The insurance industry has changed, consumers have changed, the competition has changed, communication has changed...BUT MOST INSURANCE AGENTS HAVE NOT With mass marketing and over $1 BILLION dollars spent on advertising last year alone by a few of the biggest players in the insurance industry, there's not a day that goes by that your clients and prospects aren't bombarded with messages from your competitors. Unfortunately, most of those messages focus on "cheap insurance," "saving money" or depict the agent as "outdated and useless." Consumers are being taught that the only difference between insurance providers is PRICE and the entire industry is being commoditized by direct writers trying to push the retail agency force into extinction Retail agents want to know how they can compete with the giants of advertising and mass marketing to keep their clients and grow their agencies. The unfortunate answer is that you simply can NOT compete in the price wars and mass marketing being done by the big industry advertisers. IF YOU TRY, YOU WILL LOSE However, you CAN beat them by communicating with your clients and prospects in ways that the big companies cannot. You CAN use the new rules of communication and new methods to reach your clients and prospects that will set you apart as THE go-to insurance advisor in your area. Agents need to break away from the price wars and commoditization and start creating experiences and relationships with their clients that are impossible to replace. You're in a fight for your agency's life. Whether you realize it or not, change in the insurance industry is going to continue at a rapid pace over the coming years. The big discounters will continue to increase their advertising and banks and other large corporations will join in to try and make the retail agent as irrelevant as possible. Consumers will rely more on the internet and social media for their research and communication with insurance companies and agents. Only the strongest agents who find new ways to communicate their value and set themselves apart will survive. You can do more than just survive, you can thrive in the coming years by becoming a 21st Century agent and using 21st Century Communication tools with your clients and prospects. You can be known in your community as an insurance expert and a trusted advisor that people seek out and want to do business with. You can learn: 1. The 3 jobs of a 21st Century agent that are vital to your success 2. Strategic ways to bring new sales to your door without having to chase them 3. How to keep clients married to your agency for life 4. How to create top of mind awareness with clients and prospects 5. The seven questions that every prospect wants to know before choosing an agent 6. How to overcome price as an objection to doing business with you 7. The 6 new rules of communication and how to use them with clients and prospects 8. 7 tools of 21st Century Communication 9. The best way to use social media with clients and prospects 10. How to set up online and social media tools and manage them in a few minutes 11. How to make old-school communication techniques new and relevant again 12. The secret to getting clients to consistently refer prospects to your agency 13. How to attract client cross-sales instead of constantly having to chase them 14. The importance of touching your clients 24 times per year and how to do it 15. The importance of a communication calendar and the formula that makes it easy 16. How to create "social influence" 17. Two easy formulas for writing communication pieces that clients want to read 18. The two most important things to concentrate your time, effort and energy on No one is going to make you grow, make you improve or make you keep up with the consumers and the insurance industry. But if you don't, it's just a matter of time before you get left behind.

The Affordable Health Care Act of (2010) is in the early stage of implementation as of late 2013. Commonly referred to as OBAMACARE, the health care program is designed to encourage millions of taxpayers and citizens to purchase some form of medical insurance coverage for each person including family members.

The business of reinsurance developed at the fringe of financial services and, for most of its existence, went largely unnoticed outside the expert community. More recently, both public and professional sensitivity towards managing risks has increased and reinsurers have emerged as authorities on global threats such as climate change and natural catastrophes. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive historical description of this industry. It traces the global development of reinsurance from the early 19th century until today. As such it gives a detailed account of how the nature of risk itself changed over the last 200 years. It highlights all aspects relevant in shaping the industry from the development of risk, risk engineering and risk management, actuarial science, the financial and monetary environment, market conditions, impacts of politics, the effects of regulatory changes, to large risks and natural catastrophes. A comprehensive introduction by the editors highlights the different challenges and approaches to managing risk from a reinsurance perspective such as mathematical, financial, legal, and contractual developments, as well as the changing business models adopted. All of these are dealt with in further detail by ten contributing authors.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the most significant overhaul to health care industry in decades. It includes unprecedented reforms to the American health care system. The implementation of this new health care law, otherwise known as Obamacare is at the height of concern for many who still don't understand its implications. Among the sea of new information to sift through, there are also misconceptions about the expectations and implementations of this law. Whether you need health coverage or have it already you may be concerned about the new regulations and how they will affect you. Many low to middle income Americans will have access to more affordable health insurance but those making above 400% of the federal poverty will likely pay more. Although the law has been rolled out over several years, the most notable changes take effect in January of 2014. Included in these changes are rights and protections for you, the consumer. These protections, do not apply to every insurance policy equally. This guide is designed to help you navigate the changes in policies and the new requirements for individuals and businesses. We'll explain the changes being implemented and you'll discover if you qualify for reduced premiums, what will happen if you select not to purchase health care, and how to make compare plans and policies in your state.