InsWorld.com, Inc.

How to Adjust Your Tax Withholding
Kiplinger
Taxpayers rejoice! The new tax law that shaves two percentage points off the payroll tax will add as much as $2,136 to a worker’s take-home pay in 2011.

Inheritance: Avoid the Three-and- Out Dilemma
American Association of Individual Investors
There are many complexities involved in how money is transferred between generations. In many cases, inheritance encompasses the tiny details that can make the difference between keeping your money in the family and losing it to spending blunders, investment errors, and costly tax consequences.

Variable Universal Life: Astute Management Required
American Association of Individual Investors
Variable universal life is a complex and difficult to manage life insurance asset. This column describes the issues, but purchasing such a policy requires astute guidance.

Strategies to Reduce Taxes on Social Security
Kiplinger
You worked hard all your life, paying into the Social Security system. Now you're ready for payback time.

Three Ways Couples Can Get the Most from Social Security
Senior Market Advisor
We’ve always argued that seniors should put off claiming Social Security benefits as long as possible in order to claim the largest payout. U.S. News and World Report argues that married couples, or couples who have been together at least 10 years, can combine their working records as long as they both live.

Are Distressed Homes Worth the Hassle?
Kiplinger
Lured by the prospect of a spectacular deal, many buyers start their search with short sales and foreclosures, only to discover that those properties come with more baggage than they bargained for.

Fundamental Lessons in Personal Finance
Kiplinger
April is Financial Literacy Month. So ask yourself how financially literate you -- or your children -- are. If you know little about the subject, we can teach you. If you consider yourself to be wise in the ways of personal finance, you always can benefit from a refresher course or two.

Public Reverse Mortgages and Long-Term Care: Can They Work Together?
Kaiser Health News
Here’s the problem: By the time we need long-term care services we often don’t have readily available resources to pay for them. Only about seven million Americans have private long-term care insurance.

New Credit Card Regulations Mean Added Protection for Consumers; Maintaining Good Credit Remains Fundamental, Advises I.I.I.
Insurance Information Institute
The new Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act, which took effect this week, keeps credit card issuers from imposing unfair interest rate hikes and hidden fees, but a good credit history is something that cannot be legislated, it must be built over time, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Money Matters: Teaching Kids to Be “Trust” Worthy
American Association of Individual Investors
Is your child or grandchild going to be the recipient of a large inheritance? The problem of raising financially responsible children is compounded when children receive trust funds.

How Much Cash You Really Need
Kiplinger
No matter what stage of life you’re in-just starting out, living off your retirement assets or somewhere in between” building a cash reserve for emergencies will help you breathe a little easier.

Why You Need Multiple Savings Accounts
Kiplinger
How many times have you whipped out your credit card, raided your emergency fund or tapped your 401(k) to pay for an insurance premium, car-registration bill, vacation tab or holiday gifts?

Tax-Friendly Places to Retire
Kiplinger
Maybe you’re thinking about relocating in retirement, in hopes of enjoying milder weather and lower expenses. Before you make a move, it pays to assess the overall tax burden of your future home.

50 Thrifty Ideas
AARP
We asked how you pinch pennies these days, and you responded with a thousand suggestions. Our pick of the lot could save you thousands of dollars.

Guarantee A Comfortable Retirement
CNN Money

Question: I expect to have about $50,000 in pension and Social Security benefits when I retire. Do I need to buy an annuity or should I just keep investing in stock and growth and income funds? --Michael, Columbus, Georgia

Answer: I hate to start an answer with what is probably the most overused phrase in financial journalism, but...it depends.

7 Ways Your Money Will Never Be the Same
Kiplinger
There's a whiff of economic recovery in the air, and investors have been feeling frisky as of late. Just another bout of irrational exuberance, you ask, to be followed by another bust?

Should You Defer Compensation?
Business Week
It used to be that if you were lucky enough to be offered the option of a deferred compensation plan, which lets you stash pretax income in an employer-sponsored investment account where it can grow tax-free, you took it.

