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February_16 Meetings-Events

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AGENCY MANAGEMENT
Agency Valuation and Divorce

Insurance agencies sometimes become a part of marital assets considered within a divorce. The separation of “professional goodwill” from “enterprise goodwill” has significantly altered the permitted agency value in divorce situations in some areas. Agency valuation in divorce situations differs from those for estate planning, partner acquisition and loan substantiation.

SALES
Pitch Properly

What salesperson has not been disappointed to hear he has lost a deal as the result of selling to the wrong person? Despite asking, many salespeople, without knowing it, find themselves pitching to someone other than the decision maker.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Judy and the Jerk

Judy has noticed that her mood is profoundly contagious. If she allows herself the luxury of slipping into the office in a bad mood, the day goes downhill from there. After years of running a successful firm, she’s learned a few things about making sure the office runs well so the clients have a smooth ride. Her attitude, she’s discovered, is pivotal.

TECHNOLOGY
Electronic Delivery of Policies

It is inarguable that independent agencies own the customer account. But, do they own the declarations pages and other policy documents stored on the insurance company Web-based systems? What kind of access should agents have to account information (documents and data) on a carrier’s automation system? How about terminated agencies?

COVERAGES
Purely Accidental?

An insured was injured in a collision between her vehicle and one driven by another party who intentionally collided with her vehicle. The other party’s insurer denied the claim because it was not accidental. When the insured turned to her carrier for payment for her injuries under UM coverage, the insurer denied the claim on the same basis.

Video

Cover Story
A Full Plate

In recent health insurance renewal cycles, agents have had a full plate of challenges. Independent insurance agents may have felt like they are battling Goliath during the past two renewals, between reduced commissions and lower revenues.

Chairman's Voice
Filtering the Truth

Spring is a perfect time to reflect. Cleaning out your house helps to get rid of the old while also looking to the future. We do the same thing in our professional lives. As independent insurance agents, we wonder what our Big “I” membership will look like and what we will need from the association in order to be successful going forward.

Forms & Substance
Pools and Contents Coverage
Swimming Pools and the Homeowners Policy; Swimming Pools and the CGL Policy; When Residents Have No Contents Coverage (and Worse)

On Branding
Time to Reinvent Your Branding

Call it what you want, but few pop stars and fewer businesses have understood the intricacies of Madonna’s genius of reinvention and the inevitable end of the business cycle. Learn from the branding expert. While Madonna soars, everyone else seems to stumble, bumble and disappear down a deep, dark hole.

On the Hill
Supreme Court Deliberates on Health Care Law

As early as next month, the U.S. Supreme Court may announce its decision regarding several challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Timed just as the presidential election campaign season heats up, it may cause a bigger splash than when President Barack Obama first signed the controversial reform package into law.

Ace Insura
The Case of the Motorcycle Madness

Ace meets an insurance agent at a help group for people with trust issues. Ace is there to cope with his own matter (he still believes in a certain holiday gift-giver), but he helps the agent come to terms with a bad assumption that led him to insure a motorcycle school with mobile equipment coverage.

Insurance Views
The Power to Fail

Why is it that in a lot of agencies across America, the younger generation of producers, brokers, and CSRs are frustrated? Nationwide, agencies do a good job of attracting talent. It’s the challenge of retaining that talent that keeps most principals scratching their heads.

Online Extras
Divorce, Sales Pitches and Electronic Policies
Agency Valuation and Divorce; Pitch Properly; Judy and the Jerk; Electronic Delivery of Policies; Purely Accidental?

State News

Industry News

Association News

On the Hill
HHS Releases Final Regulation on Health Plan SBCs, Glossaries

Last Thursday, Obama Administration officials finalized new regulations requiring insurers to create both a Summary of Benefits and Coverages (SBC) for health plans and a standardized glossary of terms used in health insurance coverage.

Trusted Choice®
Big “I” Takes Home Two Association TRENDS Awards

The Big “I” Trusted Choice® team was presented with two Association TRENDS All Media Awards. “The Lockhart Story” video won a gold award in the category for CD, video, podcast or PSA, and the July 2011 Make-A-Wish Foundation® Facebook fundraiser was presented with a bronze award in the social media category.

Communications
Big “I” Members Featured in Recent Local TV Newscasts
In the last several weeks, Big “I” members from across the country have been in the media spotlight, featured in various local TV newscasts on a number of insurance topics making news lately.

Meetings & Events
Tell Congress about Issues Important to Agents, Brokers

Have you taken a look at the schedule for the 2012 Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention lately? This exciting and important program is sure to prove a valuable experience during this presidential election year.

Big “I” Markets
Stand-Alone Valuable Articles Market Available

As agents know, homeowner policies generally cover valuable and precious items such as jewelry, but they usually have limits. That's where the stand-alone valuable articles product can come in handy to help make sure clients’ recent Valentine's Day purchases are properly covered.

Best Practices
Boost Agency Revenue with CSRs

Agencies with best practices are bringing a sales culture to CSRs without frightening them away. CSRs are an amazing resource for the most effective ways to increase agency revenue and, when done properly, these sales are the easiest, fastest way to a significant impact on the bottom line.

Young Agents
Young Agents Can Get Scholarships to Lobby Congress

The Big "I" Legislative Conference & Convention is an opportunity to educate legislators on issues important to the independent agency system. Young agents are the future of the industry, and it’s important they are involved in the legislative process.

Big “I” Markets
Cover Collector Cars
For the really special cars your clients have, Chubb offers a collector car market. The Chubb market provides several key benefits.

On the Hill
Sen. John Thune to Address the Big “I”

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, will address the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention on Thursday, April 26. As a keynote speaker at the legislative conference breakfast, Sen. Thune’s address will help rally members shortly before they head out for the annual Big “I” day on Capitol Hill.

On the Hill
41 Senators Sign Letter Supporting Flood Insurance Reform

On Monday, Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and David Vitter (R-La.) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging them to schedule time for floor consideration of S. 1930, the “Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act.”

Forms & Substance
Defining Vacant Land

Determining if land is vacant is an issue that comes up quite often. The importance of whether or not property is vacant land is that the ISO homeowners forms include vacant land in the definition of insured location.

On the Hill
President Obama Releases Budget

President Barack Obama released his fiscal year 2013 budget this week, proposing $1.5 trillion in tax hikes. Most of these tax proposals will be familiar from years past and have little chance of being enacted anytime soon.

L-H Leads
Lawmakers Consider Raising Taxes on Retirement Plans

This week President Obama released an overview of the proposed 2013 federal budget. Most political pundits do not believe Congress will come to an agreement on a joint budget resolution this year because it is an election year and the proposal includes a number of budget cuts and raises taxes on higher-income Americans.

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Meetings & Events

Tell Congress about Issues Important to Agents, Brokers

Attend the Legislative Conference & Convention from April 25 to April 27.

An in-depth issues briefing, legislative breakfast with high-profile Congressional speakers, a general session and networking opportunities are just some of the offerings for attendees of this one-of-a-kind legislative event. This is Big “I” members’ chance to educate Congress en masse on issues of importance to them and their clients.

Plus, YAC Gives Back: A Benefit for InVEST Scholarships is open to all attendees and is sure to be a fun evening of games, music and a great silent auction in the company of industry peers.

The 2012 Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention will be held April 25 to 27 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. Register here before March 2 and save 10%. Check out the complete schedule here.

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