Why? "Before any agent can develop valid recommendations and quotes, they need a lot of personal information," she explains. "Sensitive facts about your health and finances. So you'd better know who you're dealing with." Also, she adds, "Their experience matters, so it's good to check that out too."
She suggests going online to answer three key questions.
1. Do they have a professional website? Today a site is an agent's calling card, evidence they're in business and serious about it, she asserts. "Their site provides a wealth of information," she explains. "To find it, ask them for its address, or search for it by entering their name and 'long term care insurance.'" What if they don't have a site? "That's not a good sign," says Gott. "Our agents have robust sites with their picture, location, states where they're licensed, carriers they represent, news about them, and more."
2. Can you find evidence of them beyond their site? "Search for them on Google or Bing, and on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn." Gott suggests. "Enter their name and the words, 'long term care.' Do they come up? How often? Are people recommending them or referring to them? Are they being quoted in the news or industry publications?"
3. Can you find them on specialized industry sites? Many agents have registered with one or more of the following, according to Gott:
* American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. Registered members are listed by zip code here: http://www.aaltci.org/cgi-bin/distance2agents .
* Long Term Care Guild. Registered members may be found by entering their name in "Advanced search," here: http://ltcguild.ning.com/profiles/members/ .
* National Care Planning Council. Participating agents may be found by state here: https://www.longtermcarelink.net/a7insurancequotes.htm .
* Agent Review, the new rating and matching service for insurance agents and buyers. Registered members may be found by selecting "Long Term Care" as the insurance type and entering a zip code, here: http://agentreview.net/ .
"Once you've checked an agent out," says Gott, "you can breathe easy knowing you're dealing with a pro, and get down to brass tacks."
ACSIA Partners LLC -- http://www.acsiapartners.com/ -- is one of America's largest and most experienced long-term care insurance solution agencies. The company is also a co-founder and sponsor of the "3in4 Need More" campaign, run by the 3in4 Association, which encourages Americans to form a long-term care plan.
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NEWS SOURCE ACSIA Partners LLC :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.