Why Investors Are Turning to Single-Tenant, Triple-Net Properties
National Real Estate Investor Magazine
As the nation’s commercial real estate markets continue to recover from the recent recession, primary markets like Washington, D.C. and New York City have attracted the lion’s share of real estate capital due to their high barriers to entry, lack of new construction and transparent valuation levels.

Play Time or Pay Day?
CFO.com
Now that most companies have implemented the initial effective provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it may soon be time to start thinking about a key element of the health-care reform law that's not slated to take effect until 2014.

How to Deduct Charitable Contributions
All Business
Americans are among the most generous people on earth, giving away a total of about $300 billion a year to charitable causes, or an average of around 3 percent of their total income per person.

The Turbulent Tax Debate: How Your Construction Company Will Be Affected
Construction Business Owner.Com
Disagreement grows among the major political parties in Washington, D.C., regarding the best way to stimulate the economy and reduce the nation's unemployment rate, currently hovering around 10 percent.

When Is Rental Real Estate an Active Business?
CFO.com
With lease accounting due to go through major changes over the next year, it is a good time to review other real estate rental issues, particularly those having to do with tax-free divestitures.

Drilling for Answers
CFO.com
It has been nearly a month since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 people and opening a well that continues to release thousands of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Auditing Your Auditor
CFO.com
When telecommunications provider IDT decided to switch auditors from Ernst & Young to Grant Thornton in early 2008, the "driving force was to save money," says CFO Bill Pereira. It worked. Part of a companywide effort to reduce corporate overhead, the move cut IDT's $4.3 million audit bill almost in half.

Important Commercial Lease Terms to Familiarize Yourself With
All Business
Before you negotiate a commercial lease for your business, you need to understand the potential terms and clauses used in the lease agreement before and during discussions with a landlord.

What The CARD Act Means for Businesses
All Business
At the end of last year, the interest rate on Susan Moriarity's Visa business card from Chase was about 13%. A bit high, she thought, but her law firm in Santa Barbara, Calif., was busy. Then, in January, when business slowed, Moriarity began to carry a balance -- and her interest rate climbed to 27.9%.

"Cross-Border" Spin-offs Can Be Tax-Free
CFO.com
In a private letter ruling issued by the Internal Revenue Service earlier this year, the agency provided guidance on when a spin-off of a foreign subsidiary by an American company can be considered a tax-free transaction.

What It Takes to Lead Now
Bloomberg
A majority of managers just don't understand what it means to be a leader. That's a conclusion that I draw from a recent global survey by McKinsey and Company about what it takes to manage corporate performance. Only 48% of managers surveyed believed that they need to inspire and only 46% believed it was their responsibility to provide direction during this crisis.

Business Models Matter (for Accounting, That Is)
CFO.com
Changes to the controversial rules surrounding the accounting treatment of financial instruments — rules that were skewered during several rancorous debates among politicians, bankers, and accounting experts during the past year — are one step closer to being finalized.

Cost Cutters: Taming Your Business's Cellphone Bills
All Business
About 13.3 million wireless subscribers switched their phone number to another wireless carrier in 2007, up 30% over the year before, according to the Federal Communications Commission’s most recent annual report on the state of the industry.

Imperfect Futures
CFO.com
Is forecasting an art, a science, or an exercise in futility? As the recession drags on, companies rethink their attitudes, and their approaches.

Ready for Anything
CFO.com
John O'Connor doesn't mind surprises — as long as he knows about them before everybody else. Whether it's a power outage in Wichita or an earthquake in Chengdu, "if I hear about it for the first time on the news, something has gone wrong," says O'Connor, director of supply-chain risk management at Cisco Systems, the computer-networking giant.

ERM - Warning Signs
CFO.com
Why risk management is letting down companies and what to do about it.

Rethinking Risk
CFO.com
Companies have never been more motivated to revisit risk management, but improvement will come slowly.

