This review will analyze the JD Power ratings & numerical scores for Nationwide auto, homeowners, and life insurance, in all the JD Power claims & customer satisfaction studies where the company was included in the last few years, to see if its JD Power ratings truly reflect the quality of the claims & customer service for the company. This review will show you if Nationwide auto, home, or life insurance has a better-than-average, average, or below-average performance in JD Power studies from 2012-2016, and how Nationwide compares to leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, Farmers, American Family, Travelers, etc. in these JD Power auto & homeowners insurance claims & customer satisfaction studies. –
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Amica Insurance Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints Record & AM Best, JD Power Ratings
This Amica Insurance review will analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Amica Insurance over the last several years. The annual JD Power insurance studies are, in my opinion, the most objective and relevant indicators of insurance company customer & claims satisfaction, by surveying the opinions of thousands of auto & home insurance customers. However, the power circle ratings used by JD Power can be sometimes misleading, with some top rated 4 and 5 power circle companies not scoring much above the score of the average company. This review will look at the JD Power ratings & numerical scores for Amica, in all the JD Power insurance studies where it was included in the last three years, to see if its current JD Power ratings really reflect the quality of the claims & customer service for the company. My review will show you how Amica performs compared to competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, Farmers, American Family, and others. Additionally, I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for Amica insurance.
Another measure of quality for an auto or home insurance company is the number of upheld complaints filed against it with a state’s insurance regulatory authority, adjusted for the company’s market share. This review will show you if Amica has a better than average, average, or below average complaint record for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014. The smart insurance buyer shops for the best combination of coverage, price, and service, so be sure to use the ad below this paragraph (or the ad at the end of this review) to get price quotes from multiple insurance companies and find the best insurance company for you. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance: the smart way to shop, avoid mistakes, and save money, Part 4
In parts two and three of this blog series, I explained I think it’s best to use independent life insurance agents when looking for competitively priced term life insurance, and how they differ from other types of life insurance agents. Experienced independent life insurance agents specializing in term life insurance, are a great choice to help you buy the right term life insurance policy for you at a great price. After reading this blog series so far, you should now have some idea how to tell a good life insurance agent from a bad agent. But how do you find a good independent life insurance agent? This blog post will give you useful information about how to find the best independent term life insurance agent for you. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance: the smart way to shop, avoid mistakes, and save money, Part 3
In part one of this blog series, I told you where NOT to shop, if you want to buy competitive term life insurance. In part two, I told you how buying life insurance is different than buying home or auto insurance, how using experienced independent life insurance agents is your best option, for buying the right term life insurance policy for you at a great price, and how to tell a competent agent from a less competent one. You now have some idea on how to tell a good independent life insurance agent from a bad agent, but how do you know if you are really working with an independent insurance agent? This blog post will tell you the difference between independent insurance agents and other agents, why independent insurance agents, when it comes to life insurance, often have the best options for you, and how to know if your agent is a captive or an independent insurance agent. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance: the smart way to shop, avoid mistakes, and save money, Part 2
In part one of this blog series, I told you where not to shop for term life insurance. Here in part two, I’ll tell you where you should shop — with independent life insurance agents — and about buying term life insurance, so you can avoid problems. When you are looking for good auto & home insurance rates & coverage, you should know, if you have been reading my blog, I think it’s important to shop with all the leading companies, including contacting a few independent insurance agents, to make sure you don’t miss out on good auto & home insurance companies selling only through independent insurance agents. But I also advise people to not rely on the claims of some independent insurance agents selling auto & home insurance, to be able to shop the market for you, since most of the leading auto & home insurance companies cannot be shopped or purchased through independent agents.
