Explore the differences between insurance agents and brokers, including their roles, income sources, advantages, disadvantages, and guidance on selecting the right one for your needs.

You wake up one morning and decide that you want to buy a new car at the end of the year. As an employee, you know that you’ve worked hard in your profession for long enough to finally be able to treat yourself to some nice wheels.

You also know that you need to get it insured to keep it financially protected it were to somehow get damaged. But as someone who’s never insured anything in their life, you’re confused about who you need to reach out to for assistance.

When you look up insurance online, you’re most likely to find two types of insurance professionals; insurance agents and insurance brokers. But, which one should you choose? What are the benefits and drawbacks of choosing one over the other?

What are Insurance Agents and Brokers?

To put it simply, the primary job of both insurance agents and brokers is to sell insurance to their clients. Both professions need to be licensed in their states and comply with all the set rules and regulations, and both insurance agents and brokers act as intermediaries between the insurance buyers and the insurance provider.

They can both sell different types of insurance policies like:

• General Liability Insurance
• Business Owners Policy
• Errors and Omissions
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Commercial Auto Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Workers Compensation Insurance

However, there are some distinct differences between the two.

What is the difference between an insurance agent and a broker?

The primary difference between and insurance agent vs broker is who they represent. Therefore, when it comes to insurance agent vs broker, insurance agents represent one or more insurance companies, insurance brokers represent the insurance buyer.

What is an Insurance Broker?

Insurance brokers work directly with insurance buyers and are not tied in any form with insurance companies. They utilize their knowledge, expertise, and experience to help you assess your unique insurance needs and then find the coverage that’s best suited for you.

Insurance brokers have professional ties with insurance companies. But, as professionals in the field, they know which companies are competent to work with. So, you can rest assured that the recommendations they provide are fully unbiased and in your best interest.

When you contact an insurance broker for a quote, they will first acquire some of your personal information and assess your needs. They will then compare coverages from several insurance providers to get you a list of the best conditions and rates. Furthermore, they may also search for opportunities to lower your rates by combining different types of insurance as bundled packages.

Some key roles and responsibilities of insurance brokers include:

• Develop effective marketing strategies
• Carry out administrative tasks and document management
• Manage business development and promotional activities
• Establish professional relationship between insurance buyer and insurance providers

How Do They Make Money?

Insurance brokers make a living by collecting broker’s fees and charging commissions. Once their client has accepted a quote and completed a purchase with the insurance provider, the insurance broker receives a certain percentage of the premium cost as commission from the insurer.

The commission rate depends on established regulations that vary according to state laws and are based on the amount of annual premiums sold to clients.

Insurance brokers rely on business from existing clients. This allows them to earn additional commissions when their clients need a new insurance policy or have to renew an existing policy.

Advantages of Choosing an Insurance Broker

Low Cost

Insurance brokers make almost all of their income through insurance companies for selling their policies and products. So, apart from the initial broker fees, you won’t have to pay for their time and service.

Low chance of Bias

Insurance brokers aren’t tied to any insurance providers. So, when they offer you policy options to choose from, the chances of bias are low if not non-existent. They can provide you with the best rates on insurance policies by finding you the best coverage options.

Market Expertise

They have a great understanding of which policy suits you best. As their livelihood depends on keeping up with the changes in the insurance market, they are also experts when it comes to the latest policy trends.

Availability of Discounts

Some insurance companies also offer top-rated insurance brokers with special prices on their policies. So, based on your broker, you can obtain certain policies at discounted rates.

Disadvantages of Choosing an Insurance Broker

Reliance on Insurance Agents

Since insurance brokers represent their clients and not the insurance company, they cannot bind the coverage themselves and must turn the process over to an insurance agent to complete.

Lack of Training and Experience

Insurance brokers aren’t trained by insurance companies like insurance agents are. So, they might not know all the specific details or be aware of available discounts and offers. This means that, they could be costing their clients a lot of unnecessary expenses.

Sales-driven

As mentioned, insurance providers compensate the insurance brokers. Some insurance companies provide bonuses to brokers who meet their sales targets. This can mean that some insurance brokers might be biased towards selling the products and services of one carrier over the other.

This can also lead some brokers to be more focused on closing a sale, rather than thinking about the best interest of their clients.

What is an Insurance Agent?

An insurance agent is a professional who acts as a representative for insurance companies. They help their clients select the right insurance to buy, but represent the insurance company throughout the process.

An insurance agent allows their client to choose from available policies that are offered by the carrier.

There are primarily two types of insurance agents:

• Captive agents typically represent one insurance company. For example, State Farm sells its policies through captive agents. They are usually employees or independent contractors of the carrier and are provided with office space, training, and administrative support.

As captive agents, they can only sell the products and services offered by their carriers. For example, if the carrier only sells personal lines, the captive agent cannot sell business lines.