Five Business Credit Risks You Can Target with Best Practices
All Business
In today’s business environment, managing risk and improving cash flow are more challenging then ever: With bankruptcy rates rising, the risk of incurring substantial losses is increasing. While economic pressures and business practices are causing companies to pay slower, there is a greater focus on increasing cash flow. Credit departments are being asked to do more with less without assuming additional risk.

Know Six Levels of Medical Case Management
Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc.
Rebecca Shafer Risk managers have come to realize that proper medical case management can have a major impact on the cost of workers compensation claims.

Qualities Your Nonprofit Needs in a Crisis
Non-Profit Risk Management Center
Throughout the year nonprofit sector leaders approach the Center for advice on coping in a crisis.

The Aftershocks of Vulnerable Supply Chains
Insurance Journal
The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March has led to supply chain disruptions around the world, sending a wakeup call to companies that do not have viable business continuity plans in place for themselves and their suppliers.

Cyberspace: The Next EPLI Exposure
Property Casualty 360
Cyberspace is the next employers practices liability exposure, as the threats to agents’ personal and customer information are real, and almost too numerous to imagine, a consultant says.

Compliance Vigilance A ‘Must’ With New EPLI-Related Laws
National Underwriter Company
Challenges that keep business people awake at night focus on compliance with ever-changing legal requirements.

Security Guards And Alarm Installers
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
When a building burns, the efficacy of the fire alarm or fire suppression system often is called into question. When there is a theft or altercation, did the security force perform as expected? Both of these classes present a severity as well as a frequency exposure, and losses can be significant.

Green Buildings
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
Follow the green! Green building is becoming increasingly mainstream as businesses consider options to sustain their operations in the long term.

Telecommuting Risks Confronting the Insured
FC&S
David Thamann J.D., CPCU, ARM Most people know the joys of commuting to work every day: high gasoline prices, traffic jams, pollution from auto exhaust, and parking hassles, to name a few. However, there are also some very fortunate people who are free of these joys: telecommuters.

Manufacturer or Vendor: Who Covers Whom?
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
The vendor’s endorsement was originally intended to be a way for the manufacturer to induce retailers, wholesalers and other vendors to sell its products. In exchange, these vendors would be protected by the manufacturer’s liability insurance if they were to be drawn into a claim or suit for having handled, distributed or sold an allegedly defective product.

Hiding Risks Can Hurt Public Support For Nanotechnology
Claims Journal
A new national survey on public attitudes toward medical applications and physical enhancements that rely on nanotechnology shows that support for the technology increases when the public is informed of the technology's risks as well as its benefits – at least among those people who have heard of nanotechnology.

How Can I Disaster-Proof My Business?
Insurance Information Institute
Businesses that recover quickly are those that plan in advance. This involves not only purchasing the right insurance, but also developing and maintaining an adequate recovery plan.

Large Professional Firms, Big EPL Risks
National Underwriter Company
Professional firms, such as law firms and accounting firms, require special attention when placing their executive perils coverages, including employment practices liability and directors and officers liability insurance.

Small Firms Can Face Big EPL Exposures
National Underwriter Company
Workplace discrimination claims are at an all-time high, and small-business owners feel vulnerable. With a difficult economy and new employment laws making charges and lawsuits more likely, employment practices liability insurance is evolving from a high-priced option to an affordable necessity for smaller companies.

U.S. Seeks Permanent Ban on Texting by Bus, Truck Drivers
Insurance Journal
U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has proposed a federal rule that would to specifically prohibit texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers. The proposed rule would make permanent an interim ban announced in January 2010 that applied existing safety rules to the specific issue of texting.

Damaged Document Recovery
National Underwriter Company
Every month, countless U.S. offices and other commercial establishments experience some form of damage to critical documents as the result of fire, flood, or mold caused by excessive moisture. The process of recovering and restoring these damaged documents is as important to adjusters, insurers, and their clients as it is arcane.

