you discuss your risk needs with your independent broker or agent.
I will work to explain the answers to these questions over time through the insurance blog here at Marindependent Insurance Services LLC. Marindependent is an independent broker based in mountainous Marin County California. We are independent, meaning that we are not tied to any one insurance company. We are a broker in most property and casualty situations.
Please note as with all of my blog posts, please read my disclosure and know that merely reading an insurance blog is in no way a replacement for meeting with and / or speaking with a licensed insurance broker or insurance agent in your independent state. Please contact us directly with your insurance related questions.
Marindependent Insurance Services LLC -California Licenses 0K10734 and 0H11625 – 415-294-5454 – Independent Insurance in and around Marin County
