One of the most important tools for any consumer is their insurance agent. Insurance agents can help ensure that you carry the right amount of coverage, the right coverage options for risk exposure, the best premiums and deductibles for your budget, and that you work with highly rated, financially secure insurance companies that will be able to fulfill the promises in your insurance contract.
One of the ways agents make themselves valuable is by staying informed about all the current regulatory, financial, economic, and social changes that can affect your insurance policies. There are several ways that agents remain informed. These include:
- Continuing education: In order to keep their licenses, agents must attend a certain amount of continuing education classes every year. Each class is assigned a certain number of credits and the agent must take as many as his or her state requires. Continuing education courses often feature information about changes in the industry that are both regulatory and consumer driven.
- Industry magazines: In order to retain a competitive edge, insurance agents must stay abreast of the most recent developments in the industry. There are many trade magazines that help them identify important trends as they are developing. As an insurance buyer, this can be especially helpful since it means you will have access to newly developed coverage options for a rapidly changing risk environment.
- Conferences: Agents often attend industry conferences in order to get one-on-one access to insurance company underwriters, lawyers, and executives. In addition they use these conferences to attend panels, educational discussions, and network with other agents to exchange ideas for effective insurance planning.
- Insurance company bulletins: As insurers attempt to respond to changes in the market, they may edit some of features and limitations of their various insurance policies. Agents receive communications that disclose these changes so that they can provide their clients with the most up-to-date and accurate data.
As your insurance agency, we are committed to staying informed about the insurance, economic, financial and other situations that can affect you and change how you should handle your insurance portfolio. In order to benefit from our experience, even for your Mansfield home insurance, give us a call at All About Insurance.