Risk Shifting Through Contracts
Medmarc Insurance Group
Roshelle Davis, Esq Much has been written about the importance of cooperation and collaboration across supply chain participants. The competitive nature of the market requires all supply chain members to work together to quickly get products out to the marketplace. These tight-knit business relationships can be strained when supply chain participants are named as defendants in a products liability lawsuit.

Tiny Objects, Big Concerns
National Underwriter Company
Good things come in small packages,” is a comment we often hear around Christmas time. For those in the burgeoning field of nanotechnology, though, the maxim has year-round relevance.

8 Steps to Help Get Your Hurricane Claim Paid Quickly
Kiplinger
In general, wind-driven rain and water that comes into your home through the roof, windows, doors or holes in the walls is covered by homeowners insurance. But water from the bottom up -- such as the overflow of a body of water or damages caused by a storm surge -- is not covered.

Protect Your Pets—Remember to Include Them In Your Evacuation and Disaster Planning
Insurance Information Institute
All too often when a disaster strikes pets are left to fend for themselves and end up lost, injured or killed. The best way to avoid this tragic scenario is to have a well thought out disaster plan that includes your pet, so that you know where to go and what to take, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Prepare For Disasters Before They Happen; Know The Claims Filing Process
Insurance Information Institute
Tornadoes, fires, hurricanes—these and other disasters can wreak havoc on people’s lives, properties and possessions. Learning the claims filing process before an insured loss strikes can make your economic recovery faster and easier, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Many Still Lack Flood Coverage As Hurricane Season Nears Its Peak
Insurance Information Institute
Less than a fifth of U.S. homeowners have a flood insurance policy that protects their property and personal belongings, even though more than four out of every five natural disasters nationwide involve flooding, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Gauging Earthquake Risk
National Real Estate Investor Magazine
The earthquakes that struck Haiti and Chile in recent months — toppling offices, apartments, hospitals and homes, and killing more than 230,000 people — have heightened interest in seismic risk among property owners and investors in the United States.

Sewer Backup Is a Drain, Man: Are You Covered?
Insurance Information Institute
Recent heavy rains have overburdened sewer systems, causing raw sewage to back up into drains in homes throughout the country.

PCI Calls For Preparedness For Hurricane Season
Propert Casualty Insurers of America
As we enter the 2010 hurricane season, insurers are helping residents in hurricane-prone states make preparations for the threat of devastating storms. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) recommends that homeowners, businesses and public policymakers take the necessary steps to ensure that everyone is prepared for the potentially devastating effects of a major storm.

Are You Shopping for a New Home? Take into Account the Insurance Implications of Buying a Specific House
Insurance Information Institute
With home prices continuing to be competitive and interest rates low, many people are dipping their toes into the real estate market.

Backyard Trampolines May Lead To Cancelled Homeowner Insurance
Best Insurance Site
A trapeze artist named Du Trampoline created the first trampoline in the 19th century by using the safety net as propulsion and landing device according to circus lore.

If You Have a Pet, Advanced Evacuation Planning Is Key When Preparing for a Hurricane or Other Disaster
Insurance Information Institute
All too often when disaster strikes pets are left to fend for themselves and end up lost, injured or are even killed. Making your pets a part of your family disaster preparedness plan is an essential step toward ensuring their safety, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Supplemental Auto Liability Insurance
National Underwriter Company
An insured under a personal auto policy walks into a rental car agency to rent a car. Along with the car, the agency offers him supplemental liability insurance (SLI) for an additional $10 for each day of the rental period.

One Occurrence or More?
National Underwriter Company
Whether a claim involves an auto policy or a general liability policy, a question can arise about the number of occurrences. Depending on the facts and the policy language, the number of occurrences can have a significant effect on the insurer’s exposure.

Personal Liability Exposures and the Homeowner Policy
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
PERSONAL LIABILITY EXPOSURES can originate out of an insured’s ownership and/or use of insured locations, from their personal conduct, and from legal stature and/or contracts. The liability may be directly imposed on an insured or it may be vicarious in nature.

