On line only VS having broker or agent! Which is best?

Well they both have certain advantages. Since we are offering both, I can easily say that the on line only is certainly the easiest for us. Most clients find it very easy to just call a phone number or get on line, receive a quote, apply and that is it. The process has started! The question still remains though. Which of these method best serves the public?

(PRWEB) June 13, 2004 -- For a very well educated person in the areas of life and/or health insurance and asset planning, online only should work just fine. How many people are really educated enough to make the right choice? Sure, most sites have those handy insurance calculators that can help you decide how much insurance you need. They even have a glossary giving you a quick explanation of the different plans available. The main problem is that the glossaries are much too general and most sites do not offer much help when asking for more specific important answers. So, most people, who have been sold the idea that using an agent is something you want to avoid at all costs, will just rather make mistakes with one of the most important decision of their life rather than call a qualified, honest agent to help them. What is most amazing, is that using an agent not only can save you money and help you avoid great errors, it also does not cost a penny more. So why people pass up on the opportunity to use the free expert help is beyond reason! And having a broker or agent does not have to mean spending hours around a kitchen table. Many good brokers and agents will be just as happy to help you over the phone and do an excellent job at guiding a client in the right direction.

Not knowing the ins and outs of insurance can be very detrimental to your personal and financial health. As an example, I have a client who applied through us for additional life insurance for her and her husband. After a review of their needs, we started the approval process. Everything went well until we got to her husbands M.I.B. records. M.I.B. stands for Medical Information Bureau. In short M.I.B. keeps track of peoples medical history for the purpose of insurance applications (it is similar to peoples credit report.) It turns out that she and her husband had applied a few years back through an online only company offering life insurance. It seemed easy and the price was great (on the e-mail.) At that time, my client answered all the required questions on the application and took the required medical exam. Before they received a final answer, though, my clients changed their minds and cancelled the application process with the on line only company. Unfortunately, her husbands M.I.B. records had already been coded with a medical problem but she was never notified by anyone. When I called her and told her that her M.I.B. records had a negative mark, she said it must be a mistake. Unfortunately, to this day, I am still working to have the code changed or removed so that her husband may get the insurance he needs. The bottom line is, if the on line company she used a few years back had communicated with her and told her that her husbands MIB records would be coded (which they should know) it would have been easier to correct the error then. Unfortunately, these companies are not set up to oversee these kinds of potential problems. Now, years later it is very difficult to correct the error and make changes.

The above problem with quick on line application and no agent or broker is only one of many major problems. Clients often call us because they are not sure how to fill out beneficiary forms (very important). Clients have many questions about the amount of insurance, the type of insurance, and how many years of coverage they need. Often, as we answer questions, we are also able to point out other important aspects of their financial picture that may need some attention from other experts (lawyers, accountants...) They are so many wonderful products out there that can be literally customized to each client needs. It is ashamed that people are cheating themselves. It is not just costing them thousands of dollars in wasted opportunities but also giving the future beneficiaries of these policies many problems and headaches they should not have had had they used a qualified, experienced broker or agent.

The bottom line is, if an agent or broker does not cost any more than going through an online service, why not use an agent or broker? If you know something I have not discovered in my many years in this business, please write to me or call. Thank you.

Philippe Michoel Deray
Pittsburgh, PA
412-422-9609

M.C.D. Companies, established in June of 1988, is a successful, dynamic company built on the principle of serving our customers first. Our primary mission is to bring peace of mind to our clients by offering innovative, value-added products that place emphasis on Short and long term benefits, benefits backed by selected companies with high quality assets and written guarantees.

Our guided principal is to provide all clients with fair and equitable value in the form of insurance and annuity benefits, and asset accumulation products. Our objectives are to fulfill our promise to select companies that will deliver future financial benefits when they are needed. Ever mindful of this, utmost in our minds is the safety of our clients funds entrusted in the selected companies.

We invite you to learn more about M.C.D. Companies. We are confident the more you know about M.C.D. Companies, the more you will see how we can be a part of your future.