Two weeks ago, my lovely wife gave birth to our first child; a little boy weighing in at just over seven pounds and twenty inches in length. He is perfect (at least from a biased father’s perspective), and he came into the world screaming and healthy. What a miracle it was to behold. I became immediately aware of […]
Life in America has utterly changed in 2020. By now most of you are tired of hearing about the Coronavirus, for the topic of this ongoing pandemic has permeated and completely saturated all levels of media, including subjects on best agency practices along all lines of insurance. But the reality is that the impact of […]
To a layperson, insurance is an unappealing product. It has no moving parts, no chrome strips. You can’t eat it, ride on it or sit on it. You don’t even hang it on the wall to show your friends. To most, insurance is simply a costly piece of paper that gets tossed into a dark […]
As independent insurance brokers, advisors and general agents, many of you have practices focused on individual benefits and estate planning services. You probably rarely venture into the group and employee benefits sectors, but it wouldn’t hinder your business at all to consider looking there once in a while. With most insurance markets in a state […]
Since the days of Life Insurance Awareness Month are waning, we would like to take the opportunity to share some niche products found in the specialty markets that may provide you with opportunities to find solutions to your cases that have been languishing or seem dead on arrival. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
Ms. S. is a 47-year-old attorney and partner of a California-based law firm. After years of hard work and successful practice, she was enjoying a very comfortable lifestyle with her wife in their lovely San Francisco Bay-area home. She was earning an annual income of $375,000, and was the primary breadwinner of the household. Her […]
Life insurance is obviously an important commodity to most Americans, but no more so than to pilots. Insurance, in general, is naturally critical to persons who fly airplanes and helicopters for either work or recreation. Although advances in aircraft technology, flight practices and pilot training have made traveling by air often safer than riding in […]
Life and disability insurance sales are commonly hampered by the same problems, over and over again. “My client takes meds for depression and anxiety. My client suffered a heart attack and had stents implanted. My client has been arrested for DUI. My client has a history of cancer. My client is too short for their […]
The end of 2019 began a swing in the insurance industry toward a hard market. Markets historically swing between soft (lower rates, more liberal underwriting) and hard (higher rates, more conservative underwriting) about every five years. However, we have had about a 15-year soft market cycle which has seemingly ended with a huge shift rather […]
Last week I was able to enjoy a socially-distanced dinner on the patio at the home of W. Harold Petersen, one of the pioneers and early champions of modern American income protection insurance, not to mention the retired founder of Petersen International Underwriters. I have always heeded his sage business advice and commentary. At the […]