Nine Different Ways To
Get the BEST Insurance Quotes

Responding to Smiley-faced happy advertising 
that comes in your morning mail may be the worst risk of all. 

With the advent and functionality of the web there are now MANY ways to get an insurance quote that makes sense AND saves you time.  But WHICH WAY is best for you? 

I can't answer that directly, but I can give you some pointers about nine different systems I have found to work consistently, and offer you contact with the best quote providers in each system so that you can get right down to business -- when you are ready to compare what you have with what you might want.

Why so many systems?  

As Will  Rogers (that great friend of humanity from Oklahoma) once said.. "All of us are ignorant, only about different things." 

In other words, none of us knows it all. You might understand auto insurance well enough that you are eager to plow through fifty companies to get EXACTLY the coverage you already KNOW you want.  You decide to use System "B" -- while your friend Joe cautiously elects to use System "C" because it only provides three almost equally good alternatives in the auto insurance field.

Then when it comes to HOME insurance your friend Joe is so knowledgeable about the subject he wants spreadsheets on every company with financial reports from their bankers on top of that -- while you or I would admit that all we want is to choose from a pool of RECOMMENDED home insurance carriers in our area.  

Health insurance, long term care, term life, whole life, marine insurance, group insurance, business insurance, etc.  To take care of all your insurance needs you may need to take advantage of all nine systems at different times throughout the year.  

What I suggest is to study this article out in depth once, then to bookmark the central page I have created which organizes Quote Suppliers into the various categories for easier access when you need them.

System A: 

 This system is for individuals who know they will recognize THE INSURANCE BARGAIN they want when they see it. "I don't want to wade through hundreds of look-alike insurance company policies!  Give me a system that does the wading for me and returns ONLY the quotes I would be interested in."  

With System A all you have to do is compare what you have to pay now with what the service finds for you. Where the savings average from 17% to 46% better than what you expect you would want to investigate farther. The best supplier in this field offers quotes on Health * Life * Auto * Long Term Care * and Home.  As long as you don't stretch beyond those limits, this system will give you good service.

System B

System B tries to be all things to all people and deliver ALL the quotes possible for virtually any kind of insurance you want to investigate.  Suppliers in this field seem to almost invent new policies just to fit your special needs.  They scour the world of insurance carriers for every possible kind of coverage.  When you ask for "A QUOTE" you may well receive 100 or more quotes to choose from.  In fact, the leading provider in this system provides you with quotes from up to 200 companies, depending on the type of insurance you want a quote for.

Better known as Instant Insurance Quotes, this kind of service Lets You Safely Compare Prices From Up To 300 Leading Companies.  You will receive INSTANT INSURANCE QUOTES from all the leading insurance providers simply by filling out ONE form.  It is FAST, Easy, Accurate, Unbiased, and best of all -- PRIVATE.

The leading provider is so ALL INCLUSIVE in its sweep of insurance company offers that it literally guarantees you will see the lowest insurance prices right there -- or they will send you $500.  Now the key word there is SEE.  Perhaps an even better word would be GLIMPSE.  

All these offers are spread out before you like slices of ham on a platter.  Some ham slices are thicker than others while some arrive with eggs served in nine different options alongside them, and some will provide toast, butter, jam and a heaping cup of hefty coffee, but NO eggs.  Did you see the lowest price?  Yes.  You did indeed glimpse it somewhere in there if you went through all the offers.

Now to be fair, you CAN arrange the quotes the way you want to evaluate them.  You can pull out quote 325 and compare it side-by-side with quote 114 to see which one fits your needs best. But it is up to you to choose quote 325 instead of quote 324 or quote 326.

What this system is best at is providing you with multiple options to choose from.  The leading provider does that cheerfully, ably and well. Then it goes one step farther and throws in live operators to help you make your selections -- IF YOU NEED OR WANT THEM.  On top of that it provides a WEALTH of vital information to help you choose the very best quotes for any of your insurance needs.  

