There are basically two types of life insurance companies, stock and mutual life companies. A Stock company like any other corporation is owned by the company’s shareholders. A mutual life insurance company is owned by the policyholders. The advantage to purchasing your life insurance from a mutual company is that they sometimes pay dividends to policyholders in years of high profits. Other questions to ask an agent about a company they may be recommending are:

• Do they sell the type of insurance you are interested in?
• What is their reputation in areas such as customer service and responsiveness?
• What is their rating, history and financial security?

Purchasing a life insurance policy is all about making sure you and your family are properly protected. It is important to ask questions and get all the facts before you buy, no matter what type of life insurance product you choose or where you buy it. For more details on purchasing life insurance please see our Life Insurance Buyers Guide.