This episode is sponsored by IA Path - Unlocking Your Adjusting Superpowers. Go to iapath.com Broker Buddha helps Insurance Brokers & Agents win more business by moving the application and renewal process into an interactive, customer-friendly online experience. In this episode Tony (he is the one making all of the typing sounds at the beginning of the podcast - before I sent him a nasty message) & I spoke with Jason Keck, CEO of Broker Buddha. Jason discussed more than just the solution...
May 08, 2018•51 min•Ep. 77
This episode is sponsored by IA Path - Unlocking Your Adjusting Superpowers. Go to iapath.com Recently I had the pleasure to spend a Saturday morning speaking with Ashley Fitzsimmons. I invited her on because I have been following her on LinkedIn and Twitter and her enthusiasm and motivation for her work stand out. She is the self-professed Beyonce of insurance and in this episode, we talked about her initial career, the trade-offs with working in the family business, millennial stuff and of cou...
May 06, 2018•48 min•Ep. 77
Last week I was very fortunate to attend the 2018 Global Insurance Symposium in Des Moines, IA. With well over 650 attendees, this is one of the biggest insurance focused events of the year. Besides great speakers and panel discussions, we got to hear the final pitches from the latest cohort of the Global Insurance Accelerator , a Des Moines based insurtech accelerator lead by Brian Hemesath . Another perk of the event is that I can walk around and talk to people. This special episode of Profile...
May 02, 2018•43 min•Ep. 76
Bob Frady is not your normal CEO. Bob is CEO and co-founder of HazardHub, a company which provides a full hazard report card on your property. Fire, flood, wind, earth movement, and even man-made risks are all covered and graded. The report also tells property owners where the closest fire station and fire hydrants are. It is the most comprehensive hazard report available. You can get one free at www.freehomerisk.com . One interesting take away from my conversation with Bob was about the Law of ...
Apr 29, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 75
Steve Evans is the owner of Artemis and Reinsurance News. These are the two go-to publications when it comes to ILS and reinsurance news (fitting name). Steve has been building Artemis for 20 years and has recently celebrated Artemis' 20th anniversary. In this episode, Steve discusses the history of Artemis, and how it has paralleled the internet, the birth of CAT bonds and now the insurtech scene. If you aren't signed up for Artemis, go to the link below, and do that now! Subscribe at: Stitcher...
Apr 22, 2018•38 min•Ep. 74
This is a special episode of Profiles in Risk. The audio for this episode is derived from a video webcam recording we did with Bill Wilson to announce the release of his new book When Words Collide-Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes . If you want to watch the Carly, Tony and myself discuss the book in video format, follow this link to our YouTube channel (and subscribe while you are there!) When Words Collide is the culmination of 30 years of Bill's work. Bill is a sought-after pol...
Apr 18, 2018•49 min•Ep. 73
David Tobias understood insurance from a young age (his Dad was in insurance and David started doing inspections before he turned 20). He also had a passion for technology (he taught himself how to code). David and his coFounder ( David Lyman ) saw a problem that existed in insurance, which was that roof inspections where hard, expensive, yet the desire to have that information, very useful. They also saw the potential for drone technology to be a potential solution. After their first paid gig, ...
Apr 15, 2018•39 min•Ep. 72
Avolyn Fisher caught my eye by writing an article on LinkedIn about how she tried stand-up comedy and how that training helped her in her day job as a data analyst. I was very intrigued, mostly, because I have wanted to practice standup but am afraid to, so I have a lot of respect for those that try but I also wanted to talk to Avolyn so that she could tell her story to you all. A story I think you will get something out of. HOW TO CONNECT WITH AVOLYN FISHER: LinkedIn Twitter MENTIONED IN THE PO...
Apr 11, 2018•41 min•Ep. 71
Tom Johansmeyer is the Michael Lewis of Insurance. As the head of Verisk's PCS division , Tom is continuing the PCS tradition of aggregating insured industry losses, and taking that to a whole new level. PCS, globally known for aggregating, weather, earthquake, fire and other natural catastrophes is expanding into cyber, terror and other specialty lines, and taking the show on the road...globally. Tom and I discuss the value of aggregated industry losses, how the industry is creatively using tho...
Apr 08, 2018•39 min•Ep. 70
Jeff Arnold is the President of RightSure Insurance Group and the author of the book The Art of The Insurance Deal. Jeff spoke with Tony and me about how he locates, finances and buys insurance agencies. We discussed things that can blow up a deal, how sometimes, purchased agencies do not end up being a good fit and in some cases, those same agencies need to be sold to other buyers that can make them a good fit. Some important considerations when buying an agency are: - is it a good fit? - how s...
