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...

You could be better off by acquiring a sales superstar than buying another agency.

Every year the numbers seem to get more outrageous. Pay levels for “impact player” athletes such as LeBron James and Tiger Woods continue to climb into the stratosphere. And it isn’t just athletes. You name the endeavor, whether it’s in the business, entertainment, or even the academic world, and there’s a near-universal phenomenon occurring: Impact player inflation. Despite the fact that it drives a lot of people crazy to hear that some people are making so much money, there’s a simple reason for the inflation: The impact players are worth it.

If you're a principal in a privately held insurance agency, establish a value creation quota for each shareholder. Here's how: A month before your next planning retreat, provide each shareholders with a statement showing the value of his or her share of the agency's stock. If you don't have an appraisal, simply use your best estimate.

BEST MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS PRACTICES by Tom Doran Two in three transactions erode shareholder value rather than increase it. Given these odds, how can you succeed with an agency acqui...

BEST PRACTICES OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT by Angela Bemiss In today's insurance environment, a successful insurance agent or broker must have good sales management, good operatio...

BEWARE THE OUTDATED SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT by Angela Bemiss and Kevin Stipe Published statistics suggest that the damage and personal injury caused by home fires is signifi...

BEYOND BEST PRACTICES: ARE YOU EXCEPTIONAL? by Tom Doran What are the five most crucial success factors to which you would attribute your success? This is the fundamental Best Pract...

BOOST AGENCY VALUE BY WINNING THE WAR FOR TALENT by Bobby Reagan The future of your agency depends on attracting and retaining qualified and capable producers. There are plenty of &...

CHANGING ENVIRONMENT MAKES HIGH VALUED AGENCIES EASIER TO RECOGNIZE by Robert Smith Stories are starting to circulate around agency/brokerage meetings, 'Did you hear what the ABC or XYZ Age...

DO YOU WANT TO SUCCEED? by Robert Reagan Start planning now for your agencys future success. The concept of long-range strategic planning has become all but obsolete. Twenty-five...