Buying insurance of any type can be a very stressful experience. With all the different companies advertising lower rates and better coverage it can be extremely difficult to find the best policy for you. While buying any kind of insurance can be a difficult decision, when you want to buy health, life or pet insurance the process can be even trickier because you are dealing with the life and health of your family and pets.

1. DECIDE WHAT TYPE OF INSURANCE YOU NEED

Nobody wants to think about insurance. It's boring, it's expensive and finding the right policy for your particular situation is time-consuming. It's also one of the most important decisions you'll have to make. Isn't being an adult fun?

Health insurance

Do I need health insurance? The short answer is yes. It's no secret that medical bills are outrageous. A single trip to the doctor's office can cost you upwards of a thousand dollars. If that isn't enough, the average cost of medical care for a broken leg is near 20 grand. So, unless your last name is Rockefeller, health insurance is probably a good investment.

Coverage options:

Employer: The best way to get health insurance is to find a job that offers it as one of the employee benefits. Employers are able to get cheaper insurance, through group plans and then offer those discounted rates to their employees. Sometimes, and employee will have to pay a percentage of their monthly premium, but in rare cases, and employer will cover the entire premium for an employee. Chances are, you will have to fork over some money for any dependents, however.

Self-Employed and Individual Coverage: Those that are self-employed are sometimes the hardest hit by rising healthcare costs, because they have to pay for individual coverage. Most major health insurance companies will not give you group status until you have at least two full-time employees. And the more employees you have, the cheaper your rates. For the self-employed, there are sites on the Internet promising coverage, based on "National group" plans. They say they will combine all individuals across the nation into one group. However, these sites often have very high premiums, offer little coverage, and you end up paying more in the long run. Your best bet is to meet with a reputable insurance agent in your area to explore your options.

Government: For low-income individuals Medicaid and Medicare are popular federal programs, but there are options in some states for free coverage. For example, Illinois offers free health insurance to all children, if their parents are below poverty-level. Adults must cover their own insurance, however. To see if your state offers free health insurance coverage, visit these sites:

1. Insure Kids Now

2. State Health Agency list

3. AARP Senior Coverage

For information on Medicare and Medicaid, visit:

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Medicaid Program - General Information

Some major health insurance companies include:

Aetna

Humana

BlueCross/BlueShield

Compare quotes from all major carriers

Life insurance

Deciding if you need life insurance is a completely different story. There are many questions you will need to ask before you decide if life insurance is a good investment and how much life insurance you need.

Do you have any dependants?

If you live alone or do not have anyone that relies on you for support you probably don't need life insurance. However, if you have a spouse or minor children, you will want to make sure they are taken care of.

How long until your dependants become self-sufficient?

If your spouse is capable of working or your children are nearing adulthood you will not need as much life insurance as you would if your spouse is disabled or your children were very young.

How much debt will you be leaving behind?

You will want enough life insurance to cover any outstanding debts so your loved ones will be taken care of. If you have a mortgage on your home or large amounts of credit card debt you will want enough life insurance to cover the expenses.

How long will your estate be tied up in probate?

Probate is the court process of determining how your estate will be managed and distributed according to a will or state law if a will is not available. Your estate will be tied up in probate if you do not name a beneficiary in your will. The best way to avoid probate is to name a beneficiary. However, if your estate will be tied up in probate, you will want enough life insurance to cover your dependants' expenses until the estate is settled.

Once you've answered these questions you will be better suited to make a decision on whether you need life insurance and how much coverage is right for your situation.

Life insurance is broken up into two main categories.

Term Life Insurance - Life insurance policy that covers the insured for a specified period of time. The length of time varies, though most policies use five year increments for coverage periods.

Term Life America searches major insurance companies around the country to get you the best rate.

Budget Life is another website that will search top insurance companies for great term life rates.

Whole Life Insurance – Life insurance policy that is kept for the entire life of the insured and pays death benefits upon the insured’s death.

Most Choice is a great website that will find whole life insurance rates that will work for you.

Insure.com offers rates on whole life and many other insurance needs.

Pet Insurance:

The cost of taking Fido to the vet has skyrocketed in recent years. Deciding to buy pet insurance is a tough decision to make. Pet insurance can cost thousands of dollars over the life of your pet, depending on the type of pet you have. The chances you will spend that much money in vet bills is low, but if you are willing to do whatever it takes to save your pet, pet insurance may be a better option than having to take out a loan to cover an expensive procedure.

VPI Pet Insurance offers pet insurance policies online that are accepted by most vets across the country.

Pets Best Insurance is another nationally recognized pet insurance company that offers complete health care coverage for your pet.