401(K) PLAN Dear (Customer Name): 'The golden years' - that's how we'd all like to describe retirement, but very few actually can say retirement is golden. Americans are living longer and retiri...

BOTTOM-UP PLANNING by Ted Silver When an agency understands what individual agency employees want to accomplish from a production standpoint in terms of new and renewal business as ...

DINOSAUR OF THE YEAR-A REMEMBRANCE by Mike Manes It was more than a banquet; it was an event-a celebration of a life of power and control. It was the annual ...

One of the toughest financial decisions agency owners face is how much to pay themselves. It's especially tricky for agencies with multiple principals, because it's rare that all owners make identical contributions to the organization. Deciding what's equitable compensation for each individual may cause unnecessary conflict.

QRPs FOR ALL AGES Qualified Retirement Plans (QRPs) are eligible for tax benefits sanctioned by the Internal Revenue Service. Employers may choose from several qualified plans, with vary...

In the early 1990s a state insurance commissioner, in a Wall Street Journal front-page article, called insurance agents the 'buggy-whip makers' of the late 20th century. Several years later, you seem to be doing just fine, and in many cases, even better than investors in other areas. Kevin Stipe offers an overview of the insurance agency as an investment vehicle in this document.

WHY GOOD EMPLOYEES LEAVE: COMMONSENSE WAYS TO BUILD EMPLOYEE LOYALTY by Emily Huling A good worker can be hard to find and once you find them, even harder to retain. Emily Hul...