There are multiple professions I can relate to while working as an insurance broker. We wear many hats. Reaching beyond the technical insurance components and past all the acronyms, codes, and exposure schedules, we often serve more like counselors, lawyers, experts, educators, and researchers.
However, most days I feel like Jerry Maguire. Yep! I’m talking about Tom Cruise in the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire” where he plays a sports agent who had a moral epiphany — finding himself fiercely dedicated to his client. Remember the scene in the locker room where Jerry and his client, Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), are discussing the best way to negotiate the pre-season contract? Jerry Maguire cares so deeply and wants so badly to get the best results for the client, but he can’t do it alone. Jerry starts pleading, “Help Me…Help You. Help me, help you. Help ME Help YOU!”
In placing insurance for my clients, I’m like Jerry.
Read More‘Tis the season, in a growing number of cases, for increased social engineering attacks. With it being year-end and the holidays, people and organizations are busy, feeling generous, and sometimes just not paying close enough attention.
Per the United States Computer Emergency Team (US-CERT), in a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However …
Read MoreThis past Friday, December 14, a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was unconstitutional. How can this be given the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) already determined the ACA to be constitutional?
Here’s a bit of detail, and just a warning …
Read MoreWhen you receive a bill each year for your family’s automobile insurance, do you think “Oh my gosh, why did it go up again?!” I won’t be shocked if your answer is, “Yes!”
Although vehicles depreciate in value and the cost to repair or replace vehicles is less expensive as they get older, it’s not always the vehicles that are driving those premiums. It might…just might…be the person behind the wheel. I’ll give you an easy two-word explanation why …
Read Moreou’ve likely heard the phrase “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!” Well, when it comes to me and what I’m about to talk about in this blog, that phrase doesn’t ring true. In fact, I’m actually eager to tell you about my trip! Why? Because I have some great information for you about ESOPs. If you’re scratching your head, that stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. If you’re interested in learning the ins and outs of ESOPs, check out my previous blog.
Back to Vegas. I was there recently for what turned out to be an energizing and informative ESOP Association national convention. It was great to see the ESOP community embracing growth for its companies and their employee owners, and it was eye opening to me
Read MoreOK…so I know the Titanic sunk, but humor me for a moment. To say the healthcare insurance industry is wildly volatile and extremely overcomplicated might just be an understatement. To me, it’s like the Titanic…sinking slowly and we’re all on it.
I recently read an article titled “Secret Contracts Between Insurers and Providers — Who Benefits?“ The article is spot on. Everything about it is accurate…sadly.
Read MoreIt’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is upon us! This time of year always causes people to pause and think about their blessings, and for me, it’s no different. While I’m thankful for many things, I want to spotlight two in particular.
Let me start with the heart of the Holmes Murphy enterprise —
Read MorePumpkin Spice Latte, anyone? A notorious confection this time of year as the Starbucks’ seasonal drink of choice. The Starbucks enterprise may have also benefited several years ago as consumers adopted a “pay it forward” gesture, where guests made a choice to pay in advance for a Starbucks’ customer receding them in the ever-bustling line of caffeine connoisseurs.
Why do people do this? Why does one intentionally pay for a stranger’s cup of caffeinated cheer, while knowing fully they will not receive thanks nor likely anything in return?
According to Psychology Today
Read MoreThe 2018 mid-term election is over. Here are my three takeaways …
Read MoreSpoiler alert: I’m not going to give you our secret family recipe for this delicious side dish, but one interesting part of making potato salad is how we alter the state of the two key ingredients to make it. There is an old saying …
Read MoreLet’s start with a question. For those of you in the Architect and Engineer world, does this look familiar?
“ABC Company and DEF Construction Co. and their successors, assigns, officers, directors, employees, agents, uncles, brothers, and pets are to be added as Additional Insured on a primary/non-contributory basis. A Waiver of Subrogation in favor of all parties to be included on General Liability, Auto, and Workers’ Compensation policies.”
My guess is your answer is YES! So, when your clients ask you to add a statement like this on the Certificate of Insurance, do you know what they’re really asking for…or how their requests impact your insurance coverage/response to a claim?
Read MoreThe answer to that question is critical, and it says a lot about your organization. But before I get into what I mean, here’s a quote I love to refer to:
“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture…”—Edgar Schein
Read that a couple of times and let it set in. That quote couldn’t be more true, right?! It sounds harsh if you think about it too hard, but that’s not the point. Culture can make or break an organization. Add to that the element of “safety,” and, well, yeah…I can’t emphasize enough the importance of culture.
Read MoreCare to guess what the most complicated consumer industry in the world is? If you guessed “healthcare,” you’d be correct. Add to...
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Read MoreBefore I dive directly into the main topic of this blog, I want to reveal an eye-opening stat, as I think it adds some weight to what I’m going to discuss. Here it is. Would you believe that 10,000 baby boomers retire each day in the U.S.? It’s true. Yes, I said 10,000…EACH…day.
Now, at some point, these individuals (whether they’re your Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Brother, Sister, or you, yourself) may need and/or want to move into an assisted living facility. This is why it’s so important to know what’s going on and the trends and challenges facing the senior living community.
I’ve done my best to break the topics down in an easy-to-understand format; however, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! The specific trends/challenges I’m going to discuss (in no order of importance) are:
Read MoreIn the Property Casualty claim world, B.I. is a costly and often frustrating acronym. It means one of two things. Either “bodily...
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Read MoreI love having “what if” discussions with my good friend and colleague, Tim Church...
Read MoreWe could be at a watershed moment in the interfraternal world. Medical Good Samaritan policies, bans on hard alcohol, partnerships between fraternal...
The post It’s Time for a Real Change! appeared first on Holmes Murphy.
Read MoreFormer President Barack Obama has been stumping lately under the banner “Medicare for All.” Let me give you a little hint: Medicare...
The post Medicare for All appeared first on Holmes Murphy.
Read MoreThe third stage of the recently concluded Tour de France, the most demanding, over-the-top, bike race in the world, was a Team Time Trial...
Read MoreIn research publications, for simplicity, PA stands for physical activity....
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