Reader Story: How I Saved Hundreds of Dollars on Insurance
Published on - February 14th, 2010 (by J.D. Roth) This guest post from Rich is part of a new feature here at Get Rich Slowly. Every Sunday will include a reader story (in the new “reader stories” category). Some will be general “how I did X” stories, and others will be examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success. Today’s is a romantic story of saving money on insurance. (Okay, no romance. That’s just a joke.)
As a long-time reader of Get Rich Slowly, I have really appreciated the tips J.D., guest writers, and regular readers in comments have shared with me over the years. Now it’s my turn to pay it forward.
About a year ago, I was laid off in Minnesota, right before Christmas. Oh no! Fortunately I was able to find a new job quickly, but it was out in San Francisco. What to do with the home we owned in Minnesota? We decided to rent it out, and we were also very fortunate to find good tenants very quickly.
However, as a newbie landlord I was quite surprised to find that homeowners insurance on your primary residence is quite different than insurance on a home you rent out. We went from $1,500 a year insurance premium (while living in the home) to $3,100 annual premium. Not being a savvy landlord, I sucked it up and thought “Well, hey, at least I’m employed, and I got the house rented, so be grateful.” And I was.
This year, my insurance company informed me the annual premium on my rental property would be going up to $3,650. Wow! I finally decided to shop around, and I’m really glad I did. I simply googled “landlord insurance” and easily found websites where I could type in my information (securely) and get a number of quotes. Different insurers seem to calculate premiums very differently from each other! Quotes ranged from around $1,350 to $2,000 for the exact same property, but nothing near the $3,650 my current insurer wanted.
In the end, I switched to an insurance provider that quoted me $1,345, saving me $2,305 on my rental property each year! While I was at it, I asked this same insurance provider to give me an auto quote. With my previous insurer, I had been paying $1,811 for two cars in northern California. With the new insurer, it came to $1,277. That’s another savings of $534 on annual auto insurance premiums. If you’re keeping track, that’s $2,839 in annual savings on my insurance needs.
My point isn’t that only people with rental properties should look into their insurance costs. My point is that everyone should look into their insurance costs. Just like calling up the cable company and negotiating a discount off your monthly bill (which I recently did, saving $35/month), for a few hours of investment, you too can get new quotes on your insurance needs and save hundreds, possibly thousands a year as I have done. It’s really very easy.
What am I going to do with this extra $2,839 this year, you ask? Sock it away in my short-term savings account, like every good GRS reader! Later in the year it could go toward my annual IRA contribution, or the 529 college fund for my teenager, or just sit around as a bit of extra financial cushion for the unexpected.
I’d love to hear other stories of readers saving a boatload on their insurance by shopping around a bit!
Reminder: This is a story from one of your fellow readers. Please be nice. After nearly a decade of blogging, I have a thick skin, but it can be scary to put your story out in public for the first time. Remember that this guest author isn’t a professional writer, and is just learning about money like you are.
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Congrats, Rich on saving a small fortune on your insurance costs! Sometimes it is so easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency with service providers. As consumers we have options, that’s the beauty of the free market. I would also add that a part of one’s due diligence is to check the insurance company’s ratings with Fitch, AM Best – this can give you an indication of their capacity to pay claims. One last point, be sure to compare apples to apples, a lot of companies can give you a better rate but that’s because you get less coverage. (pay attention to the details like deductibles, replacement costs, are the replacement costs indexed to inflation) etc.
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Really good point, Rich.
I shop around for car insurance every year or two.
When I was working with my broker, she would only give me quotes for insurance policies that she could sell me.
I didn’t realize that until I did my own research on the web and found quotes that were several hundred less expensive than what she was quoting me.
Just a piece of advice for those working with brokers.
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Now’s a good time to do it too. We generally take stock of our overall financial situation around tax time.
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I shopped around for auto insurance a few months back. I called numerous places and eventually stayed with the insurance company that my dad is with… because they were able to transfer over some discounts from his account. Trust me: This saved me a TON of money. Despite being a new insurance policy owner, I was able to receive a “long-term” discount on the policy because my dad has had his policy for 10+ years.
Additionally, the cost of premium is NOT everything. I am with State Farm right now, and they have treated our insurance claims wonderfully. I would gladly pay a little extra to know that they take claims seriously and pay out quickly. Other companies may be cheaper. But if they don’t pay or take a long time to pay, then that is a dealbreaker for me. Unfortunately, the only way to know how companies treat consumers is via word-of-mouth.
