How do you search for an insurance representative?
  First, you should know why and what you are looking for. Depending on whether you are
looking for life insurance, health insurance, property & casualty, or business insurance, you will want to find an insurance representative who specializes in that area. Insurance may not be the most exciting topic in the world, but it may be one of the most important! It’s critical to make sure you are covered for the right needs in case of a tragedy. In addition, it’s usually the most difficult
to buy new insurance coverage when you need it the most, which means you should get covered before you actually need insurance.

What are my insurance needs?
Life insurance can provide money for your family and heirs and is also an important estate planning tool. Disability insurance helps protect your current income if an accident or illness leaves you unable to work. For many workers, disability insurance is extremely important as you are more likely to have a disability before retirement than death. Long-term care insurance provides help covering daily activity care, whether due to old age, or due to a disability or medical issue. Annuities are a tax-advantaged way to save for retirement and to provide a life-time
income, creating a “personal pension plan” that pays you a check as long as you live. Health insurance provides help with medical costs and can provide a wide range of benefits and costs. Property and casualty insurance protects against the loss of property, such as your car or home. Insurance for businesses can cover all of these, providing benefits to employees and covering
the business from loss of property, or the loss of key employees.

Many insurance representatives will specialize in one area. Insurance representatives often provide just property and casualty insurance, others specialize in business needs, while many provide life insurance, disability insurance, and annuities to individuals. Many insurance representatives who provide life insurance also provide varying levels of personal financial planning. Some common designations for life insurance representatives who also provide financial planning include the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). The Chartered Financial Consultant, a designation from the American College, is for life insurance representatives who have 3 years of experience and have
completed an exam in personal financial planning. The Chartered Life Underwriter is also a designation for life insurance representatives from the American College and requires
completing several courses in personal financial planning topics.

How do I work with an Insurance Representative?
Your insurance representative will discuss your needs with you to find out more about your situation and what your goals are. It is important that your insurance representative, your f
inancial planner and your accountant are all aware of your situation and your most pressing financial goals, so that the advice from one professional doesn’t conflict with the
recommendation of another. For some insurance, such as life, disability and health, it may be necessary to submit your medical records and have a physical examination, so be prepared to
do the work necessary to apply. Make sure you understand exactly what your coverage applies
to and how long your coverage lasts.

How do I search for an Insurance Representative with ClaroConnect?
ClaroConnect is an unbiased database of insurance representatives that connects you to the
right professional based solely on your needs. Your first step at ClaroConnect is to identify the broad insurance topic that you need help with, such life insurance or health insurance. You can then go ahead and search for insurance representatives, or narrow your search down further,
with such characteristics as location and qualifications. Once you have pulled up the search results, you can review the insurance representative’s profiles and select one or more to contact. We recommend meeting with at least one of the insurance representatives and interviewing
them to determine if there is a good match. If so, you are on your way to reaching your financial goals!