Rough Notes

Start Measuring: Accountability That Drives Producer Success

What do you do when your producers aren’t producing?  Metrics, activity tracking, and scorecards don’t just hold producers accountable—they give them a blueprint for success. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA What do you do when your producers aren’t produc...

Posted: Jun 30, 2025

REWRITING THE MOD PLAYBOOK

Stop chasing quotes and start controlling risk   Mod analysis tools allow you to instantly generate a visual analysis of an employer’s mod history—highlighting costly mistakes, trends, and opportunities they’ve never seen. By Randall Boss, CRM, CIC,...

Posted: Jun 30, 2025

WHY A CAREER IN INSURANCE?

Eight advantages to seeking a career in insurance As a result of the burgeoning need to rebuild their bench strength, independent insurance agencies offer above-average job growth. This makes it a prime time for new employees to embark on an insuranc...

Posted: Jun 30, 2025

QUALITY MATTERS

Buyers are more discerning, capital is more expensive, and growth expectations are higher Opportunities abound for smaller firms to acquire local agencies that no longer fit the investment thesis of larger brokers. By James Graham, CVA Market timing...

Posted: Jun 27, 2025

Top 5 Critical Areas For Experienced Agents To Pay Attention

To Right Now Amid the changes in our business, it’s more important than ever to focus on being a good client partner Office culture, in many respects, has been lost. With all the changes, providing clients with the service they demand feels like it h...

Posted: Jun 25, 2025

Top 5 Critical Areas For Agents To Pay Attention To Right Now

Amid the changes in our business, it’s more important than ever to focus on being a good client partner Office culture, in many respects, has been lost. With all the changes, providing clients with the service they demand feels like it has become mor...

Posted: Jun 25, 2025

 NOTHING SECONDARY ABOUT THESE PERILS

Don’t let the language of analysis create confusion over coverage The primary concern to policyholders is which perils— causes of loss—are insured or excluded under the policy. How they arise and relate to other perils and conditions is secondary, if...

Posted: Jun 19, 2025

Lender-placed hazard policy benefit was expressly provided

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Lender-placed hazard policy benefit was expressly provided Ellen Williams purchased a residential property in Houma, Louisiana, which was mortgaged by Flagstar Ba...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

Coverage denied for driver who transported marijuana

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published online Coverage denied for driver who transported marijuana Starting in about February 2022, Andrew Murphy was employed as a full-time delivery driver for GE United Technologies, LLC,...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

CLAIMS REPORTING CONSIDERATIONS

Contractual provisions that new agents should be aware of   New agents almost certainly aren’t aware of the language contained within carrier contracts, but this needs to be considered any time claims are concerned. By Marc McNulty, CIC, CRM New agen...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

CREATING AN INNOVATIVE AGENCY

 If Einstein were alive today, even he’d be stumped by the chaos One of the biggest killers of innovation? The phrase “that’s how we’ve always done it.” By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA If Einstein were alive today, even he’d be scratching his head at the...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

BUILDING A CULTURE OF GIVING:

VIRTUAL AND REMOTE PHILANTHROPY FOR INDEPENDENT AGENCIES Making philanthropy part of your agency’s DNA By offering a variety of virtual engagement options, agencies can make philanthropy accessible to all employees, regardless of their schedules or l...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

VOLUNTARY SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH

  Product enhancements drive continuing growth “[I]n the last five years it’s been a ‘space race’ of innovation in supplemental health.” —Conner Tung Mid-South Ancillary Team Lead USI By Thomas A. McCoy, CLU Rising deductibles and co-pays in high-ded...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

QUEST FOR PROFESSIONALISM

To the insurance professional with a true servant’s heart, it’s what makes the job worthwhile The biggest joy for insurance agency leaders who choose this path is in witnessing those “aha!” moments, when associates display their “inner insurance nerd...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

Inflation, Personal Auto And Risk Management Choices

Managing private passenger cost increases without boosting exposure to loss Advising insureds about how to reduce their exposures can help make coverage more affordable for them and help reduce carrier’s loss costs—a win-win during uncertain times. B...

Posted: Jun 02, 2025

Coverage Denied for Driver Who Transported Marijuana

Popular “gigs” create cover problems [W]ith a growing gig economy … the lines between business and personal activities have become blurred … .   By Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU The Court Decisions column is a popular part of Rough Notes magazine. One re...

Posted: May 30, 2025

INCREASE YOUR PERSONAL POWER

Five behaviors that limit your impact No matter how much you know and how good your ideas are, if your behavior communicates disempowerment, you’ll never be taken as seriously as you deserve.   By Kimberly Paterson, CEC Hear the word power, and what...

Posted: May 30, 2025

Stop Blaming Clients—You’re The Real Reason They Leave

Transactions vs. client relationships By Patrick McBride Agents love to complain about churn, but the truth is, most are driving their own clients away. If your agency is stuck in a sales-first mindset, do not be surprised when customers treat you li...

Posted: May 30, 2025

HELPING CLIENTS BRACE FOR THE IMPACT

How to prepare property and lower insurance costs against severe storms By Jeff Zehr Severe convective storms (SCS) have become a big risk factor for the insurance industry. These major weather events, also known as thunderstorms, can include lightni...

Posted: May 30, 2025

AGENCY AND CARRIER RELATIONSHIPS

Vertafore survey reveals how independent agents are evaluating their carriers By Mike Erlandson In today’s challenging insurance market, the relationship between independent agents and carriers is under a microscope. Premiums are rising, underwriting...

Posted: May 30, 2025

BRINGING FINANCIAL LITERACY TO ITS COMMUNITY

Members of the Breezy Seguros team This trilingual Massachusetts agency provides insurance services to the Latino community By Dennis H. Pillsbury The Latino community is one of the fastest growing demographics in the United States. While it currentl...

Posted: May 30, 2025

Recapturing Time

By focusing on the most time-consuming process­—policy review—Qumis delivers accurate, swift results that empower users with relevant data By Lori Widmer Dan Schuleman wants you to have your weekends back.  Schuleman, cofounder and CEO of Qumis, reme...

Posted: May 30, 2025

BROTHER, UNCLE, HUSBAND. VISIONARY, ADVOCATE, FRIEND. BOSS.

In fond memory, Walter Gdowski, 1946-2025 On May 12, 2025, everything changed for us here at Rough Notes. That’s the day we lost a friend, a mentor, a champion. Our boss. Although Walt may have left us physically, his spirit and passion for us and th...

Posted: May 30, 2025

Attracting, Engaging And Managing A Multigenerational Workforce

Using generational diversity to better understand and serve clients By Jennifer Palmieri Nearly every workforce today, including the insurance industry, is made up of  five generations of employees. From traditionalists (born 1922-1945) to baby boome...

Posted: May 30, 2025

Beyond The Fear: Leveraging INSURTECH For Success

The landscape, common myths and how to prepare for the future By Alexis Cierra Vaughn Let’s be honest: When we first heard the term “insurtech,” many of us in the independent agency arena got a little nervous. We pictured a tech-driven takeover all a...

Posted: May 30, 2025