What do I mean by ANY?  Instant Health Insurance for Individuals, Families & Students, One-Employee Medical and Small Group Medical, Instant Car Insurance Quotes, Instant Life Insurance Quotes $5,000 to $50 million, Instant Dental Insurance Quotes, Instant Medicare Supplement Quotes, Instant Annuity Quotes, 10 Year Level Term Insurance with No Medical Exam! -- with coverage from $25,000 to $75,000, Instant Life Insurance Quotes for Children from newborn to age 25, Life Insurance to Cover Accidental Death since it is the 5th leading cause of death in America today, Instant Homeowner and Condo Insurance Quotes, Instant Travel Insurance Quotes, Instant Long-Term Care Insurance Quotes -- not to mention such odd ducks as boat, watercraft, RV and motorcycle insurance quotes.

System C

System C puts the focus on ECONOMY.  If you're like me over the last 60 years you've seen a whole lot of GREAT companies go belly up!  It seems like the ones striving to achieve the better financial ratings fail quicker than the ones that concentrate on giving good financial service.

Does that make sense?  Seems to me it does.  Anyway, the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, ECONOMY quotes system is where I put MY own money when it comes to getting quotes for my own use. Free insurance quotes in 5 minutes or less - from Answer Financial helped me save $200 on my ALREADY low auto insurance needs -- and I got MORE coverage while I did it.
This ECONOMY Quotes System features quotes on your Auto, Home, Life, Annuities, Pet, Travel, Healthcare insurance needs plus: Vision, RX Savings Plans, Long Term Care, Dental, Healthcare, Home Warranty, Annuities, Online Banking, FREE financial calculators and even (GASP!) Tax Planning Preparation Services.

Because the web has made it SO easy to compare instant health insurance quotes at the click of a button there are OTHER providers for this Instant Quote Service. One health quote provider I know of will back up its instant quotes with real service AFTER it finds the best protection value for you and your family -- or your employees. 

Let me say it again, the biggest feature distinguishing this system with the previous two is the word ECONOMY.  Servers in this area search the insurance field for good, solid companies that charge less and do more.  You may not recognize some of the company names that come your way from them unless you've heard your neighbors bragging about the service they get.

System D

Your DAILY Bargain Finder: The general public isn't often aware of it but it seems like every company has a bargain now and then. Strangely enough, these bargains usually come from AGENCIES instead of carriers.  W. Clement Stone (Founder of Combined Insurance Co -- now a part of AON Corp.) was a master at creating these PACKAGES of money-saving values.  I think the first one he created was known as The Little Giant. 
Packages like this are usually put together expressly for (and by) a particular agency, sometimes all the coverage comes from one company, sometimes from a combination of companies.  Not all packages are good, but those that are good are VERY GOOD!   Penny for penny and value for value,  The Little Giant could not be touched by its competition of that day.  

System H

Deal directly with the insurance carrier quote system.  There is a surprising number of GREAT carriers to deal with who do know how to use the web to your advantage.  Go through the list provided and see if one of the companies you prefer is on that list.  If so, you are home free.  Contact the company and negotiate.  If the company you prefer is not on that list it simply means the company was not using the web at that time to actively service customer needs.

I admit that most of my involvement with insurance carriers comes from helping others settle disputes and total lack of communication -- but I can tell you there are some VERY GOOD companies out there to deal with.  The one that comes to mind most readily is Jefferson Pilot.  The people I personally send there are often angry and upset when they call.  Unfailingly the reports I get back after the call are glowing with renewed faith in the company and almost exultant satisfaction with the results of their contact.  I admire any company able to take an angry complaint and turn it into a testimonial endorsement of good service rendered! 

System I

ENDORSED plans, and about the only way to explain this is with an example... 

The AARP Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford - Over 50? You could save up to $250 or more...in minutes!

If you belong to an association (like AARP) you can often get some terrific buys on insurance.  When the association uses its buying power to negotiate lower prices and better coverage the savings are many and manifold.  Unfortunately, I have also noticed several times when the insurance supplier offers some form of compensation to the association in exchange for the right to market to the organization's list, and the savings aren't so great.

How can you tell (before you buy) if the savings aren't so great?  Shop around using the other eight systems first and compare benefits with prices.

There you have it.. 

Nine different systems for getting the right insurance at the right price.  I'm sure that at least one system is right for you in conjunction with at least one kind of insurance need.  Remember that insurance is the second most important financial investment you will ever make, and use at least one of these systems to your advantage.