Trusted Resources
Good insurance decisions begin with reliable information. These independent research, regulatory, and consumer resources can help you verify information, understand your options, and ask better questions.
Why We Include Outside Resources
Reliable Information Matters
The Dan Prescott Agency Learning Center is designed to explain life insurance concepts in clear, practical language. We also believe consumers should have direct access to independent research, state regulators, and trusted consumer resources. The organizations below can help you verify information and explore topics beyond our own educational materials.
We do not include a resource simply because it relates to insurance. Each link is selected because it provides useful research, consumer education, regulatory information, or independent tools that support informed decision-making.
Life Insurance Education & Research
LIMRA — Life Insurance Research
LIMRA conducts extensive research on life insurance ownership, consumer attitudes, coverage gaps, underwriting, workplace benefits, and industry trends. Its Insurance Barometer Study, produced with Life Happens, is an important source for understanding how consumers view life insurance.
VISIT LIMRA RESEARCH → https://www.limra.com/en/research/
Life Happens — Consumer Education & Research
Life Happens is a nonprofit organization focused on helping consumers understand life, disability, and related insurance. Its educational materials and research can be useful when you want a consumer-focused explanation or current findings from the Insurance Barometer Study.
VISIT LIFE HAPPENS → https://lifehappens.org/
Editorial note: The 2026 LIMRA/Life Happens Insurance Barometer continues to identify complexity and limited understanding as important barriers. This makes these two sources especially well aligned with the education-first purpose of the Learning Center.
Consumer Protection & Insurance Regulation
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
The NAIC supports state insurance regulators and provides consumer tools for learning about insurance companies, locating state insurance departments, reviewing complaint and licensing information, and finding unclaimed life insurance policies.
NAIC Consumer Resources: https://content.naic.org/consumer
NAIC State Insurance Department Directory: https://content.naic.org/state-insurance-departments
NAIC Consumer Insurance Search: https://content.naic.org/cis_consumer_information.htm
Your State Insurance Regulator
Insurance is regulated primarily at the state level. Your state insurance department is an independent resource for consumer information, license verification, insurance rights, company information, and help with questions or complaints.
Washington — Office of the Insurance Commissioner
Consumer education, agent and company information, license lookup, insurance questions, complaints, and regulatory information.
VISIT STATE RESOURCE → https://www.insurance.wa.gov/
Oregon — Division of Financial Regulation
Consumer information, insurance licensing and verification, complaint assistance, and guidance on life insurance and other financial products.
VISIT STATE RESOURCE → https://dfr.oregon.gov/
Idaho — Department of Insurance
Consumer education and assistance, producer and company information, licensing resources, complaints, and insurance guidance.
VISIT STATE RESOURCE → https://doi.idaho.gov/
Dan Prescott Agency provides insurance services in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Visitors outside these states can find their insurance regulator through the NAIC State Insurance Department Directory.
Checking an Insurance Company
An insurance company's name or advertising should not be the only information used when evaluating a carrier. Consumers can independently research whether a company is licensed, review complaint information, and examine available financial information.
Recommended tool: NAIC Consumer Insurance Search
Use this resource to research insurance-company licensing, complaint information, and financial information. For state-specific confirmation, the appropriate state insurance department is also an important resource.
Understanding Insurance Company Financial Strength
Insurance companies are evaluated by independent rating organizations, including AM Best, S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s, and Fitch Ratings. Because each uses a different rating scale, comparing the letter ratings can be confusing.
COMDEX Ranking
COMDEX simplifies those ratings into one number from 1 to 100. It is a composite ranking—not a separate financial-strength rating. The higher the number, the higher the insurer ranks relative to other rated insurance companies.
Example: A COMDEX ranking of 90 means the company ranks higher than approximately 90% of the insurers in the comparison group. It does not mean the company received a 90% grade.
Button: VIEW COMDEX / FINANCIAL STRENGTH INFORMATION →
What We Are Intentionally Not Including
A directory of insurance carriers represented by the agency.
Carrier marketing pages presented as independent educational resources.
A long list of government websites that do not directly support current Learning Center topics.
Product recommendations or rankings on the Trusted Resources page.
Dozens of links that make the page difficult to scan.
Reliable Sources. Better Questions. More Informed Decisions.
Reliable sources provide the facts. Understanding how those facts apply to your income, family, responsibilities, and existing coverage is the next step. Continue exploring the Learning Center for plain-English explanations of Human Life Value, underwriting, employer coverage, policy options, riders, and other life insurance topics.
Disclaimer: External resources are provided for educational and informational purposes. Dan Prescott Agency does not control third-party websites and is not responsible for their content, availability, or privacy practices. Links to outside organizations do not imply endorsement of every opinion, product, or service they may provide.