Just a word of caution there. This article is great, but the cost of premium should not be the only thing that is evaluated.
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“How I Saved Hundreds of Dollars on Insurance”
Wait, wait… I know this one…
…by switching to Geico with a 15-minute call?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC0k8iJ-ZOg
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@The Tim:
I was laughing (to myself) about the Geico commercials. I like how they say you can save “up to 15% or more” on your insurance. Saying “up to” and “or more” in the same sentence basically says that you can save nothing, paying more, or save a bunch. But who knows?!
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When I moved from NJ (within the top 3 highest auto insurance rates in the country) to Colorado, I knew I would be saving money, but it was only because my wife shopped around did I discover that switching companies would save another $200 a year.
The premium for the minimum state required coverage with my new insurance company is HALF of the quoted amount from my old insurance company (who I had for 5 years – ticket and accident free).
I drive a 19 year old car that has depreciated to a value of $200 and have pretty good medical coverage from my wife’s employer. Pretty much the only the only purpose for insurance is to satisfy state law.
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@Anthony
I find Geico to be unsavory. Got a quote from them once (and included all the unsavory information, like a ticket a year prior). It was much better than I was paying, so I went to buy the insurance. At the very last page, they hit me with a $150 surcharge for the ticket that should have been taken into account in the quote. Surcharge actually made the coverage more expensive than what I already had.
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Interesting – I was told that insurance premiums would be less on rental property than on primary residence due to the fact that in a rental, you don’t have to cover posessions because it is the renter’s responsibility.
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Some more detail for the story would be nice – did you ask your current company to match the new quote? Was one company national, while another being local? Have you had any experience with either companies customer service, i.e. a slightly higher premium for immeasurably higher service? Did it take much effort to make the switch? Saving nearly $3000 is always a good deal, but I’m just curious on what factors enabled you to save that much.
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I check my state’s Department of Insurance website where they will give you a list of insurers for the state, their ratings, and even comparison prices for a few set situations. Of all the ones with the best ratings, I call the ones with the lowest prices. I’ve ended up sticking with my current providers (of auto and homeowner’s insurance) for many years now. Even when my auto insurance provider started offering homeowner’s insurance, it wasn’t a better deal. Oh, well.
I hardly think my state (Texas) is the most forward-thinking or consumer-loving or smart state, so check yours out!
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Oh, P.S. I save money on homeowner’s insurance by having the highest possible deductible and never making claims on small things. I used to think that was what it was there for, but one small claim made me change my mind. They jacked up my rates for three years. I decided it was there to keep me from going into bankruptcy or losing my house if something really bad happened.
Similarly, although I have really high values on my auto insurance, I have high deductibles, keep up with my defensive driving courses, and don’t get collision insurance. Like Edward, I have a 19-year-old car. The tiniest ding, and the insurance company would call it totaled, give me $200, and take away my car. Um, no.
I also save money on life insurance by not having any (except the tiny free policy at work, which will probably cover funeral expenses). I have no real dependents. Plus, I have enough other money now that I can leave plenty of money to people (my mostly paid off house can go to my live-in boyfriend and my retirement savings can be a huge windfall for my siblings and parents).
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Nice save on the home insurance! Auto insurance is a funny thing. I think it might be one of the only industries where loyalty doesn’t seem to matter at all.
It seems like no matter who you’re with, every 2 years or so, they start to creep your premiums up. Maybe it’s inflation. Maybe they’re just trying to recoup the cost of the teaser rate that they got you buy. Whatever it is, it seems to totally eliminate any chance at a loyal customer base. The big names in the industry are continuously just stealing customers away from each other long enough to make a few bucks before they lose them again.
Dumb business model if you ask me.
Anthony, I can second your satisfaction with State Farm. I am NOT with them, but recently had to work with them when I was rear-ended by one of their customers. They were extremely courteous and quick with a very fair settlement.
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My auto insurance company offered a 10% discount on my auto insurance if I also got renter’s insurance through them… well guess what? 10% of my (already cheap) auto insurance turned out to be GREATER than the renter’s insurance premium.
So now I’m paying less than I did for auto AND renter’s, than before when I only had auto.
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True.
I just saved $700/yr by switching my auto insurance. And get this: I didn’t just get the same level of coverage, I got slightly more coverage, because the new insurer requires a higher base minimum than my previous insurer.