However, when it comes to term life insurance, independent insurance agents specializing in term life insurance really can shop the market for you. For example, in part one, I advised staying away from captive life insurance agents employed by one company, like Prudential and Metlife. I’m not saying Prudential, Metlife, or any company with captive agents are bad, or have high rates (In fact, Prudential has a reputation for being more willing to accept and offer better rates for certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, if the condition is well-controlled), but it’s best to avoid agents with a strong incentive or requirement to place business with only one company. You want to avoid Prudential, Metlife, NY Life, (et al) agents, but you don’t want to avoid the companies. And you don’t have to avoid these companies, because many of them, including Prudential & Metlife, also sell through independent life insurance agents. There are a few companies, like Northwestern Mutual, selling only through their own agents, or companies selling direct, like Amica, USAA, & TIAA-CREF, independent insurance agents can’t quote or offer you, but when you are looking for term life insurance, independent life insurance agents can adequately shop the market for you. But not all independent life insurance agents are the same, and some independent agents you will want to avoid. This blog post will explain the process of buying term life insurance, why choosing a competent, experienced life insurance agent is so important, and how to know a good agent from a bad one. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance: the smart way to shop, avoid mistakes, and save money, Part 1
If you now or will have, any loved one relying on you being around to bring home a paycheck, you need your own term life insurance policy. Life insurance coverage through work is not enough, and may not be there when you need it. It’s not just insurance agents thinking you need an individual term life insurance policy: You won’t find anyone educating people about personal finance, be it Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, or the money columnist of your local newspaper, not recommending term life insurance. So, you know you need term life insurance, or maybe you bought a policy a few years ago and need it reviewed. How do you shop for proper advice, good rates, and the right policy? How do you avoid a high pressure sales pitch? Similar to auto & home insurance, term life insurance rates can be more than double the price with some life insurance companies, for the same amount of coverage, as other companies. But unlike auto & home insurance, going to the major insurance company websites to get online price quotes, or to find a local agent, is not a good way to shop for term life insurance. In fact, the most obvious places for people to get advice and price quotes, can lead to paying too much for your term life insurance policy, or even worse, lead to you making a costly mistake, by being convinced to buy a permanent life insurance policy, annuity, or investment product you’ll later regret. Part one of this blog series will discuss where NOT TO SHOP for term life insurance. Continue reading
Louisiana Auto Insurance Review: National Automotive Insurance Company Downgraded by AM Best for Financial Stability.
National Automotive Insurance Company, a company selling standard and nonstandard auto insurance in Louisiana, was downgraded March 12, 2013, by the AM Best rating agency, to a grade of “C” (Weak) from it’s previous grade of “B” (Fair) for financial stability. As readers of my blog know, I advocate shopping with as many companies as possible to find the best rate. Shopping for the lowest car insurance rate is even more important for people qualifying only for more expensive nonstandard auto insurance, designed to insure higher risk drivers, like young drivers with little experience, the recently licensed, and drivers with tickets, accidents, claims, or a lapse in their recent car insurance history. But if the company with the lowest rate for you has a low financial stability rating, you may have a problem with getting your claim paid. If your auto insurance company becomes insolvent when you have a claim, the claim may not be paid, or not paid in full, or payment delayed for an excessive amount of time. So, shop for the best car insurance rates, but avoid choosing an auto or home insurance company with a lower than an “A-” rating from AM Best, whenever possible. If you are insured with National Automotive Insurance Company, it would be wise to contact other agents and insurance companies for price quotes from more financially stable insurers. In addition to insuring with a better car insurance company, you may get a better price. However, not all insurance companies insure all types of drivers, so this blog post will give you some ideas on where to shop, and discuss the recent complaint record of National Automotive Insurance Company, which should be another reason you should consider changing to another auto insurance company. Continue reading
What is the best car insurance company in the Northeast USA? Find out here!
Here’s my summary of the most recent 2012 JD Power US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study for the Northeast region, reviewing the best & worst rated auto insurance companies in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. If you do not reside in one of these states, see my recent blog posts reviewing the other five of the seven 2012 JD Power regional auto insurance studies for California, West, Central, Southeast, and North Central states. If you live in one of the Mid-Atlantic states, you will have to wait until later in the week for my review of that seventh and last region. What company really is the best car insurance company? Don’t choose your insurance company solely on the JD Power circle rating. As you will find out from this summary of the raw scores for the companies included in this survey, some highly rated companies did not score much above average. Don’t make the mistake of paying a lot more for your auto insurance, expecting better service based on a good JD Power rating, only to receive average service at a higher cost. If you want low rates & great service, spend some time getting price quotes from all the major auto insurance companies in your state, then use my website, and this summary of the JD Power ratings, to get the right combination of price, coverage, and service for you. Continue reading
JD Power 2012 Auto Insurance US Central Region Study: Summary & Conclusions
Here is my summary and conclusions analyzing the results for the JD Power central region auto insurance customer satisfaction study, covering the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.
The JD Power overall customer satisfaction power circle rating can be misleading, with 5 or 4 power circle rated companies not scoring significantly better than the average 3 power circle rated company. Also, some companies receiving the lowest rating, 2 power circles, did not score much lower than average.
