How Can I Determine the Financial Strength of My Insurance Company?

How do you compare life insurance companies? What features do you examine? What criteria do you use? How do you know what to look for? Making sure that your insurance company is financially sound is an important part of helping to ensure family security.

Fortunately, there are a number of independent companies that make these evaluations. These rating companies carefully examine each insurance company in the areas of profitability, debt, liquidity, and other factors. From the results of these examinations, they then issue overall ratings.

Looking up a company’s rating will provide you with a snapshot of that company’s financial health. Tracking the company’s rating on a regular basis may give you some advanced warning of trouble.

The four most prominent rating companies are A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings. Each of these services uses slightly different criteria when rating companies. As a result, each may have a slightly different view of a given company. A.M. Best ratings are based on financial conditions and performance; Moody’s, Fitch Ratings, and Standard & Poor’s ratings are based on claims-paying ability.

You should be able to find copies of at least one of these ratings in the reference section of your local library. If you are unable to find them, or if the ratings in your library are outdated, you can contact the services directly. All four services will provide ratings over the phone.

A.M. Best Company: 908-439-2200, www.ambest.com

Standard & Poor’s: 877-772-5436, www.standardandpoors.com

Moody’s Investors Service: 212-553-0377, www.moodys.com

Fitch Ratings: 800-893-4824, www.fitchratings.com

The information in this article is not intended to be tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Emerald. © 2012 Emerald Connect, Inc.

Criteria for the Newsweek and Denver Magazine awknowledgement was taken from The National Association of Board Certified Advisory Practices' (NABCAP) Premier Advisors List. NABCAP specifically ranked advisory practices using the following criteria: market affluence, team dynamics (who comprises the team), years of experience, credentials/designations, minimum investable assets to become a new client, planning philosophy, investment philosophy, risk philosophy, typical percentage of alternative investment ownership, fee/cost structure, customer service model, U4/ADV status. NABCAP has not released the number of practices measured in their survey. Latitude Financial Group, LLC was charged a fee to participate in the survey.

FIVE STAR Wealth Manager Best in Client Satisfaction (2009 and 2010) exclusive recognition awarded by Crescendo Business Services, includes less than 7 percent of wealth managers in the local area and reflects those scoring highest in client satisfaction. Wealth managers were identified by surveys conducted with consumers and financial professionals, and evaluated across nine attributes: customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, meeting financial objectives, post-sale service, quality of recommendations, and overall satisfaction. Favorable and unfavorable evaluations are included in the score. Each wealth manager is reviewed for regulatory actions, civil judicial actions, and customer complaints. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be included in the research or final list. Scores reflect an average of all respondents and may not be representative of any one client's evaluation. Working with a recipient of one of the aforementioned awards does not guarantee investment success.

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., a Registered Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA / SIPC Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisory Firm. Scott Cody, Daniel Grote, Dustin Tidwell Representatives Latitude Financial Group and Securities America are unaffiliated. Securities licensed in: CO, WY, NM, NY. AL, IL, VA, WA. Insurance Licensed in CO, WY, IL, NY, VA. Advisory Licensed in CO, WY, NM, NY.