Financial/Accounting

FINAL CHECK: PROTECT AGAINST ERRORS AND OMISSIONS by Grace Bauer Is only one employee accountable for each procedure in...

FINANCIAL RATINGS DON'T TELL ALL by Chris Burand In the past year, it hasn't been unusual to see reports of companies that have had their debt ratings lowered, although their ...

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL by Douglas Moat Like most businesspersons, insurance agency owners and managers want to know how well they are doing and how much their business is wo...

Financial Statements/Assets: lsquo;You Can't Get There from Here!' by Mike Manes We've all enjoyed this scene: A local hayseed bec...

FINANCIAL-STATEMENT ANALYSIS by John Jaques This article provides an overview for evaluating the financial strengths and weaknesses of an independent insurance agency. The material provid...

FINDING MARKETS: THE SPECIALTY PROGRAM CONSULTANT by Andrew Barile While a reinsurance intermediary operates between the ceding insurance company and the reinsurance company market, the...

Paying attention to business is one of the major benefits of a recession. Ford figured it out. So did Starbucks by bringing back the founding CEO, closing nearly 1,000 marginal stores and most significantly introducing their own instant coffee. This could be a brilliant move. While proudly passing up their $4 cup of coffee, we take the instant stuff home and keep a little Starbucks in our lives.

To embrace — and benefit from — change, follow these guidelines.
Unrelenting and increasingly rapid change demands that the insurance industry rapidly uncover new ways to evaluate and respond to its marketplace.
I’ve worked with many highly successful insurance companies and agencies, helping them achieve higher levels of profitability through more sales, customer and employee loyalty, and retention. However, in many of these organizations, management remained blind to the dire need to change, despite its apparent desire to achieve higher profits. Managers can’t see the compelling need to change from the ways that allowed the organization to be successful in the first place.

FOUR WAYS TO CUT COSTS AND INCREASE PROFITS by Bill Schoeffler and Catherine Oak Theres more of an emphasis on watching expenses today in order to return a reasonable profit. Many owne...

FROM ESTATE TAX TRAP TO TAX VICTORY by Irving Blackman You hear it all the time: 'Tax law is too complicated.' Well, it is. My job is usually to explain complex tax law in understandable langu...