August 05, 2010 Chris Amrhein writes about what the consumer wants and how the industry should provide for the customer, such as ATT&T after caving and giving its customers a free upgrade when the new iPhone hit stores.... July 06, 2010 But whenever losses of such magnitude present themselves, be they from hurricane, tornado, flood or hail, at least those of us in the risk management world should be asking, "What about insurance?" ... July 06, 2010 Chris Amrhein writes about how Tchaikovsky used the five steps of basic risk management in composing the 1812 Overture.... May 06, 2010 Welcome to the merry month of May! Gardens are in full bloom, mothers anticipate their annual day and kids dream of the magical possibilities of summer vacation.... April 05, 2010 April rings in the glorious season of spring—out with the old and frozen, in with warmth and the newness of rebirth.... March 09, 2010 Welcome to March, when we once again join the CPCU Society and many other fine insurance organizations in celebrating National Ethics Month!
... February 05, 2010 February is the month of love and we all know strong relationships are built on a foundation of love. ... January 07, 2010 Yes, I know the lifespan of the typical new year’s resolution barely exceeds that of the Mediterranean fruit fly, but hope springs eternal.... December 08, 2009 “Greetings, oh groggy one!” bellowed the large lifeform slowly appearing from the mists as Ebenezer’s vision gradually came into focus. ... November 05, 2009 Welcome to the month of November, a time of Thanksgiving gatherings and minefields. Minefields?... October 08, 2009 It’s October and you know what that means—Halloween! Out will come the scaries and ghoulies, the warlocks and witches, and the Spidermans on every block.
But when, oh, when, will someone come to our door as Svengoolie?
... September 08, 2009 Welcome to the bustling of activity that is fall—back to school, football, cooler days and the inevitable countdown of shopping days until Christmas.... August 03, 2009 Contractual liability transfers also started fairly simple. For decades, the major exposures were relatively basic business contracts: leases; elevator maintenance agreements; obligations required ... July 06, 2009 The Great Depression, Word War II and the Cold War had little or no impact on the evolution of insurance coverages. Similar to today, most coverages resulted from court decisions, governmental pressures and marketing departments.... July 02, 2009 Chris Amrhein answers a 1929 question on policy issues, about use and occupancy.... June 02, 2009 Regarding trailers and coverages, what is automatically covered and what is covered if the trailer becomes disconnected?... May 01, 2009 Now is the perfect time to build/rebuild/reinforce those great relationships you always have wanted with your clients. Learn three of the possible coverage-based conversation starters.... April 10, 2009 The second half of the "Modern love" articles: When the fire goes out, those standard insurance policy provisions can turn to ashes right along with the relationship.... April 08, 2009
Welcome to March, where we again join the CPCU Society and many other insurance organizations in celebrating National Ethics Month. Several months ago, I received an e-mail, from alert reader Rick Mayhew, that I... February 02, 2009
“All you need is love!” sang the Beatles. “Love is all you need!” Alas, in this month of romance, all too often we are reminded that sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.
Too... January 05, 2009
Happy New Year 2009! Welcome again to the time of year when hope springs eternal, new horizons beckon, the errors of the past are sworn to be overcome, and the future’s so bright, we have to wear shades.Or is... December 03, 2008
"Twas the day after Christmas...
Bob Cratchit, independent agent, arrives a bit late at the Tiny Tim Agency, having made merry the day before with his family and friends. To his surprise, he notices through the... September 10, 2008 "Hail, hail, the hail’s all here!”And thus began my June, 1999 column, concerning a reader’s question on hail damage to siding.
History is said to repeat itself, and herewith the proof. Recently, an e-mail wended its way to my inbox... July 31, 2008
It seems every month or two I come across some consumer publication with an article titled, “What Your Insurance Agent Doesn’t Want You to Know,” or “Top 10 Things Your Insurance Agent... July 01, 2008 There's a reason midsummer is often referred to as the “dog days”: It’s called heat, pure and simple. Heat makes you sluggish, gives you a whole new perspective on the practicality of afternoon siestas and generally lowers your... June 05, 2008
As presidential candidates continue to criss-cross the country in hopes of nabbing their party’s nomination, there may be room for one more name—mine.And while it’s true I have yet to determine... May 02, 2008 Ah, here comes summertime! Days of newly mown lawns, the crack of a baseball bat, fun in the sun and teenagers out of school driving around like maniacs.Which, just like that, brings me to the personal auto policy and kids’ cars.
