What Does "Independent Brokerage" Actually Mean?

The short answer

An independent insurance brokerage is not tied to one company.

So instead of starting with “here’s what this carrier sells,” we start with you.

That matters most when things get weird. A claim. A non-renewal. A rate jump. A life change.

Independent vs “captive” (plain English)

There are two common ways people buy insurance:

1) Direct / captive

Think Geico.com, or an office that can only write one brand.

That person can be great. But they only have one menu.

If the answer isn’t on that menu, the best they can do is… apologize nicely.

2) Independent brokerage

We can shop multiple carriers.

Sometimes that means a better fit.

Sometimes it means a better price.

Most importantly, it means we have options when the market changes.

What this looks like in real life

Here are a few very normal situations where “independent” actually matters:

Your carrier changes their appetite. Maybe your home is suddenly “too close” to a wildfire zone. Maybe your roof is “too old.” Maybe they just decided they don’t want that type of risk anymore.

You bought something new. A home renovation. A new car. A rental property. A small business.

You want to clean up your liability limits. This is where umbrella insurance usually shows up.

If you’re working with one carrier, you’re basically trying to solve every problem with one tool.

With an independent brokerage, you can actually match the tool to the job.

Why it matters even more in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is not “easy mode” for insurance.

High property values.

Earthquake exposure.

Wildfire maps that seem to change every time you refresh.

And a market where carriers are constantly tightening up underwriting.

In that environment, having options is not a luxury. It’s the whole game.

A quick Nadler Insurance note

Nadler Insurance has been independent since 1927.

I’m 4th generation, and I grew up hearing client stories at the dinner table (yes, I realize that’s a very specific childhood).

The consistent theme has always been the same: be the person on the client’s side of the table, and be calm when everything else gets loud.

If you’re curious where you stand

If you want, send over your current declarations pages and I’ll tell you:

what you have

what’s solid

what’s worth revisiting

No pressure. No sales pitch.

Just clarity.