"I will not sell what I would not buy..."   --  Bernie Cohen   "The joy of the lowest price diminishes when the reality of the quality of the lowest price sets in..."  -- Ted Goldberg     Who the heck is Ted Goldberg? Ted is a painter. A house painter. He bills himself as a master painter and I believe him. He knows more about paint and painting than I know about insurance (maybe it's not too cool to admit this). Ted is a paint scholar. He doesn't have a university degree, but I never heard a better quote from anyone regarding the pitfalls of buying on price alone. Don't get me wrong. Price is important, but it can be dangerous if it's the only criteria. My goal is to give my customers what they need at the lowest price possible from a company that I feel pretty darn sure will step up to the plate when a claim is made. That's what my slogan means, "Insurance that fits like a glove." You see, insurance agents get paid on the basis of commissions. The higher the premium, the higher the commission. So, it's tempting to sell a product that costs more. There are also bonuses, trips and other incentives that are offered. I ignore them. When I get a bonus, it's not because I zeroed in on it. (In fact, I'm usually surprised when I see one on my commission statement.) I don't want to get into the habit of selling what will benefit me at the expense of the customer. My job is to help people. If I do the right thing by them, my commissions will come. Even if I know up front that I won't make a dime, I will try to help them. This is how I believe a professional should run his business. Does it come around? Sure. People are happy to give me referrals, which is how I do most of my business. What do I sell? Insurance falls into two broad types with separate licenses: Property & Casualty (P&C) and Life & Health (L&H). P&C includes home, auto, liability, business, etc. L&H has five general areas: Besides Life and Health insurance, there are Disability, Long Term Care and Annuities, which is really a savings product. Most agents have both licenses, as I do. However, I refer all of my P&C business out to other agents who are expert in those areas and whom I feel confident operate on the same standards that I do. Sometimes, I get a referral fee. Of the five L&H areas, I specialize in two: Health and Long Term Care Insurance. (I do write the other products, but it is mostly for my established customers.) Furthermore, I don't write business for a whole lot of companies, especially in Health Insurance. Too many of them can be difficult to deal with when it comes to paying claims. (You hear a lot about this today and, unfortunately, a lot of it is true.) I do handle more Long Term Care Insurance companies. There are quite a few very good ones. It is also necessary, because there are differences among their respective plans and everyone has different needs (remember my slogan?). And they are always innovating, which means that there are more and more valuable options for my customers. Something to remember about Long Term Care Insurance: In every insurance contract, except for paid up ones, premiums can be raised. I do not handle any company that has ever raised its premiums for in force policies! The ones who did were likely chasing market share. In other words, marketing a loss leader and subsequently zapping the consumer. Could I trust one of these companies in the future? Why bother taking the chance? Now, if you like what you have read so far and wish to explore doing business with me, please click on one of the pages to the left... If you would like to contact us while we are in the process of building this web site, please call 703-933-9111...