If you think you have to buy from a friend or relative, get some advice from a neutral, credentialed professional.

Seek out good advice.
Your brother-in-law may be a great guy, but do you really want to take his advice on auto insurance? For a few hundred dollars, you can hire a pro to look at your specific family and financial situation and recommend an insurance plan.

If you're shopping for an agent, ask about experience. In many places, agents need only a week of training before they can sell insurance, says Hungelmann. His recommendation: Seek out a pro who has gone back to school to earn industry credentials. Designations to look for include: CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters), which requires about 1,000 hours of extra classes; CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor), which requires about 100 extra hours; and the AAI (Accredited Adviser in Insurance), which also requires about 100 hours of study. [...]

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