DIVORCE AND AGENCY VALUE: SEPARATING GOODWILL by Roy Phillips In my agency valuation work with agents and their spouses in divorce cases over the past 15 years, the issue of profe...

DO YOU PULL TEETH OR PREVENT CAVITIES? by Chris Burand In this document, Chris Burand tells a modern-day fable that offers a valuable lesson from the world of dentistry. What can you po...

EQUITABLE ESTOPPEL AND INSURANCE PREMIUM PAYMENTS by Christopher Kenney Like the rest of us, insurers can't have it both ways. This generalization is particularly true with regard to an insurer...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Linda Dobson, an estate-planning attorney from Los Angeles. She had this advice for financial services professionals who want to win referrals from estate-planning attorneys:

FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE ACT OF 1993 by Marvin Sahl, CLU Final rules for The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) were effective on February 6, 1995. The law and the rules are ...

FEAR OF CHANGE: A CONUNDRUM by Jack Burke 'Progress is a wonderful thing -- it's change I hate.' --Mark Twain Change is inevitable. In today's world, it has even be...

As your agency grows, you will probably recognize the need for the services of a public relations (PR) advisor to help you get media exposure.
To choose the appropriate PR advisor, you should have a good idea of what to expect in the way of services, what you need (or more accurately, want to accomplish), where to look for an advisor, and how to select one. Not an easy task, but it's a lot more manageable if you plan ahead.

FOUR QUICK HIT REFERRAL IDEAS by Bill Cates Every time I host a Referral Champions Boot Camp, I walk away with great ideas from the attendees - and the latest camp was no excep...

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS WITH REFERRAL PROSPECTS by Bill Cates During a referral seminar last week, a participant came up to me at the break with a question. He told me that our Referral...

It's one of the oldest jokes in the world: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? The answer: Practice!. The punch line is obvious; however, so...