My analysis will help you know the companies that really did outperform in the survey. But more importantly, let you know the highly rated companies not scoring much above average to be worth paying more, and the lower rated companies, with close to average customer satisfaction, which may be fine for you if they have a great price for you. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance Rates: 49 Year Old Male Non Smoker
Term life insurance is less expensive than ever. How inexpensive can term life be for a man, age 49? To show you how low prices can be now, I’m doing a blog series showing the insurance companies with the lowest term life rates at various ages. Term life is lower in cost today because of advancements in health care, & because we continue to live longer lives. You should review your life insurance needs with your agent each year. If you started a term life policy several years ago, it’s likely you’ll get lower rates now, or you can get much more coverage for what you currently pay. I list in this blog post 5 insurance companies with low rates for a 20 year term life insurance policy with a $150,000 death benefit, over 4 health classes, for a forty nine year old male non-smoker. Continue reading
Term Life Insurance Rates: 48 Year Old Female Non Smoker
Did you know Term life insurance is more affordable than ever these days? How low can it be for a woman, age 48? Females live longer, so they get lower rates than men! Term life insurance prices continue to drop, as people live longer lives, & health care keeps improving. You may have taken out a term life policy several years ago, but now you could qualify for better rates, or you can take more coverage for what you are paying now. To illustrate to you how affordable term life insurance can be, I’m writing a blog series about insurance companies with the best rates for term life insurance at certain ages. Here are five companies with great rates for a 20 year term life insurance policy with a $200,000 death benefit, looking at four health categories, for a forty eight year old female non-smoker. Let me show you where you can find a good life insurance company! Continue reading
Yourinsurancerequests.com 800-290-5828 / 888-565-3305 Aggressive Telemarketing!
I’m blogging today to warn people about the aggressive telemarketing used by this company, yourinsurancerequests.com, and how to get auto insurance quotes on the Internet without having to worry about constant telemarketing calls. There are a lot of people complaining about YourInsuranceRequests.com, but I want to clear up a few misconceptions people have about the nature of this company, and what can be done about them. Repeatedly calling people who do not wish to be contacted, and ignoring their requests to be placed on their company’s “Do Not Call” list, should subject them to fines. I, myself, am interested in joining any class action lawsuit suing them for harassment. Continue reading
Who Are The Mega Millions Lottery Winners?
I heard on the news there were three winning tickets to split the 640 million dollar jackpot. When I find out their names, and see the pictures of the excited lottery winners, I’m sure I’ll have a tinge of Jealousy. I don’t play the lottery, because the odds of winning are too unlikely, but part of me says to myself, “That could have been me!” Why not play the lottery? Someone has to win it some time, and you have to be in it to win it, right? I wish I knew a sure fire way on how to win the lottery. Continue reading
1. When is the Best Time to Buy Life Insurance?
As I wrote in this blog post, Life insurance through work is not enough, personal finance experts, like Dave Ramsey & Suze Orman, recommend you buy an individual term life insurance policy. But does everyone need a term life insurance policy? If you need term life insurance, when is the best time to buy it? If you are like me, you get plenty of e-mail offers for term life insurance, from online insurance agencies, like Matrix Direct or Selectquote.com. Maybe you have pursued getting term life insurance quotes, or used online life insurance calculators & term life price comparison tools, like the ones at Term4Sale.com, to find the companies with the best prices for term life insurance, but decided to put off buying it. Continue reading
Car Insurance Loyalty Rewards Discounts
Do auto insurance companies reward customer loyalty with lower rates? All auto insurance companies, from Allstate insurance, through Progressive insurance, to Zurich (Farmers) Insurance, want you as a loyal customer. I have blogged before about Long Term Policyholder discounts, where you can get a 5% or 10% discount for keeping the same auto insurance policy for 5 years or more. But because of insurance rate increases over the years, you often still pay more for your auto insurance than when you started.
A promise of discounts, and lower rates in the future, for being a loyal customer, but seeing your auto insurance bill go up each year, makes people feel ripped off. However, other car insurance companies will reward your loyalty to your former auto insurance company, by offering you a lower rate because of it. Continue reading
Bicycle Accident Insurance
Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 51,000 pedal cyclists were injured in motor vehicle accidents in 2009. Most bicyclists are aware of the risk of injury when sharing the road with cars. But did you know bicyclists can be sued if they are at fault for these accidents, or if the bicyclist is responsible for injuring someone while biking? Continue reading
Mortgage Protection Life Insurance: Scam?
