We discuss emergency student loans, and why they are a great way of providing relief to those struggling or coming to terms with the cost of going through further education.

STUFF EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW by Mitch Axelrod A recent article from a scholastic business journal, entitled something like the Three Things Your Employees: Need to Know, imp...

SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY NETS POSITIVE RESULTS FOR EMPLOYEE-OWNED SERVICE COMPANY WORKING PARTNERS SCIENTECH Inc., in Idaho Falls, Idaho, is an employee-owned company that performs engineering and...

SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY SAVES CASH WORKING PARTNERS 'A couple of years ago,' Jerry Moland says, 'I had my head buried in the sand. I saw it in the news, read it in the paper, but figured it wa...

SUCCESSFUL ANNUAL PLANNING by Catherine Oak Follow this basic planning annual process annually ...

No matter how much management, budgeting, staff training, or sales activity an agency or brokerage under...

SUCCESSFUL COMPENSATION PLANS by Catherine Oak How much can you afford to pay non-owner producers? The typical response: It depends on the job perform...

In a recent edition of The National Underwriter, Editor Sam Friedman recommended that risk managers begin to explore the capabilities of sophisticated regional and local brokerages. This recommendation was based on recent broker megamergers and the growing lack of choice available to buyers.

For an independent agency or brokerage to take advantage of this opportunity, it should adopt the consultative brokerage style. In particular, its managers must learn the techniques that these sophisticated buyers have come to expect. The stewardship report and the executive summary are two techniques that firms must master to be successful in large accounts.

SUCCESSFUL STRUCTURAL OPTIONS: MERGER, CLUSTER, OR ACQUISITION? by Catherine Oak and Bill Schoeffler The pros and cons of merging versus clustering. ...

SUCCESSFUL TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES: PART 1 by Bruce Shaffer Do you find it hard to use the telephone to help build your business? A lot of people do. This two-part series...