As someone who is self-employed, you don't get all the options available to people who are employed by large corporations; that's where life insurance brokers step in. By working with a knowledgeable broker, you, too, can have access to affordable insurance. Life insurance most often acts as a benefit to your loved ones, payable on your death.

A life insurance broker or agent can help you find what you're looking for, but brokers may be able to give you a wider range of options (as compared with agents). Brokers are not obligated to any specific company so they are free to give you exactly what you need. Search for life insurance brokers by metro area and find the best deal available to you. Consider the following:

1. Find local life insurance brokerages in your area. If you prefer to deal face-to-face, this is your best option.

2. Consider getting quotes online from local life insurance brokers. This is convenient for those who don't have the time to drive to the local life insurance brokerages.

3. Use local life insurance brokers to buy annuities. This type of insurance serves as an investment account.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a local life insurance brokerage in your area

There are many folks who just don't like to do business online. Rest assured, you can almost always find a multitude of qualified brokers in any city. If you live in a small town, you may have to drive to the closest metro area to gain access to these brokers, but if you'd prefer to explore your options with someone face-to-face, finding a local agent is the way to go.

I recommend: Locate a Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance office in your area. Use InsurancePages convenient lookup feature to find a licensed life insurance broker in your area. LifeInsuranceBrokers.com also has a great search function you can use to locate a broker by metro area.

Get online quotes from local life insurance brokerages

One of the quickest ways to narrow down your options is to get quotes online. Simply fill out a bit of information about yourself and get instant quotes. Use these estimates to compare life insurance policies to find one that fits your needs as well as your budget.

I recommend: Memphis residents can obtain a quick quote from Hooten-Hughes Insurance Agency. SafeFirm, which serves the Los Angeles area, offers an online quote option as well.

Locate local life insurance brokers that sell annuities

Annuities are a unique type of life insurance. You pay into it for a set period of time and when you reach retirement age, you get a disbursement from your account every month or year. In addition, most annuities have a death benefit that is payable to your loved ones upon your death.

I recommend: If you live in the Melbourne, Florida area, Brevard Agencies offers traditional life insurance as well as annuities. Tarkenton Financial, based in Atlanta, Georgia, offers several types of annuities for clients to choose from.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before submitting information online to local life insurance brokers, check their privacy policies to ensure that your information is safe. Chances are, it is, but it's better to be safe than sorry.