Don’t Let an Underground Storage Tank Destroy Your Savings Account
International Risk Management Institute
Does your home have an underground oil storage tank? Perhaps it holds your heating oil. Maybe you don’t even use it any more.

A Vacant Home Still Needs Insurance - Don’t Be Caught Without Coverage
Insurance Information Institute
A tough economic climate and slumping real estate market has resulted in more and more homes left vacant by their owners—and that could have serious insurance implications, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

Is Host Liable for Guest’s Overdose?
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
On April 6, 2001, 18-year-old Stephen McMaster died of an overdose of the prescription pain relief drug propoxyphene. At the time of his death, McMaster and his mother were overnight guests in the home of John Scaduto.

Concerned About Uninsured Drivers? There Are Ways to Protect Yourself
Insurance Information Institute
One driver out of every seven in the U.S. is believed to have no auto insurance and that has broad repercussions for the 86 percent of drivers who do, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.)

Improvements, Alterations, and Additions
FC&S
Just as lessees of commercial property have a use interest in any building additions, alterations, or improvements made at their expense, a tenant of residential property has a similar interest.

Six FAQs About End of COBRA Subsidy
Benefits Pro
Federal subsidies covering 65 percent of the cost of COBRA premiums will expire after Wednesday.

Offer More Rewards, More Frequently, Employees Tell Employers
Employee Benefit News
Employees who work at companies that offer incentive programs have two recommendations for improving the programs: Increase the frequency of rewards and offer more reward options, says a new survey.

HHS Unveils Health Exchange Rules
Benefits Pro
The Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday guidelines that are designed to help states establish health insurance exchanges — state-based competitive marketplaces where individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase affordable private health insurance.

US Gives States Flexibility On Insurance Exchanges
Employee Benefit News
The Obama administration offered states more flexibility in setting up new health insurance exchanges, an apparent effort to bring local authorities on board with a key part of a health care overhaul.

Health Reform 2010, Automatic Enrollment For Employees Of Large Employers
CCH
Employers with more than 200 full-time employees who offer enrollment in one or more health benefits plans are required to automatically enroll new employees in one of the plans offered.

Understanding COBRA And Mini-COBRA Premium Assistance
Families USA
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the economic stimulus legislation) provides assistance with premiums to help involuntarily unemployed workers purchase their former employer's COBRA or other continuation coverage. Originally, the act provided nine months of premium assistance for people laid off between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009.

IRS: Young Adult Coverage Extension Benefits Are Tax-Free
National Underwriter Company
Allison Bell Employees need not pay extra taxes if they keep children under 27 years of age insured using employer-sponsored health benefits programs.

An Employer’s Guide to Health Care Reform
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Less than a week later, Congress passed the Health Care and Education Tax Credit Reconciliation Act of 2010 (this Management Alert will refer to PPACA, along with the changes made by the Reconciliation Bill, collectively as “Reform”).

Sea Change: Companies Now Play a Much More Active Role in Guiding Employees' 401(k) Investment Decisions.
CFO.com
One year ago, 401(k) plans were in crisis: account balances had plunged by double digits, employers were suspending matching contributions, and the volatility of the Dow made it uncertain as to whether the bottom had been reached.

Health Industry To Cover Children With Existing Conditions
National Underwriter Company
Arthur D. Postal The health insurance industry has notified federal officials it will comply with a health care reform law provision requiring them to cover children with pre-existing medical conditions within six months.

Offering Life Insurance to Your Employees
All Business
For many people, life insurance is an afterthought. Those that do apply for it are often faced with mountains of paperwork and the prospects of failing the physical exam and paying exorbitant premiums. That's why employer-sponsored life insurance can be an especially attractive benefit for prospective employees.

