Rough Notes
The behavior that will make or break your organization People often think that circumventing conflict keeps relationships strong and supports organizational progress and effectiveness. The opposite is true. Conflict avoidance negatively impacts organ...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Never is it more important to be completely open and transparent There’s a reason people are cynical. They hate to be lied to. And lack of full disclosure is the same as lying. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, AR...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Avoiding detrimental effects on future value and long-term potential In the rush to build brokerages and capture record valuations, shortcuts may drive short-term growth but ultimately erode equity value and long-term viability. By James Graham, CVA...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Do less better, and get more that matters done [A]sk: What do I want more of next year? What do I want less of? This is how we connect goals to values, rather than vanity metrics. By Carolyn Smith, APR, CRA, TRA As an insurance agent or risk consulta...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
For The Gibson Agency and its parent company, Thompson Insurance Group, their local Ohio food bank started as a philanthropic partnership and turned into an insurance client. The food bank’s network of 160 community partners opened inroads to new rel...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
The Trailstone Insurance Group team, including (below) Remi, one of Mark Rodgers’ two Australian Shepherds who frequent the office. Intentional approach to growth transforms mom-and-pop agency into regional powerhouse in a dozen years By Dennis H. Pi...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
A step-by-step guide By Daniela Ivey As we head into 2026, agencies are ramping up their technology spending, and AI investment is at the top of the list for many. Nearly one in three employees at independent agencies already use AI in their work, an...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Founder Richard Ollis with his three sons, who all joined the agency. From left: Fletcher, Alfred, Richard and Lawrence Ollis Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors continues to grow By Lori Widmer Thanks to smart business decisions and...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
How Agents Can Place Tough-To-Write Accounts Moving complex accounts from “unplaceable” to placed using the right strategy By Kayte Haney When a standard carrier declines an account, it doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation. In a market wher...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
A look at the technology preventing severe non-weather water losses By Christopher W. Cook A few years ago, when this writer’s son was three, he was obsessed with a specific episode of Blippi. In it, the titular character finds various objects at a p...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Finding value in pursuing emerging niche markets and tech-forward strategies By Anurag Shah The past several years have brought opportunities for independent agents amid a hard market, evolving carrier appetites and shifting client expectations. Duri...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Guiding clients past the risk pitfalls By Mark Wooditch Los Angeles is still recovering from January’s massive wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and displaced some 200,000 people, according to an update by the International M...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
Still looking good from above, but trouble spots on the ground By Joseph S. Harrington, CPCU If buyers are paying less and providers are earning more, that’s what you call a “win-win” situation. For those on both sides of the workers compensation equ...
Posted: Dec 01, 2025
More reasons why the coverage you expect might not be there In this dispute, the insurer won but the insured did not lose. That sorry fate fell to the claimant, who unwittingly surrendered its right to compensation by excusing the defendant from sh...
Posted: Nov 19, 2025
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Please, you pay first In a tragic accident, Michael Swanson struck and killed a motorcyclist. Swanson was sued for causing a wrongful death. He was insured under...
Posted: Nov 03, 2025
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Attorney fees were subject to offset Two Maryland police officers were injured in the line of duty and were compensated under two different sources, a Workers Com...
Posted: Nov 03, 2025
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Sorry, you have no class! Lynn Freeman was involved in an automobile collision. She was insured under a policy issued by Progressive Direct Insurance Company (Pro...
Posted: Nov 03, 2025
INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Executive’s arson moots innocent co-insured argument The Press Bar and Parlor was owned by Horseshoe Club, LLC, and operated by Timeless Bar, Inc., (Timeless) whe...
Posted: Nov 03, 2025
Is AI a blessing or burden? [T]he most ardent, relationship-driven agencies are recognizing the need to embrace new tools that will improve efficiency, productivity and profitability and ensure that they stay relevant. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AA...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
Considerations when planning your next business meeting While video remains a relevant and useful tool still today, it’s worth thinking about the necessity of it before you schedule your next meeting this way. By Meg McKeen, CIC The reasons we ga...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
Showing gratitude for artificial intelligence Just as Rosey handled the Jetsons’ chores … , AI can support us and our agencies by freeing us from drudgery so we can focus on impact. By Carolyn Smith, APR, CRA, TRA Back in 1962, families gathered ar...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
“Crash for cash” schemes increase in frequency Practitioners of the business of insurance revile few people with more vigor than the fraudsters who stage automobile collisions in pursuit of ill-gained profit. By Kevin P. Hennosy On a regular basis, t...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
A benefit with intriguing potential “The employees we worry about most are the ‘ sandwich’ caregivers—taking care of both kids at home and their parents. They are burning the candle at both ends.” —Lindsay Jurist-Rosner CEO Wellthy By Thomas A. McCoy...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
Potentially avoiding messy claims situations when policies overlap [W]hen … coverage is already provided via another policy, issues can most certainly arise. By Marc McNulty, CIC, CRM Young producers often get excited when they close a deal and put m...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025
Thoughts on trust, mutual respect, support in hard times, and emotional connections As both a force and an emotion, loyalty can be a powerful influence in bringing people together or deeply dividing them. By Dr. William T. Hold, CIC, CPCU, CLU Loyalt...
Posted: Oct 31, 2025