Insurance 1016 min read

What Does an Independent Insurance Agent Actually Do?

By Tamara Pharr|January 15, 2025

Key Takeaways

Independent agents work for you, not one insurance company
We shop 20+ carriers to compare your options side by side
You get one point of contact for all your policies, claims, and questions
There's no extra cost — agents are paid by the carrier, not by you

The Short Version

An independent insurance agent is someone who works for you instead of working for an insurance company. We don’t represent one carrier — we represent you. That means we can shop your coverage across multiple companies and bring you back options that actually fit, instead of just handing you whatever one company happens to offer.

Independent vs. Captive: What’s the Difference?

A captive agent works for one insurance company. They can only sell that company’s products. If that company doesn’t have a good rate for you, or doesn’t cover something you need, the captive agent’s hands are tied. An independent agent — that’s us — has relationships with many different carriers. At Mc-Wright Insurance Group, we work with over 20 insurance companies. That gives us the ability to compare coverage, pricing, and terms across the board and recommend what genuinely makes the most sense for your situation.

What We Actually Do Day to Day

People sometimes think insurance agents just sell policies and disappear. That’s not how we operate. On any given day, we’re helping a client file a claim after a storm, reviewing a renewal to make sure nothing changed that shouldn’t have, explaining what a letter from their carrier actually means, shopping a new policy for someone who just bought their first home, or adjusting coverage because a client added a teenage driver. We’re the people you call when you don’t know who to call. And we stick around for the long haul — renewals, life changes, all of it.

Does It Cost More to Use an Independent Agent?

No. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about insurance agents. You don’t pay us directly — we’re compensated by the insurance carrier when we place a policy. The premium you pay is the same whether you buy through an agent or directly from the carrier. In many cases, working with an independent agent actually saves you money because we can compare rates across multiple companies and find discounts you might not know about.

Why It Matters in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee

Insurance markets in our part of the country can be unpredictable. Storm seasons drive up rates, carriers pull out of certain areas, and flood zone designations change. Having someone in your corner who understands these local dynamics — and who has multiple options to work with — makes a real difference. We’ve been doing this in Belmont, Mississippi since 1921. We know the territory, we know the carriers, and we know what questions to ask.