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Cost is easy to understand. How do you research the underwriting standards between two companies? For example, a major casualty insurer noted for significantly lower rates, was the only insurance company that denied hailstorm damage claims to replace roofs in our neightborhood. The criteria for the number of hail strikes for the lower premium company was many times that of all the other insurance companies. A lower insurance premium was not a bargain. What is a good source for information on this?
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Wes, my experience is that landlord insurance can generally be higher because of the extra liability involved. THe renter might sue me for something. Insurance companies probably also profile renters and make stereotypes about how often renters end up with claims. But it probably depends on the exact situation. If the physical value of the real estate is low then the personal property might matter more.
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Another quirk for rental property: Property taxes can be higher on rental property than on owner-occupied property. The financial swing on my property (worth approx. $200K) went from $1063/year for owner-occupied to $3692 for rental. That’s a big swing. Insurance notwithstanding. (These figures are for county property taxes in South Carolina.)
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Insurance companies suck. I had insurance with one well known insurance company. It charged me about $750 for home insurance for the year. A year later, after having no incidences and paying the premium on time, the insurance went up to $1, 400 a year. The following year again after paying on time and with no incidences, it wanted to charge $2, 200. I wouldn’t lower the price.
So, I called my independent insurance guy to call around, and got another company to charge me $850. Then the originally company starts sending me letters to come back as a client. Right.
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@Tyler (#10) I did not ask my (now former) insurance company, Travelers, to match the new quote. About a year ago I asked them to reconsider the quote they had given me, and they asked to visit the home to get details about the “rebuild” costs. After that, they said it would cost MORE to rebuild my home (even after the recent market crash!) than they at first thought, and so the following year my premium would go up. So I was done with them.
What the new company, Liberty Mutual, explained when I told them all this was that Traveler’s had a heavy presence in Minnesota, and a huge hail storm a few years back really hit them hard, so they were now recouping costs. Liberty Mutual didn’t have nearly as high a local exposure to that issue, so they didn’t have to price aggressively.
Re: service level, when we’re talking about a $2300 difference for the EXACT SAME coverage, I no longer care about service level. Like Debbie (#12) I have learned not to file small claims; I’m treating homeowners insurance purely as a protection against catastrophe.
The switch took nearly no effort, just a 20 minute “intake” phone conversation to collect my details, a quick follow up phone conversation to discuss the quote, and some paperwork to review and sign. The only possible “negative” I’ve experienced so far is that Liberty Mutual is much more aggressive about cross-selling, so they are now after me for life insurance. But I have enough of that at the moment.
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PS:
State Farm was the one who kept jacking my rates. I use Progressive for my auto insurance. I had a car totaled after a week, and it paid without too much haggling.
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#12 (Debbie) – Although this is unrelated to the post, if you don’t have a will or a living revocable trust be sure to get one. That way you can make sure your boyfriend gets the home. Intestacy (which apply when someone dies with a will in place) are different from state to state. However, cohabited non-married partners usually will not be eligible for anything.
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Rich– We’ve got Liberty Mutual for pretty much everything (though that’s mainly us contacting them– the only thing they’re aggressive about for us is sending a letter every year asking if we’re *sure* we don’t want to switch from term to whole life… but they didn’t try to sell us whole life when we signed up for term). They were fantastic when our car got hit by an F-150; they picked out a certified mechanic (one of the better rated in our area) and paid them directly. No hassle at all.
My father says he shops around for auto insurance every few years but hasn’t found anybody to beat them on price yet.
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Congratulations, Rich!
This is an excellent example of utilizing due diligence (one of J.D’s famed beliefs preached at Get Rich Slowly) when making purcase choices in order to maximize your potential while decreasing your costs.
From the sales side of things, it is always best to compare and contrast different companies as some may offer better rates to gain customers from the competition, which (as evidenced in this case)could lead to substantial savings.
What you saved was no small sum; and compounded over the years could amount to an excellent cash cushion to meet your future needs or endeavours.
Thanks For Sharing.
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@ Edward, Anthony, and The Tim – unofficially, the reason Geico can offer generally lower rates than the rest of the major companies is because if you ever make a claim, they will cancel your policy after they pay it. It’s happened to several people I know, including my mom. She had a clean driving record (no tickets or accidents) for 17 years, until she hit a deer coming home from work one night. Three weeks later, they got a letter saying Geico was canceling their policy.
