When you decide to buy a car, you wouldn't purchase the first one you see. What if one day the automobile industry decided to make only one type of car, one make and one model. You wouldn't have a choice! The same situation holds true for insurance. You need insurance to drive a car, to purchase a house, to protect your family's financial future and to run a small business. But if there was only one insurance company that offered only one type of insurance, car insurance, home insurance or businessowner policy — you wouldn't have a choice. The only solution would be going to that one company. With an independent insurance agent, you have choices. Independent agents are not tied to any one insurance company. One of the advantages of using an independent agent is that he or she works to satisfy your needs. You are using an expert for an important financial decision. An independent agent has several companies that he or she can approach to get you the best coverage at the best price. And your independent agent will know the companies with the most efficient claims departments to recover your losses as quickly as possible.