By David Rodeck
From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
If you’ve decided it’s time to test the market for your auto insurance, you have several ways to get quotes and see what’s out there:
An Agent With a Major Insurer
One option is to reach out to an agent representing one of the major insurers, such as Allstate, Liberty Mutual or State Farm. They are known as “captive agents” because they only sell products for one insurer. This contrasts with an independent agent, who will typically represent about 12 to 15 different insurance companies.
Matthew Henaghan, an Allstate insurance agent in Hockessin, Delaware, says that independent agents usually don’t have access to all the products or the best rates of the big-name, blue-chip auto insurance companies, which primarily work through their own captive agents. He also says there is value in specialization. “I know the ins and outs of Allstate. If I had to deal with the products of a dozen different companies, there’s no way I would know them as well.”…