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Ring-a-ding-ding-dong…..ringa-ding-ding-dong…..repeat 3 times to entertain anyone around you.
I get a quote every six month prior to renew my policies.
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Great post! Just goes to show you there are always ways to revise your spending to save $. You just have to dig.
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I am an Insurance Broker in a small town. The reason why your rates will change from year to year is due to company profits, market conditions and claims paid out. Every company will go through swings and rates will go up and down even with the “discount insurance companies”. But the reason the “State Farms” can provide cheap insurance is because they cut corners with customer service and do things like cancel you upon renewal, not three weeks later as one other poster mentioned, that is not allowed.
Edward – the reason you pay insurance besides state law is for liability. If you run over someone or get in an accident and it’s your fault your insurance company will represent you. Most state minimum liability is never enough if you were to get sued. You could lose everything you have if you are not properly covered. Another cut corner, less coverage.
Jim – landlord insurance is more then regular home insurance even though the insurance company doesn’t cover personal property. It’s because there is more of a risk. The owner is not present all the time and generally someone who doesn’t own the house will not take better care of it then the owner. It is even higher to have a house insured that is vacant for that reason alone. To the point where a lot of companies won’t even insure it.
I see that most people here are about saving money where they can. But I believe an insurance broker or agent can be an important relationship like a lawyer or an accountant. A discount insurance company can be the right fit. But I warn you, you try to save a couple hundred dollars here or there and you might be with a company whose has bad customer service or claims service. You sometimes pay for what you get even with insurance.
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Yep, it is very important to shop around for car insurance. I recently added my 16 year old sister to my auto policy and my premium tripled (up to almost $3k a year). I shopped around and was able to get the same coverage for less than I was paying when it was just me on the policy.
It’s sad to think about all the people that are paying too much for insurance just because they are loyal customers to their current company or are just to afraid to shop around.
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@Perry: I have to disagree with your comment. I, personally, do not know State Farm to cut corners. I know my agent very well and can call him any time that I need. And their office has a 24/7 office line. In the 10+ years that my dad has been with them, they never treated him poorly and never threatened to cancel his policy.
And as I’ve already commented, State Farm is not the cheapest company in town for my needs. However, given their positive reputation and my past with them, I went with them.
But I can agree with your last statements. Saving a few dollars could hurt you if you don’t pick a company who is reliable.
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While I read so many nice and experienced comments about auto insurances above, I would be very much interested in knowing the factors which I should keep in mind while renewing my auto insurance. Any suggestions (or any previous posts)?
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Anthony – what I should of said was “discount insurers” instead of State Farm specifically. I am from Canada and my experience with them is probably a lot different from yours. Their company model here is very streamline and can come across impersonal at times.
AG – generally 3 things control the cost of your auto insurance. Driving experience, insurance history including claims and any moving violations or convictions on your mvr. After that you maybe eligible for a number of discounts based on a number of criteria. +10 years driving experience, multi – vehicle discounts, multi policy discounts (home), deductible discounts and so on. Every insurer is different and has different rules and discounts.
The problem is the auto insurance market is so competitive that the margins are small. There is little room for haggle after discounts. Insurance companies make most of their money off property and business insurance policies and that is where your best chance to save money is.
Personally I want to make sure I have enough liability coverage if I do get into an unforeseen major accident where I am possibly at fault. This to me is worth paying more. Unfortunately you never see the value of insurance until disaster strikes and you need to put in a claim. It is hard for people to justify sometimes when they have paid insurance for 20 years and never submitted a claim. It is a non tangible product so it’s hard to see value. I look to make a balance decision between price and the right coverage when choosing my insurer.
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@Perry: Thanks a lot for your input. I am insured with Liberty Mutual and their rates have gone up effective 02/01/2010 and on top of it I am not 25 yet (will turn in June
) and mine is a new car. Though they will reduce the premium by $235 in June but I don’t think $1400+ is a good deal anyways so I should shop.
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I would just point out that the premium is not the only important aspect of the insurance decision — also very important are the reputation and financial solvency of the carrier, the mouse print of the policy, etc., etc. However, just because something is expensive, doesn’t mean it is better so shopping around is always good.
Another point – carrying the state minimum in auto insurance may be okay for a young, single person (which it sounds like this writer is), but as assets and responsibilities increase (e.g., family), coverage most likely should increase.
