5 best ways to cut insurance costs

Think you're paying too much for insurance? Then do something about it! You might easily forget that insurance costs aren't necessarily fixed, and getting the most policy for your money is worth checking out. All you'll need is extra time and the tenacity to pepper your agent with knowing questions. But the payoff can be big -- deciding to cut insurance costs can result in as much as 20 percent in savings.

These days, the odds favor consumers. Most insurers are in heated competition with each other. That means you're likely to get insurance breaks for most types of insurance, such as home and car.

That said, here are our best tips for cutting costs on five types of insurance: car, home, disability, health and life.