Confused about who to trust when buying insurance in Hong Kong? You’re not alone. You’ll need to choose between agents and brokers: in this article, we focus on employed agents, who represent a single insurer (e.g., AIA or Prudential) and sell only its policies. Brokers, on the other hand, work for you; they shop around among various insurers to find the best coverage—at least in theory (e.g., AGBA, Hanson or CCW Global).

In reality, both employed agents and brokers are often driven by financial incentives, pushing high-commission products that may not suit your needs. To help you decide, here’s a quick comparison of employed agents and brokers, followed by what you need to know to make a smart decision.