Employers, Workers, and the Future of Employment-Based Health Benefits
Employee Benefit Research Institute
The forum brought together a wide range of economic, benefits, management, and labor experts to share their expertise at a time when major health reform legislation was being debated in Congress.

The "Benefits" of Captive Ownership
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
One of the major reasons for an organization(s) forming a captive is the flexibility that it can bring to a corporation’s risk-financing program. Certainly a properly formed captive can reduce expenses for its parent.

Legislation in Congress Would Have Mixed Impact On Health Benefits For Retirees, Study Finds
Employee Benefit Research Institute
Health insurance reform legislation pending in Congress would have a mixed impact on retiree health benefits, according to a study published today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals
Kaiser Family Foundation
Achieving comprehensive health reform has emerged as a leading priority of the President and Congress. President Obama has outlined eight principles for health reform, seeking to address not only the 45 million people who lack health insurance, but also rising health care costs and lack of quality.

Senate Votes 60-39 To Pass Reid Health Bill
National Underwriter Company
Members of the Senate voted 60-39 at 7:16 a.m. today to pass H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act bill.

Withdrawing Money From an Inherited IRA
Kiplinger
My brother passed away, and I am the beneficiary of his traditional IRA. What are my options for withdrawing the money, and how will the money be taxed?

What Are The Types of Disability Insurance?
Insurance Information Institute
There are two types of disability policies: Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD):

Top 5 Factors for Allocating Retirement Portfolios
Advisor One
Five factors are largely responsible for building retirement plans that are able to address the myriad risks investors face, a report released Monday by the Insured Retirement Institute found.

Why People Buy Immediate Annuities
ProducersWeb
For retirees who are not receiving traditional pension benefits, immediate annuities provide peace of mind by providing steady checks.

Time to Reassess Your Retirement Situation
Senior Market Advisor
Many retired people or those nearing retirement are nervous about what the financial markets have done to their retirement nest egg.

Long Term Care: Plan Ahead To Know Your Options
Mayo Clinic
Thank for the recent discussion around the topic of long term care. I completely agree that it's hard to know when or where to start looking.

Many Still Fail To Plan For Retirement
National Underwriter Company
Many Americans say they are concerned about their retirement but have done little about planning for the future, a new study by the Society of Actuaries finds.

How to Decipher Your 401(k) Plan Statement
American Association of Individual Investors
The fun part about a 401(k) plan is watching it grow over time. But that can easily turn into a frustrating exercise if you don't understand your retirement plan statement.

LTC Expert Critiques CLASS Act
National Underwriter Company
The passage of the CLASS Act as part of the health care reform package recently enacted by Congress may make more Americans aware long term care is an overlooked gap in their retirement planning, an expert says.

Five Reasons to Roll a 401(k) to an IRA
Senior Market Advisor
Why would a 401(k) participant want to move his money out of a 401(k) and roll it into an IRA? Here are reasons why:

The Economy Is Impacting LTC Buyers, Choices
National Underwriter Company
Long term care insurance buyers were slightly older in 2009 than in previous years, according to a new study by The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

The 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey: Confidence Stabilizing, But Preparations Continue to Erode
Employee Benefit Research Institute
The 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey—the 20th annual wave of this survey—finds that the record-low confidence levels measured during the past two years of economic decline appear to have bottomed out.

401(k) Plan Pluses and Minuses: How Does It Add Up?
American Association of Individual Investors
Retirement is a long way down the road for many employees-an event that is barely visible on the distant financial horizon. For these individuals, retirement plans may not seem particularly important.

Nearly Half of All Workers Would Opt for Guaranteed Income for Life
Insured Retirement Institute
The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) today released the findings of its 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS). Marking the 20th fielding of the survey, the most recent findings spotlight a continued decline in overall retirement preparedness, with nearly 3 in 20 workers saying they have less than $1,000 in savings.

Desperately Seeking Retirement Income
Boomer Market Advisor
A wave of 78 million baby boomers may lead to the biggest change in financial services since those same Americans helped transform the industry in the 1960s.