Furthermore, they cannot sell the policies that are provided by another carrier even if that policy provides better coverage at a cheaper rate.

• Independent agents or insurance sales agents can represent multiple carriers rather than a single entity. They act as middlemen between insurance buyers and insurance sellers to facilitate a transaction.

They have legal contracts with the insurance provider called “appointments”. This contract specifies the policies they can sell and the rate of their compensation.

Unlike captive agents, independent agents receive commissions from the policies they sell and are not considered employees of any specific insurance company.

Some key roles and responsibilities of an insurance agent include:

• Solicit new business
• Assess their client’s insurance needs
• Assist clients in completing applications
• Bind coverage

How Do They Make Money?

The rate of commission that captive agents make depend on whether they are employees of their parent company or independent contractors. Captive agents who are regarded as employees are provided salaries and benefits. Captive agents who are classified as independent contractors are provided with payment based on sales and commissions.

Independent agents are paid solely on a commission basis. They are compensated by insurance companies every time they sell their insurance policy and when their clients renew their policy. Compared to captive agents, their commission splits are higher. Furthermore, since they can sell from a wider array of carriers, they have the potential to earn higher rates.

Advantages of Choosing an Insurance Agent

Save money

If you’re adamant on a specific insurance company and opt for a captive agent, they might be able to get the policies you need at discounted rates. If you choose an independent agent, they can offer you multiple policies at varying rates for you to choose from. This means that you can choose the policy that meets your budget while also meeting your needs.

More options

In terms of insurance agent vs broker, assuming you choose an independent agent, they can provide you with products from a wide array of insurance carriers. This means that you can choose the policy you want to get, not just based on price, but also on coverage preference.

Saves time and effort

Insurance agents also offer a one-stop solution to their clients. Instead of spending your own time and effort searching for insurance policies, they consolidate your insurance needs under one roof.

For example, let’s say that you had bought homeowners insurance from an independent agent and now are considering getting car insurance; instead of starting from scratch, you can simply reach out to your insurance agent.

Unbiased and reliable advice

While advice from a captive agent can be biased towards the company they work for, independent agents provide you with mostly unbiased advice. This is because they aren’t bound to selling products and services from a single company.

So, if other clients had a negative experience with an insurance company, they can quote you from another company that has a much cleaner record.

If we have convinced you that opting for an insurance agent is the right way to go, then click here find an agent right away!

How to find an agent

Disadvantages of Choosing an Insurance Agent

Sales driven

As with insurance brokers, there’s always a chance that some insurance agents might be sales-driven. This means that they may be offering you insurance products and services aimed at closing a sale for a company. So, they might not have your best intentions in mind.

Possibility of Inexperience

Some insurance agents are just starting out in the industry and as a result, don’t have a lot of practical experience. This can mean that they might not know how to deal with your unique insurance needs and situations. They might also be unaware of some specific policies and discounts.

Insurance Broker vs Agent: Which is Right for You?

Opting for an insurance agent might be better if you have an existing policy with an insurance provider and want to bundle your coverage with different types of insurance. Moreover, going with an agent might also come in handy if you want to compare the coverages by yourself and talk with them regarding queries and to complete the policy purchase. Additionally, they might also be more helpful if you’re set on a particular carrier or a group of carriers that you’ve chosen.

Insurance brokers are suitable if you’re looking to compare coverages and rates from the wider insurance marketplace. Similarly, as they have lesser ties with insurance companies, the chances of biases are also much lower. Additionally, if you’re looking for specific insurance that isn’t as common, and when comparing insurance agent vs broker, an agent might have a greater ability to scope out a wider range of options.

However, it should be noted that while agents don’t charge any additional fees, insurance brokers might charge a one-time broker’s fee for their service.

Finding an Insurance Broker Near Me

Finding a local insurance broker who is also suitable for your needs can be difficult, but it does not have to be. You can easily find a broker to help you navigate the complex insurance world. They can help you find the coverage that best fits your needs and budget by following simple steps.

• Look for insurance brokers in your area online.
• Check for feedback and testimonials from previous customers.
• Inquire if the broker is licensed and in good standing with your state’s insurance department.
• Contact the broker to discuss your insurance requirements and inquire about their experience and credentials.
• Compare quotes and services from various brokers to determine the best fit for you.

You’ll be well on your way to finding an insurance broker you can rely on if you follow these steps.

How to Identify the Best Insurance Broker Near Me?

A good broker will be patient, understanding, and not “pushy.” They’ll be as quick to listen as to talk and willing to walk you through each insurance type step by step so you can understand how to choose the policy you need. Here are some of the key identifiers for a reliable insurance broker.

• Knowledgeable about various insurance policies
• Easy to get in touch with
• Well-versed in specialized coverage plans
• Good customer service