What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying insurance through an agent?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying insurance through an agent?

Sam Friedman (Editor-in-Chief, National Underwriter, Property & Casualty Edition) gives expert video advice on: Do I need insurance?; How much insurance do I need? and more...

The advantage is of dealing with an agent is the fact that you'll have somebody that can be an expert advisor to you and that can have access, if they're an independent agent, to a multitude of markets, so they'll make sure that you get the right coverage at the best price possible. The disadvantages of working with an agent might be that there's an extra cost involved because you have an intermediary. That's at least the mythology that's out there--that if you cut out the middleman you save money. That's not always the case, because you may save money on premium but you may not be getting the right coverage, which could harm you down the road when it comes time to make a claim. My advice to people is always try to deal with an agent when buying insurance.