Shopping for insurance is both time-consuming and confusing. Insurance brokers such as San Diego-based Auerbach & Gussin, use experience to reduce time and cost, as well as to find the right fit for the company or individual seeking insurance. The firm works with clients on individual and family plans, company health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, as well as business insurance.

“My clients rely on me for my knowledge and expertise to tell them what's going on and what they need to do,” Craig Gussin, president of Auerbach & Gussin Insurance and Financial Services, told the Suit Magazine in an interview.

Auerbach & Gussin advises clients on a range of insurance plans, such as health, disability and life insurance. The firm also deals in business insurance, to help companies when a proprietor becomes disabled or dies. In addition, Auerbach & Gussin works with individuals ready to retire, or families seeking elder care advice.

Those retiring at age 65 or older are able to use Medicare and purchase a supplemental plan to cover the gaps. “Those retiring before the age of 65 have to take a very hard look at the cost of health insurance,” advises Gussin. “You're going to have to pay for all of it,” he said. “In today's world, you may pay a premium of $500 a month, as opposed to the $100 a month you paid when you were working and the employer paid the difference. You need to be aware of that.”

Recent legislation, such as the Affordable Care Act, has signaled a change for brokers. “The negative aspect of it was that, when it came to our business, they reduced what agents were paid by almost 50 percent,” Gussin explained. Some agencies would simply pass the expense on to the client in the form of higher fees. Instead, Auerbach & Gussin deployed technology to increase efficiency and continue operations at the same rates as before. That efficiency is passed on to the client, and the firm aims to pick up more clients as the open enrollment for ACA plans takes place in November. Better technology and electronic communications with clients helps the firm reach a broader audience.

Gussin said, “We did that to increase our broker business and also to help more people.”

For more information visit: www.auerbachandgussin.com