The basic... April 07, 2008 Ah, April! Spring is in the air and the world is renewed! Sure, we had to get through summer, fall and winter to get here. But on a clear, fresh morning, hope springs eternal once again!Wouldn't it be great if the insurance world had such a season?... February 28, 2008 Welcome to March, where we again join the CPCU Society and other insurance organizations in celebrating National Ethics Month! In this column, I'm going to revisit a lesson that can't be taught enough: Actions have consequences—and then more... January 25, 2008 Ah, February! The month of love! No, not that touchy-feely romantic mush that leads to flowers and candlelit dinners. I'm talking about real passion—for high-tech wizardry! And I don't just mean "boys and their toys." Women can catch the bug... January 09, 2008 Happy New Year! It's time, once again, to take a clean slate and resolve to write upon it a new chapter of insurance achievement!In the January issue, I usually suggest resolutions I believe will prove valuable to insurance folks. But what good is... December 17, 2007 Welcome to December! Every child and insurance person knows what that means—presents!And what better present than the future! So away with that gloom and doom of present difficulties and past disasters. Don't dot another binder, Bob Cratchit!... November 14, 2007 Fall is here and winter is approaching. Soon Thanksgiving will arrive, and you know what that means: Schoolchildren will be having turkey-coloring contests, local organizations will be fundraising with turkey shoots and houses will burn to the ground... October 01, 2007 Years ago, it seemed every town had a local television station that aired a show designed to scare kids out of their wits. The format was always the same. Some local personality or station employee would draw the short straw and get made up as a... August 30, 2007 Ah, September! The breath of fall first appears in the air, football fans reach for the remote and parents celebrate their "I truly love them, but enough already" children's return to school. Judging from an e-mail containing several agent inquiries... July 30, 2007 Welcome to August, when the weather is hot, the BBQ savory and the iced tea cold—and when sometimes brains get fried. No question that many of the weirdest claims seem to arise spontaneously from the dog days.Which is why I like to backlog... July 02, 2007 Welcome to July, the month in which we celebrate Independence Day! While we launched a fusillade of bottle rockets, though, the day also should have reminded us of how we all too often jump to the wrong conclusions about how to best serve our... June 08, 2007 Welcome back, my friends, to the countdown for the "The Top 10 Reasons Your Insureds Should Have Their Auto, Home and Umbrella With One Company." In last month's issue, we reviewed reasons Nos. 10 through 7. As we go through our list, I again remind... May 04, 2007 Once again the Merry Month of May has arrived, and spring has sprung all about our neck of the woods. And what is spring, but a time to turn one's thoughts to renewal, rebirth and fertility. Before that sentence takes you too far astray, remember... April 13, 2007 Are you a property-casualty agent? Are you an attorney? If, like most of us, you answered "yes" to the former question and "no" to the latter, why would you want to enlarge your E&O exposure beyond its already formidable size by acting like an... March 16, 2007 Welcome again to March, which is National Ethics Month, sponsored by the CPCU Society and other fine insurance organizations. Here at “Policy Issues” we have a tradition of making ethics the focus of our March article.Perhaps you wonder... February 27, 2007 MAYBE OBI-WAN was right. Once you start down the path to the Dark Side, it will forever rule your destiny. This seems to be true—at least if you go by my experience in seminar teaching. Clearly many insurance folks—once normal,... January 23, 2007 HAPPY 2007! As Buffalo Bob used to say, “What time is it, kids?” Why, it’s New Year’s Resolutions Time! So let’s get right to it with our first resolution.Read your forms! OK, I admit it—this is always my... December 01, 2006 Welcome back, my friends, to December and the holiday season! As is our tradition here at Policy Issues, we set aside our typical insurance analysis for a moment of fun and frivolity, as we acknowledge the foibles of our favorite business. So, don... November 01, 2006 THOSE of you who read Fortune magazine may be familiar with a recurring short feature called "You Do What?" It briefly describes the duties of one who labors in a job that is essential, yet off the beaten path. In a recent issue, the feature profiled... October 01, 2006 HAVE YOU ever heard the story about the preacher who delivered a sermon about the duty of all true believers to give faithfully to the Lord's work?
"If you had the cattle on a thousand hills," he said, "would you deny the Lord His due and refuse to... September 01, 2006 Back in your playground days, you likely heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!" It was a lie. Criticism, especially from someone you seek to impress, does hurt. And it’s even more painful when the... August 01, 2006 THIS IS the month in which we observe the Fourth of July, a day to celebrate the triumph of throwing off the shackles of the oppressor and the joy of endangering life and limb (to say nothing of setting the backyard aflame) with small explosive... August 01, 2006 With apologies to Lewis Carroll’s "Jabberwocky" from "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There":"Beware the stereotype, my son!The assumptions that bite, the judgments that trash!Beware the prejudices, and shunthe baseless... August 01, 2006 The following article was derived from a presentation at the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America's National Legislative Conference and Convention, held in April in Washington, D.C.)
Last year, while speaking to a group of insurance... |
|
|