A soft insurance market is often used as an excuse for ignoring certain issues. Why bother figuring out whether to retain risk or transfer it to...

CATASTROPHE CHECKLISTS: BE PREPARED! by Grace Bauer Believe it or not, most agencies don't consider catastrophes an area of concern until disaster strikes close to ...

CATASTROPHE PLANNING: IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN by Grace Bauer Some of us are nervous about spring, knowing that it brings tornados and floods. Some of us are in hurricane areas, where summer a...

CHANGING AGENCY-COMPANY RELATIONS by Bobby Reagan On January 26-27, 1998, Reagan & Associates and the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA) sponsore...

COMBINING INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES: REALITY CHECK by Carol Hammes After the Barnett decision in Florida and the subsequent passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financ...

COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES by Bill Wilson Youve seen the commercials: 'Call now and save 15% or more on your car insurance!' Unfortunately, when someo...

COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE PROGRAM Dear (Customer Name): Does your business have Property insurance? How about Liability, Automobile, Crime, and Workers Compensation insurance? If you said 'yes' to a...

Change — it’s inevitable. A recent article stated that “change is not progress; change is the price we pay for progress.” As consumers, we all want more, better, less costly stuff than we have today. As providers of products and services, we feel that we’re already doing more with less and shouldn’t be expected to sacrifice again. Maxine, the cartoon character, summed it up best when she said, “change is good, as long as I can do what I’ve always done.”

COPING WITH DISAPPEARING COMMISSION DOLLARS by Carol Hammes The services of independent agencies have become increasingly valuable as the number and complexity of risk transfer options i...

What you want will only get done if you make it an A+ priority. Jack Fries tells you how a business plan can reward you with survival, planned growth, and profit.