Apr 04, 2018•48 min•Ep. 69
March is Women's History Month . We end March by discussing diversity in insurance with a woman who knows quite a bit about the topic. Diversity in the workplace is an asset according to Deidre Wright. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, Deidre and I discussed, diversity, what it means (it's deeper than I thought), inclusion and how important it is to allow your employees the ability to allow their true, authentic personalities to be a diversifying asset in your organization's success. Even emp...
Apr 02, 2018•49 min•Ep. 68
March is Women's History Month .We end March by discussing diversity in insurance with a woman who knows quite a bit about the topic. Diversity in the workplace is an asset according to Deidre Wright. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, Deidre and I discussed, diversity, what it means (it's deeper than I thought), inclusion and how important it is to allow your employees the ability to allow their true, authentic personalities to be a diversifying asset in your organization's success. Even empl...
Apr 01, 2018•49 min•Ep. 67
Out of all the insurtech ideas sprouting in the market, I have yet to see anything that has the potential that blockchain has. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Patrick Schmid of The Institutes' RiskBlock Alliance. Patrick is working with the insurance ecosystem to help them co-develop the blockchain platforms and technologies necessary for insurance to blossom in the next wave of innovation. HOW TO CONNECT WITH PATRICK SCHMID: LinkedIn RiskBlock Site Email MENTIONED IN THE PODCA...
Mar 27, 2018•55 min•Ep. 67
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Garrett White, President of Blue Lime Group & Chris Prewit, co-director of the IIASA (Independent Insurance Agents of San Antonio). We discussed the current state of Independent Agencies, the future and how IIASA has piloted outreach programs for college and high school students to experience insurance and gain real-life experience. UPCOMING EVENTS: ELITExas - AI in Your Agency: Automate the boring stuff - March 30th, 2018 2018 TRADE FAIR - T...
Mar 25, 2018•46 min•Ep. 66
David Milton is the founder and CEO of TelaClaims, based in Florida. In this episode we discussed the tech advancement of claims from an old paper based system to a modern tech based function. The mission of TelaClaims is to get claims closed properly as fast as possible. According to David, the only good claim is a closed claim and we discussed why that is. We also talked about what technologies are now being used in the claims adjustment process. We closed the conversation on the TelaClaims wo...
Mar 19, 2018•42 min•Ep. 65
In this episode, Lisa Miller and I discuss regulators, regulations and how the insurance ecosystem can interrelate effectively with regulators. Lisa provides some advice on when (often) and how (engage and discuss) to work with regulators. Her advice is similar to what Trent Cooksley advised on how to pitch to investors...DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Make it easy for them to buy into your idea (rates, forms, products etc). Yes, regulators are human, and yes, they do like coffee. HOW TO CONNECT WITH LISA MI...
Mar 11, 2018•34 min•Ep. 64
February was Insurance Careers Month . In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Chris Stanley , someone who is literally helping people to build an insurance career. Chris is an author, independent adjuster and the founder of IA Path , an online training company helping those who would like to build their own Independent Adjuster or Appraiser business. We discussed how to become an IA & more importantly, what successful IA's do and DON'T do. MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: Jon Nastor & P...
Mar 04, 2018•58 min•Ep. 63
We finish Insurance Careers Month by speaking with an up and coming insurance professional. Cooper Cohen is an International Underwriter at CNA in Chicago. We discussed how he got into insurance, blockchain, insurtech and near the end of the recording Cooper describes the real challenge we as an industry face in trying to recruit college grads into insurance....
Feb 27, 2018•42 min•Ep. 62
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Kyle Nakatsuji , CEO of Clearcover , an auto insurer looking to deliver the right coverage, at the right time, so you can pay less. We discussed the challenges of auto insurance as a business, the challenges of insurance as a venture-backed investment & the what it means to be customer-centric. Kyle will be on a panel discussing customer centricity at the Insurance Nexus, Insurance AI and Analytics USA Summi t in Chicago on June 27th & 28...
Feb 24, 2018•45 min•Ep. 61
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I speak with Trent Cooksley who is the head of open innovation at Markel Corp . Markel is a large insuance company, with a global presence, and Trent is in charge of exploring new technologies and innovation. We discuss the insurtech scene, how Trent filters the large (and ever growing) list of new technologies and companies. Trent also goes into how startups can be being successful ("take the bull by the horns") and how important it is for startups to find a...
