[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

I don't know how many on this thread have ever heard of a fellow named Clark Howard... Consumer expert, syndicated radio host, etc. for many years. He says you should review, compare and shop insurance companies every 6 months. They sneak prices up over time.

Clark is misguided.

My policies are annual policies for auto, home and umbrella - so every six months is overkill. Many companies are doing annual policies for car insurance now because of the home/auto discounts available.

I shop my policies every 2 years or so, unless I get a big increase on the first renewal.

It takes time and effort to shop policies. You can't just look at price and assume that the coverage is apples to apples - you have to make sure that the coverage is as good or better than what you have.

And then you need to research the company (assuming the best price is from a company you aren't familiar with).

And then you need to decide if the agent (assuming it is someone different from your current agent) is someone you want to do business with.