Fortunately, smart players are beginning to change things by developing inventive solutions to this looming problem.

Last month I blogged about The Council of Independent Agent & Brokers' new “Dream, Risk, Win” competition for risk management and insurance students, developed by The Council's own young employees and college interns. The younger generations excel in teamwork, and engaging teams of youth to both develop and compete was a stroke of inspiration.

Or look at what's going on at the Big I's Project InVEST. Along with conducting outreach at traditional public and private high schools and colleges, one-third of InVEST's schools target diverse or predominantly minority-based school populations. Even more creatively, they've expanded their reach to institutions like Covenant House, the largest privately funded agency in the Americas, serving homeless, throwaway and runaway kids. 

You could probably peek into many agencies and insurance companies that are prioritizing recruitment in creative ways. (Got one? Send me an email at [email protected].)

But although all these efforts are admirable, Peter Miller of The Institutes makes a great point in this month's cover story: We must not only learn directly from millennials about what they want from our industry, but we must speak to future generations with a unified voice and message.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. According to The Institutes' research, only 5 percent of millennials were familiar with the insurance industry and the types of careers it offers. And even though 61 percent of respondents said they would like a job that includes analyzing risks and recommending solutions,  fewer than 1 in 10 said they were interested in working in insurance.

We can't control death or taxes, but we can control how we promote our industry to the people who will take it into the future. Spread the word by talking to one young person today about the great opportunities in insurance.