As someone on the administrative side of the “medical biz” the assumption that having medical insurance means there isn’t a role for medical coverage from your auto insurer is naive. Auto medical coverage sometimes covers things your medical insurer won’t (an example from the past is chiropractic, which used to be rare on medical policies). And if you’re injured by an uninsured/underinsured driver, the coinsurance/copayments from your medical insurance can be quite steep — your auto coverage typically covers 100% after the deductible.
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When I first got a car, I had Geico as my insurance. Coincidentally, my policy took effect Jan 1. When my policy came up for renewal I was rather surprised to see that it had gone up considerably, despite having no tickets or accidents. So I called them:
Me: Why did my insurance go up so much?
Geico: Your state changed the law. You have had your license for less than three years, so we can charge you more.
Me: But I got my driver’s license December 1996 and this policy doesn’t take effect until January 2000. It will have been more than three years when this policy takes effect.
Geico: But you had your license less than three years when we wrote your policy
at the beginning of December.
Me: Well, can’t you rewrite the policy to reflect how long I have actually had my license?
Geico: No.
Me: Then I will find someone who will. Goodbye.
I have been with Nationwide ever since. And they were less than Geico anyway.
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Last year, I shopped around for car insurance since my monthly bill was over $111 in Portland, Oregon for one car and one driver. Never a blemish on my record. I got an online quote from Progressive, (my current insurance provider) for $50 less a MONTH. I called up and they said, indeed, I was “eligible” for that rate. Um, thanks. If I hadn’t called, they would have kept me at $111.
Latest renewal, they added $80 to 6 month policy. Called up, they said it was a “change in laws in my state.” But again, I got a rate quote online (from Progressive) that was even *less* than what I was currently paying. Even after a $50 online discount.
Moral of the story: shop for rates. Your current company might be over charging you. And they may lower your rates if you call them on it.
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I had Liberty Mutual for about 12 years and was generally happy with it. When I asked for a quote for a rent house though, they wanted $2k/yr. Shopping around, an independent agent quoted me $700.
My home and auto rates with Liberty Mutual had been rising every year. At the end of last year, my combined rates with Liberty Mutual were $7200/year. The same independent agent quotes me for similar policies with Auto Owners Insurance for $4800/yr.
This is a substantial amount of money. I am going to go blow it at the track.
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(That last sentence was a little joke).
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I’m an insurance agent and am just adding my 2 cents, and answering some questions posted above, if you don’t mind.
1. You MUST compare apples to apples or the comparison doesn’t mean a thing. Some people use a spreadsheet and list the original coverages in a column down the left, either breaking down the quote by coverage, or just having the total premium at the end. The list the insurance companies in a row across the top. Then when the quoted company doesn’t offer the exact some coverage, you can make note of what they did quote you, as well as the final premium.
2. An agent can only offer a quote for companies they represent. That’s the law. So, in order to get quotes for other companies, you’ll need to contact agents who represent those companies.
3. Please consider more than the state minimum. When you cause an accident and the injured party in the other vehicle has life-threatening injuries, your state minimum coverage will only pay the limits you’ve purchased. And you’ll be sued for the balance. And consider if you’re injured by someone with state minimum limits. You’ll have to sue to recover your expenses.
4. Depending upon the state, the insurance company can increase your premium even after your purchase for a certain time period, usually around 60 days. So be careful to provide accurate information up front.
5. Coverage on homeowners insurance is a package policy. You have to buy all the coverages (dwelling, other structures, contents, liability, medical payments, and loss of use) while rental property coverage only requires dwelling and liability. So, while you’re not required to purchase other coverages, the cost of the individual coverages is higher because tenants are not likely to maintain your property as well as you would if you lived there AND you’re not likely to maintain this property as well as you would if you lived there. More claims are filed, and they usually are more expensive claims when they are filed. This causes the rates to be higher.
6. Insurance companies cannot “match” rates. Rates are filed with the state, and are static (until new rates are filed). What the agent CAN do, and should have done upfront, is apply additional discounts which you qualify for. ASK about additional discounts (multi family, multi car, paid in full, etc).
7. Higher deductibles can help you save money – unless you end up filing multiple claims in a short period of time. Obviously you can’t predict when something will happen, so just be careful when deciding your deductible.
