What independent actually means
Most insurance agents are captive. They work for one insurance company and can only sell you that company’s products. When that carrier raises your rate, tightens what it is willing to write, or decides it no longer wants your zip code, a captive agent can only deliver the news.
Acena is independent. We are not owned by a carrier and we are not paid to favor one. We shop your policy amongst the nation’s top insurance companies through our proprietary access & relationships. We represent you, the client, and the only thing we are optimizing for is the coverage and the price that actually fit your situation.
That difference is close to invisible on the first day, when any agent can quote you something. It shows up at renewal, after a claim, and in the year your life changes.
Three ways to buy insurance
| Criterion | Independent (Acena) | Captive agent | Online comparison site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shops multiple carriers | Yes.Access to 40+ of the nation's top carriers | No.One, always | Yes.Fixed panel |
| Works on behalf of client | Yes.We work in the client's best interest, no carrier owns us | No.Respective insurance company is the employer | No.Typically paid per lead |
| Access to a real, local human being who knows you | Yes.Same one every time | Yes.One agent, one carrier | No.Whoever answers, typically non-domestic |
| Can move client to different carrier | Yes.Whenever it fits better | No.Nothing else to offer | No.You apply again yourself |
| Works with other advisors (e.g., real estate agent, wealth manager) | Yes.We work in lockstep with the other financial professionals in your life with a focus on the bigger picture | Yes.To the extent possible | No. |
Who you are working with
Mitchell Brockmann, founder & owner of Acena Insurance, has a decade of professional financial experience spanning across investment banking, consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and small business ownership.
Mitchell founded Acena to help families & business owners protect what matters most, affordably. When you work with Acena, you work with Mitchell, directly. Not a rotating queue or whoever picks up. A local, trusted individual with a decade of intensive financial risk experience.