Web shopping for life insurance

In Lesson 20

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Top things to know Types of policies Buying strategies How much coverage do you need? How long a term? A question of health Web shopping

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Many companies now sell life insurance on the Web, as well as give free quotes and advice.

The key to buying on the Web is to shop by price and by the company's rating. Several agencies, including Standard & Poor's and A.M. Best, rate insurers on their claims-paying ability. Stick with companies with low prices, the term you want, and a top rating.

Here are some sites that sell the policies of multiple companies:

- Insure.com has quotes from over 90 companies and plenty of detail on the policies available. The site also supplies ratings for the insurers from the major rating agencies, such as A.M. Best.

- InsWeb has some pretty good worksheets and advice, lets you save quotes for later retrieval, and lists an 800 number.

- Accuquote has over 1,600 policies in its database. But you need to fill out a lengthy form to get a quote. The site is an independent service. 

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