Planning For Long-Term Care
newsobserver.Com
Most people think of nursing homes when they hear the phrase long-term care. However, 10 million people receive LTC provided mostly by family members, while just 1.5 million live in nursing homes. The explicit costs of LTC are large, but so are the implicit costs to families (time, stress, missed work).

Deferred May Not Be Preferred
CFO.com
For executives who have been deferring parts of their compensation, 2010 may be the time to rake in their winnings. While it's rarely advantageous to pay taxes sooner rather than later, the likely expiration of former President Bush's tax cuts at the end of next year could make doing so a relative bargain.

Longevity Risk Invites Annuity Solutions
National Underwriter Company
“Nothing is certain but death and taxes,” Benjamin Franklin once said. That was in the 18th century. The 21st century adaptation might be, “nothing is certain but longevity and taxes.”

The Deferred Income Annuity is a Hybrid Worth Considering
National Underwriter Company
Warren S. Hersch Might a product that offers a guaranteed future income stream, one that can be bought at a fraction of the cost of a single premium immediate annuity, appeal to some clients? If so, then the deferred income annuity might be an option.

Where LTCI Should Start
Boomer Market Advisor
Having had the good fortune to escape many of the hardships prior generations faced, there is little evidence of stoicism in the baby boom generation. As a more demanding group, boomers will have a greater need for service and comfort, even at the end of their lives.

A Hard Look At Retirement Income Funds
Boomer Market Advisor
The mutual fund industry is waking up to the boomer tsunami. New products offering targeted income and principal protection have emerged in the last few years, attempting to capitalize on the growing need for retirement income flows.

The Science (And Art) Of Distribution Planning
Boomer Market Advisor
Retirees’ first steps into the income-distribution phase of their lives come with a great deal of stress – and fear. The standard rules of thumb don’t apply to the distribution side of the investment curve, and many advisors have been caught rolling down alongside their clients when the bottom falls out.

Workers Stay Committed To 401(k)
Boomer Market Advisor
Working Americans are still committed to the 401(k) system, says Investment Company Institute President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens.

More Boomers Opt For LTCI
Boomer Market Advisor
More than half of individual long-term care insurance buyers were between the ages of 55 and 64 in 2008. The findings are the latest from The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. The organization analyzed data on 215,000 buyers of individual long-term care insurance protection and found 84 percent of individual buyers last year were younger than age 65.

Six Crucial Keys To Retirement Security
Boomer Market Advisor
As a result of the economic climate, boomers in or near retirement need to do a better job of playing all the keys that contribute to retirement security

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What are Some of the Key Considerations in Managing Technology Risk?
Key Considerations in Managing Technology Risk

Determining Flood Exposure Risk
FEMA records show that 25% of all flood losses occur to homeowners with a low flood risk. Learn about how to check on your flood exposure, coverage availability and cost. FEMA offers coverage for all American homeowners.

Warm Up to Cold Calling
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
When on the phone, it’s called “dialing for dollars”; on the street, “knocking on doors”, and you’re the one dialing and knocking.

Customer Service Focus: Simple Things Matter the Most
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
All agencies put into place customer service procedures, policies and guidelines—many of these are concerned with meeting deadlines.

Recession Hangover: Waking Up to Potential Agency E&O Exposures
American Agent and Broker
While the recession might be officially over, one thing’s for sure: its effects aren’t going to disappear overnight. With ample capacity and the insurance market soft, many agencies and producers are still deeply feeling the pinch and will for years to come. Indeed, doing more with less has become the new normal.

Time: Your Most Finite Resource
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Sales executives in radio and television constantly monitor their “inventory”. The term does not apply to their various programs and specials; it refers to the available time for advertising. Once those time slots (approximately 20 minutes per hour) are gone, there is nothing left to sell.

Agents E&O Loss Prevention: Boating/Personal Watercraft Risks
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
With spring on the horizon, your agency is likely to start getting requests for watercraft coverage—after all, with very few exceptions, most of us live within a short distance of an ocean, lake or river.