Mortgage Protection insurance is aggressively marketed by banks & insurance agents, such as NAA — National Agents Alliance — to new & old home owners alike, so if you own a home, or you are about to buy a home, you need to know if this insurance is something you should consider buying. Continue reading
Replacement Cost Guarantee or Extended Replacement Cost Homeowners Insurance
I have mentioned before, unlike auto insurance, there can be a huge difference in the home insurance coverage offered by insurance companies. One major difference is whether an insurance company offers a guarantee to rebuild your home, no matter what the cost to rebuild it.
For example, you buy homeowners insurance, and the insurance company determines you need $200,000 to rebuild your home. 6 months later, your house burns to the ground. The actual cost to rebuild your home is $280,000. Depending on the insurance company you chose, and the coverage options they offer, you may get only $200,000 for your claim, or $240,000, if you have an extended replacement cost option, or the full $280,00 it takes to rebuild, if you have a replacement cost guarantee.
If you have the replacement cost guarantee, you will get whatever it costs to rebuild — even if it costs $500,000 — to have your house rebuilt to the same size and quality of the house before it was damaged.
So, if you have 1,200 square foot, 2 bed room, tract home, the insurance company will rebuild you a 1,200 square foot, 2 bedroom tract home, no matter what the cost, but they won’t pay more to upgrade your kitchen, give you a third bedroom, or more square footage.
I’m blogging today to explain homeowners insurance replacement cost options to rebuild your home, why they are so important, and how to find insurance companies with the best home insurance coverage options for you. Continue reading
Vanishing Deductible: Nationwide Insurance
There is some good information on the Internet reviewing Nationwide‘s Vanishing deductible option, and how it could cost some customers more money than they save by having their deductible vanish. But there is one serious misconception some of these articles make regarding why the vanishing deductible is a good idea for some customers, and an important point or two left out of other reviews of the vanishing deductible.
I’ll clear up the misconception, and explain what has been missed by other reviews, and tell you why I don’t think Nationwide’s Vanishing Deductible option is a good idea for anyone. I’ll also suggest an option on how to get a deductible credit that really saves you money, you can do with any insurance company. Continue reading
Bad Driver Insurance Quotes: How to Shop for the Best Rates
Maybe you have a few tickets, accidents or claims on your driving record. Maybe you are recently licensed. Maybe you have not had car insurance for over 30 days. Maybe you have a child or spouse in your household with a poor driving record, uninsured accident, license suspension, DUI, or reckless driving offense. There are many situations where insurance companies may classify you as a “bad” risk, and cancel your auto insurance, or refuse to insure you. Continue reading
Best Insurance Websites: Insurance Quotes In 2012
You need to be careful when shopping for auto & home insurance on the Internet. Many insurance websites say they will provide online insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies, but they don’t give you online price quotes.
I used one of these websites once, and after I entered some information about me, my driving record, and my car, a chart popped up giving price ranges for a long list of insurance companies.
For example, Company “X” will cost me $800 to $1,500. I knew these insurance company price ranges had nothing to do with an actual insurance price quote for me, and I have no doubt everyone using the website received the same price ranges. I felt ripped off and deceived.
This blog post will discuss the pros & cons of getting insurance quotes from various websites on the Internet, what to expect, the best ways to do it, and how to avoid being misled by inaccurate price quotes. Continue reading
Car Contents Not Covered By Auto Insurance
Do you have any personal property you keep in your car? Clothes? Laptop computer? Ipod? Your child’s car seat or toys? Electronic devices? DVDs? A gym bag? An extensive CD collection? How about the items you buy after you go shopping? How about tools you keep in your pick up? What if someone broke into your car and stole them? None of these items are covered by your standard personal auto insurance policy.
I’m blogging today to help you avoid the theft of personal property from your car, know what is commonly covered and not covered, and get the insurance you need. The last thing customers want to hear when they call to report a claim is to find out they are not covered. Continue reading
Personal Liability Coverage: Slander, Libel, Defamation of Character, & More
Most people know they have personal liability insurance coverage on their home / condo / mobile home / renters insurance to protect them and their family from lawsuits if someone gets injured on their home property.
This liability coverage extends to the non-business activities for you and your resident family members, too. For example, your son accidentally injures a playmate while playing a pick-up game of baseball.
But what coverage do you have if someone sues you for libel for something your teenager said about them on the Internet? The basic homeowners, renters, condo, or mobile home insurance policy does not cover you in this situation.
Did you know, for a few dollars more a year, you can protect you and your family from lawsuits arising from false arrest, false imprisonment, wrongful eviction, wrongful detention, malicious prosecution, libel, slander, defamation of character or invasion of rights of privacy? Continue reading