Rough Notes
For two airlines, each with a different thrust, quality reigns supreme [T]rain and educate your people as if someone’s life depended on it. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPLU, CIC Most road warriors, suc...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Navigating gaps between faulty workmanship and contractors professional liability By Natalie Sherod, CPCU, CRM, CIC Faulty workmanship and contractors professional liability (CPrL) exposures continue to challenge construction firms and insurance adv...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
The Heritage Insurance Agency team This Chico, California, agency loves and protects the people who grow and raise our food “[W]e truly understand the market that we serve; we speak their language. But to maintain this advantage, we have to continual...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Despite comprising a majority of the workforce in the insurance sector, finding women who have advanced to the C-suite is difficult By Lori Widmer On its surface, the news is exciting: According to figures shared by the Insurance Information Institut...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Gaining the clarity and wisdom needed to run an independent insurance agency By Carey Wallace The average adult is estimated to make 35,000 decisions in each day. It is tough to think about how many decisions we each make in a year. As our world is c...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
A young woman embraces her authenticity and overcomes barriers to carve out her place in the industry’s nonprofit sector By Elisabeth Boone, CPCU “I was in a math class in college and the student sitting next to me asked if I’d heard of actuarial sci...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Significant developments in the market have led to emerging risks By Jude Sedliak During the last few years, significant developments in the real estate market have led to emerging risks and an increasingly challenging professional liability insuranc...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Two industry thought leaders develop AI product specifically trained on insurance knowledge By Christopher W. Cook As someone who had never worked in the insurance industry prior to being hired onto the editorial team for Rough Notes magazine, on my...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
Strategies for creating an “environment” for employees who rarely connect in person By Lindsey Jordan As remote and hybrid work models continue to reshape the modern workplace, team dynamics are evolving in profound ways. These flexible arrangements...
Posted: Jul 01, 2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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