Five companies rate insurers for financial strength: A.M. Best, Moody’s Investor Service, Standard & Poor’s, Duff & Phelps and Weiss Research. These ratings indicate how likely a company is to pay off its claims, which is important, especially with life insurance companies. But it doesn’t tell you whether the company provides good rates or customer service.

Some state insurance regulators provide sample rate comparisons for companies operating in their states. Some also provide complaint histories. For a list of state insurance regulators, go to http://naic.org/state_web_map.htm