Experience counts, but it isn't everything. If an agent has bounced around from one firm to the next, there may be a problem; at the very least, it should make you question whether the agent will be there to service your long-term needs.

Remember my story about my wife and George, the insurance agent she wanted on our side in case of emergency? Well, for her to get her wish and have George in place during an emergency, George needs to still be in the business and working with us. If he were changing firms all the time, chances are that we'd be stuck in the event of a disaster, with Susan frustrated about having to deal with a stranger (and if she wanted to deal with a stranger, we'd have saved the $72 in annual premiums and done the deal on our own, without the agent).

Like many financial services disputes, problem agents can sometimes get off without a scratch on their records by settling cases and resolving complaints before problems reach the state regulator. The firm that employs the agent may not be so lenient; that's why having too many past employers in a short stretch of time needs to be checked out.