8. When insurance rates are low, the insurance companies are making their money in other investments. When their investments aren’t bringing in money, they have to raise rates. Rate increases are assessed across the board. So when your rate goes up but no claims have been filed, it is because they asked the state for a rate increase, and the state agreed it was justified. Your rate would have increase even more had a surcharge been applied.
9. States don’t allow cancellations midterm for any old reason. Either they have to cancel within the first “x” # of days (called the free look or underwriting period) or they have to wait and nonrenew the policy. A few states do allow midterm cancellations, but have very specific situations in which the cancellation may be used. You should be able to ask the agent about generic cancellation policies. Ask “Will the company cancel me if I have an at fault accident? No? What about 2 at fault accidents in 2 years? Yes?”
10. Carrying state minimum is bad for even a young, single person, since, statistically, they cause more accidents, so they are more likely to cause an accident in which the state minimum coverage isn’t sufficient to pay the bills of the injured party, or cover the damage to their vehicle.
11. You just have to shop around. Some people do it every 6 months, others every couple of years. Some, never. I was with my first insurance company for 20 years – since I learned how to drive. I didn’t even switch when I started selling insurance. But then I moved to another state, and have been with 2 different companies in 2 years (with one, changed, now back with the 1st company – and I even filed a claim with the 2nd company). It pays to shop for many people. For others, it just justifies why they’re still with their current company.
Hope this helps. Between my response and the response of the other insurance agent who responded.
Oh, and I had sold plenty of policies in which the auto and renters combined was less than the auto alone. Interesting, weird, but true.
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Out of curiousity, I shopped on-line to see what my auto insurance company would charge if I changed some of my parameters (different deductible, higher amount of coverage) and imagine my surprise when I was able to get the best of everything (lowest deductible, highest coverages in every category) and still save $20 a month. I called my agent (which I had been with for ~15 years), explained the situation and asked why was there such a discrepancy and could I change to the new policy. Well, to make a long story short, they had no clue as to why the online version was so much cheaper, and the only way I could take advantage of the rates was to cancel with them, and come back in 6 weeks time. Forget that, transfered to my finance’s company – USAA where I was able to get the same great insurance at even a bigger savings. Oh, and the company, State Farm. Go figure …
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I have had American Family for almost four years now for Home and Auto. They are so great because they call me and tell me I qualify for another rate discount. I started paying $118/month for auto and now I’m down to $55 for the same coverage. Getting older (I’m almost 30) has it’s advantages. Oh, and no tickets and accidents help too.
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Insurance companys are scam artists. Nuff said.
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Saving on insurance was a nice benefit of recently moving. I stayed with the same company and they re-calculated everything, cutting my bill in half. Not saying insurance rates should determine where you live, but I saved enough to cover most of a mortgage payment every year!
Staying with my local Travelers agent has been great so far. I wonder what their landlord insurance is like?
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I love this story. I actually work in an insurance agency and we get to help people save on their insurance all the time. I think the important thing to remember is that insurance rates can vary dramatically from company to company, and the only way to make sure you’re getting the best rates is to actually go to those companies and receive an estimate, or go to a broker that represents many companies so they can give you a comparison.
Some insurance may be required, but that doesn’t mean you should pay extra for it.
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Great suggestions.
I have saved a bundle by shopping with Tier 1 providers of insurance companies every 3 years.
It is the BEST approach, and I have actually gone down in insurance for the last 10 years doing it this way.
Also, I manage the coverage elements to be very aggressive.
Kenny
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Originally, I used my parents’ preferred insurance company – Erie. It seemed high, so I switched to Progressive. THEN due to a mistake Progressive made, I was overcharged for insurance for a year (and did not get the money back – whole BBB case filed as well). I switched to GEICO (which I never thought I’d do), and paid far FAR less than I did with either Erie or Progressive. Now, I don’t even own a car. I have renter’s insurance, and that’s it. It most definitely pays to check on your policies!
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I switched to Geico (from Liberty Mutual), their rates are amazing for almost the same coverages, I am saving at least $800 a year … bingooooo
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There’s no reason not to shop around these days for better rates. You can get quick approximate quotes from dozens of different websites — not like the “old days” when shopping around for insurance could take the better part of a day.
I check insurance regularly every 6 months and usually switch every 2 years on average. Don’t just go by name brands that are advertising all over the place. They may have good policies, but often I’ve been able to save the most (and keep good coverage) by going with relatively unknown companies.
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