A BOY NAMED SUE: A GUIDE TO PRODUCER TRAINING by Chris Burand A successful producer training program creates a powerful competitive advantage. Many readers are probably familia...

lsquo;DEDICATED AGENCY MANAGEMENT by Chris Burand Once your agency reaches a certain size, dedicated agency management is essential for continued success. Agencies ar...

A PERPETUATION PLANNING PRIMER by Tom Doran No one expects the current frantic pace of merger and acquisition activity to last forever. When it does cool off, more agency own...

A TAX BONANZA: S CORPORATIONS AND ESOPs by Robert Nein The 1997 Tax Relief Act has made possible the best of all worlds for insurance agencies. One could not hope for a better opportunity. There ha...

ACCOUNTING AUDITS AND REVIEWS: WORTH THE EXPENSE by Chris Burand Agencies can avoid a lot of grief by obtaining annual accountants reviews or audits. An audit can catch inno...

ADDING VALUE TO A FAMILY BUSINESS by Pegi Flahault A long time ago, agencies thrived by simply writing enough policies, attending enough meetings, making enough contacts, and re...

Here's a letter I received recently:
Dear Dave:
I am the manager of a four-person Life/Benefits department of a P/C agency. The agency is set up with profit centers such as Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Surety, and Life/Benefits. Each profit center shares in the common overhead of the agency office supplies, salaries, etc.
I have no problem having my department pay for what it uses.

AGENCY FINANCIAL PLANNING: TODAY AND TOMORROW by Carol Hammes There can be little doubt that changes are in the wind in the Commercial Property/Casualty marketplace. Some industry observers have...

AGENCY GROWTH AND THE PERPETUATION DILEMMA by Carol Hammes Despite the incredible deepening of the commercial soft market, many independent agencies have continued to grow and have been qu...

AGENCY MANAGEMENT 202 by Carol Hammes Often, its not money that motivates people as much as it is the environment. Few people will leave a job for additional compensation unless other...