Feb 18, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 59
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Thomas Accardo of BrokerLift. BrokerLift helps brokers & agents digitize their products and services, creating a full eCommerce platform so that brokers don't have to become software developers. Like our prior guest, Thomas is from Canada and an immigrant into insurance. Thomas discusses loss leaders and other marketing concepts (his expertise) so that brokers can do what they do best while still growing and competing in a highly digital worl...
Feb 11, 2018•41 min•Ep. 57
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Karn Saroya, Co-Founder and CEO of Cover, an insurtech company whose primary product is a mobile app in which you can take a photo of a personal belonging, submit it to Cover, and Cover will find a market for that item. Karn is a serial entrepreneur who came into insurance from the fashion & marketing side of business. We discuss what lead him to get excited about insurance and what it takes to make a successful company from a startup. Karn &...
Feb 04, 2018•37 min•Ep. 57
In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I spoke with Herbert Chain and Larry Pistell of the St. John's University Tobin College of Business. Herb and Larry talked about the business school's history of insurance education. St. John's has one of the preeminent global insurance and risk management programs. St. John's is also bringing Insurtech to New York City. St. John's will host its 2nd Annual Insurtech conference on March 8th. It is an all-day event that I highly recommend. I was a panelist last...
Jan 28, 2018•39 min•Ep. 57
Subscribe at: Stitcher iTunes Buzzsprout RSS In this episode of Profiles in Risk, I caught up with Tony Steuer. Tony is an advocate for insurance consumers and we've had him on the show before to discuss the Insurance Bill of Rights. We discussed the new Department of Labor requirements on best interests, the current status of the Affordable Care Act and Tony's thoughts and predictions for Insurtech in 2018. CONNECT WITH TONY Twitter LinkedIn Home Page MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST Insurance Bill of ...
Jan 22, 2018•40 min•Ep. 56
Mike Hubbel is a professor of Risk Management within Temple University's Fox School of Business. The program is often rated as one of the top undergrad /grad risk management & insurance programs in the US. We have written in the past , why a degree program is so valuable and in this episode Mike & I go into some detail about why. Mike, like Zach Finn of Butler University , started his career in insurance and then moved into academia. This is important in that Mike can truly teach real wo...
Jan 15, 2018•53 min•Ep. 55
At any insurance conference Janet Anderson attends, she is often the most popular person in the room? Everyone wants to take a selfie on her phone and see what the technology that Lapetus Solutions is predicting for them. In this episode of Profiles in Risk, Janet and I discuss this image analysis technology, application to industry and her career in insurance
Jan 08, 2018•51 min•Ep. 54
In this episode, an all-star panel of insurance experts discusses the year that was in natural catastrophes. Will 2017 go down as the worst Nat-CAT season ever? You might be surprised at the responses. ALL-STAR PANEL Kevin Grudzien Rob Galbraith Wesley Todd David Wright...
Jan 01, 2018•47 min•Ep. 53
This is a re-broadcast of a previous episode of The Attachment Point. In this episode, Nick and Tony talk with Bill Wilson. Bill is a legend in insurance and we discuss his early career, how he got into insurance (he initially wanted to be a teacher), his thoughts about how insurance has changed, what hasn’t changed but should, and we spend a few minutes talking about his hair! REACHING BILL: LinkedIn
Dec 30, 2017•45 min•Ep. 52
This is a re-broadcast of a special episode of The Attachment Point where Tony Steuer discusses creating a set of ethical standards called the Insurance Bill of Rights. The Insurance Bill of Rights: The Right to Have Your Agent Act in Your Best Interest The Right to Receive Customized Coverage Appropriate to Your Needs The Right To Free Choice The Right to Receive an Answer to Any Question The Right to Pay a Fair Premium The Right to Be Informed The Right to be Treated Fairly and Respectfully Th...
Dec 29, 2017•53 min•Ep. 51
This is a re-broadcast of a special episode we had with author, life coach and claims professional Bryan Falchuk. Bryan Falchuk lost 100 lbs, got his life under control and now leads claims for Hiscox USA. He tells us his story and gives incredible advice both for insurance carriers and insurance professionals.Do a Day Book with special discount for InsNerds listeners: Do-A-Day Book
Dec 28, 2017•44 min•Ep. 50
