Insurance Finance

A legendary CEO tells the inside story of building the world's largest insurance company - and the dramatic tale of its near-destruction after he left in early 2005, as successors transformed AIG and drove it to the center of the financial crisis of 2008.

Are you thinking about getting into the insurance business? Already in it and need a refresher? Struggling to grow and find ways to sell on value? Having a hard time marketing or growing?

This revised version by Michael Bonilla, former insurance agency owner and broker, has packed this edition full of relevant information facing new and existing agents.

Selling insurance can be a lucrative career, but few people really make it. Jessi Park is one of them. In just four years, she went from scraping by on unemployment to a top sales agent to opening her own agency. But her journey to success wasn't an easy one. If you're looking for a truthful guide to the industry, you've found it. This book honestly explains how she got to the top and all of the lessons that she's learned along the way.

A young physician’s most important asset isn’t an investment or real estate portfolio—it’s the ability to earn a good income performing your specialty. Potentially eight figures, this asset needs insurance. But insurance that truly protects your income and safeguards your quality of life isn’t easy to find.

There are dramatic differences in health between countries and within countries. But this is not a simple matter of rich and poor. These health inequalities defy usual explanations. Conventional approaches to improving health have emphasised access to technical solutions – improved medical care, sanitation, and control of disease vectors; or behaviours – smoking, drinking – obesity, linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These approaches only go so far.

Every dealer sells F&I products, and most dealers understand the importance of the F&I department in terms of its contribution to the bottom line. Unfortunately, F&I is not a regulated profession, meaning one doesn't need any type of state license to practice, and because of that there is very little formal education available. The actual management of the F&I department, product selection, and different types of participation programs are largely ignored, so most dealers, general managers, and finance managers must figure out these aspects in real time, on the job.

What would be the "right" price for your loved one - and can you avoid putting others at risk by paying it? What prevents criminals from maltreating hostages? How do you (safely) pay a ransom? Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business uncovers how a group of insurers at Lloyd's of London have solved these thorny problems for their customers. Based on interviews with industry insiders (from both sides), as well as hostage stakeholders, it uncovers an intricate and powerful private governance system ordering transactions between the legal and the criminal economies.

The claims process has become so automated that legitimate claims are denied without ever being seen by human eyes. Exceptions and exclusions are buried within small print that can bury your claim. Many claims departments operate under a culture of paranoia in which legitimate claims are denied, sometimes accidentally, sometimes not. Commercial and individual policyholders pay premiums with the understanding that insurers will pay claims fairly, fully, and promptly. It’s time for the insurance industry to Pay Up!.

"Life Insurance and Slavery: The Dark History of Profit and Human Commodification" by Elvin Lee Blake Thompson is a revealing exploration of the disturbing intersection between the financial industry and the transatlantic slave trade. This meticulously researched work uncovers how several prominent American insurance companies played a pivotal role in perpetuating and profiting from the institution of slavery by insuring the lives of enslaved individuals and the ships that transported them.

Unassuming but formidable, American maritime insurers used their position at the pinnacle of global trade to shape the new nation. The international information they gathered and the capital they generated enabled them to play central roles in state building and economic development.

In this landmark book, author Tony Caldwell takes you step-by-step through the thinking, mindset, skill sets, and checklists you need to launch and successfully operate an independent insurance agency. Utilizing his proven method, he not only challenges you to dream your vision so well you can articulate it, but he also provides the practical tools and expertise to help you grow while avoiding common pitfalls. Done the right way, your business will grow into a noble endeavor to benefit your community.

Creating a captive insurance company may sound daunting, but with Mr. Strauss's guidance you can navigate the legal maze and utilize this valuable strategy with ease. Don’t miss out on crucial out-of-pocket savings and create more liquidity in a more tax-efficient manner. Take steps today and reap the benefits of captive insurance!

Highly recommended by Dr. Robert Hartwig, President of the Insurance Information Institute, and Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth books, this audiobook provides a complete system to develop, manage, and grow a successful insurance business. It contains everything you need including a personality assessment to determine if this business is right for you, licensing guidelines, a business plan, employee contracts, an employee handbook, business forms, and more.

When a marketing rep comes into your office or someone from the management team and tells you to "sell the value", how often do you find yourself rolling your eyes? As a former agency owner and now a consultant, I often find myself spouting the same slogan. Why? Because, I have done it and done it quite successfully. Whenever a rep came into my office and told me to sell the value of carrier X, I would think that’s something an expensive company would say or an overpriced company, because what else could they say?

Cyber-risk, climate change, and terrorism are all man-made risks. Daniel Wagner and Dante Disparte, two leading authorities in global risk management, make a compelling case for the need to bring traditional approaches to risk management and decision-making into the 21st century.

Frederick J. Fisher's "Claims-Made Insurance: The Policy That Changed the Industry" is an indispensable guide for insurance professionals navigating claims-made policies. This comprehensive book explores the evolution and critical aspects of these policies that have transformed the insurance landscape.

Yet what training has prepared you to run a business? E-Myth Real Insurance Store fills this knowledge gap, giving you a complete toolkit for either starting a successful business from scratch or maximizing an existing business’ performance. Loaded with practical, powerful advice you can easily use, this one-stop guide helps you realize all the benefits that come with a thriving insurance business.

Unraveling the mysteries of insurance markets, Liran Einav, Amy Finkelstein, and Ray Fisman explore such issues as why insurers want to know so much about us and whether we should let them obtain this information; why insurance entrepreneurs often fail (and some tricks that may help them succeed); and whether we’d be better off with government-mandated health insurance instead of letting businesses, customers, and markets decide who gets coverage and at what price.

It takes many years to build a sound financial base to secure the basic needs and comfort of your family and yourself. When you reach a point where you are ready to start growing that nest egg to cover things like education, retirement, and your family’s future well-being, you need to have more to go on than just the hope that the stock market stays stable. We all know it won’t, anyway!

For over 100 years, Insurers have stood by customers at some of the toughest moments in their lives, and helped allow people to go about their lives and pursue their business ideas without having to worry about the risks involved. Today, those customers have different expectations for how they want to do business and be served. And those expectations are changing faster than ever before. The industry has faced many headwinds, making it difficult to keep up with change - regulation, bureaucracy, system constraints, past technology project pain, thin margins, etc.