Feedback: The Breakfast of Champions Good Advice 30 Years Ago; Good Advice Today
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Back in the 1950’s, my first real job was working after school and on weekends in the neighborhood “five and dime” store.

The Importance of the Agent-Client Relationship in a Down Economy
The Institutes
Mary Ann Cook, MBA, CPCU, AU, AAI Agents who partner with their clients to realize savings during the economic downturn will keep those clients as partners when the economy rebounds. Agents have struggled over the years to de-commoditize the insurance product, to sell their customers on service and quality over price.

The CSR's Role in Virtual Business Marketing
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
Although a customer service representative (CSR) is responsible for a variety of tasks in an insurance office, the two primary roles are helping customers and processing transactions.

Changing Resort & Luxury Hotel Risks Present Coverage Challenges For Agents
National Underwriter Company
Agents and brokers who are trying to win, or simply renew, clientele in the luxury hotel and resort segment are finding it more challenging than ever—but not because of rates, which remain relatively competitive and affordable for now.

Marketing: The Critical Factor in the Zen of Planning
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
In the 1800’s Vilfredo Pareto developed a theory that is now known as the “80/20” rule. Pareto, a businessman and mathematician, noted that 80% of the income in Italy went to 20% of the population.

Have a Plan to Achieve Growth
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Let’s explore a question of utmost importance: What are six important activities we can engage in to help a new prospecting system take place in our agency?

Location Analyst: A GIS Like No Other
ISO
Insurers are looking for ways to spatially explore and analyze vast amounts of policy and claims data so they can make intelligent risk-management decisions — such as where they have too much exposure on their book and where opportunities exist to write more business. That’s where GIS comes in.

Let’s Reward the Best in Sales
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Sales contests and recognition awards are the stuff of legend. Everyone has heard about companies that offer incentives for producers to sell more -- awards to producers that sell the most, sell the most of a touted product, and sell the most to an industry, etc.

Maximize Contingency Bonuses With Underwriting Profitability Management
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Many agencies focus their efforts on new production and overall growth in order to achieve their objectives. Although this is absolutely critical, it is just as important to manage the profitability of your book of business.

Selling Insurance Is a “Contact” Sport
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Years ago, as a fledgling sales manager with a direct writer, my objective was to hire and train one new producer every 90 days. On the morning of day one, my first new hire and I were sitting together in the conference room reviewing the paperwork new employees were required to complete.

Key in on your Key Accounts
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
It often concerns me when I’m talking with a producer and I ask them if they have a list of their “key” accounts, and more often than not they don’t have a clue what I’m talking about.

Recruiting Customer Service Professionals
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
Recruiting quality customer service representatives (CSRs) or account managers is always a challenge. However, it can be a little easier if you have a plan and are always on the lookout for quality personnel.

Relationships: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research

I have long been a vocal and adamant proponent of the relationship factor as the cornerstone of all business. As they say in Dynamics of Selling, the relationship card trumps the price, service and coverage cards. Relationships in business mirror personal relationships, which means that relationships can become dysfunctional and difficult to maintain – just like what can happen within a family.

Put the Super in Supervisor!
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Have you ever wondered why certain employees get away with behavior that is non-productive in the workplace? These employees may continually arrive to work late and spread office gossip about co-workers and maybe even their boss.

Control Your Time - Don't Let It Control You!
The Rough Notes Company, Inc.
Suzy is a CSR whose work habits may be leading her to a breakdown. It is a shame because she is a young, energetic person who has the capability to build a successful career in the insurance industry. So why is she on the brink of pulling her hair out?

Boat Insurance: A Hull of a Lot to Know
The National Alliance for Insurance, Education & Research
Boats. Big toys, right? Do you place boat insurance for your clients? How do you approach it? A quick quote for coverage? After all, boats are luxury items and the policies are one size fits all, right?