Recent allegations of wrongdoing involving broker compensation have turned on an issue summed up by a question asked by a state insurance commissioner, "Which master do you serve?" In other words, do you work as an agent for the insurance

AGENTS and consultants often give me grief about columns in which I state that cross-selling is not a path to easy money and not an effective primary strategy for most agencies. My observation is simple: If cross-selling is so easy and effective, why

What works when it comes to employee motivation How do you motivate employees? Although employee motivation is not one of my areas of consulting expertise, I have made several simple observations over the years about what works in this area--and

The Tragedy of the Commons is a popular story used to demonstrate the conflict between individual interest and the common good. The English Commons of long ago were plots of land where the farmers of a village collectively grazed their livestock.

HISTORICALLY, independent insurance agencies have owned two intangible assets: their customer lists and their company contracts. Few valuations separate the values of the two, since they are integrated. Some company contracts increase an agency's

THE INVESTIGATION of contingency payments that started last year in one way or another will affect even the smallest independent insurance agency-and probably every insurer and general agency using independent agents and brokers. These investigations

A LOT has been written about merging cultures when merging companies. Most of what has been written has fallen on deaf ears. Merging cultures is difficult. Just think about your most recent holiday spent with a house full of relatives!Historians

ONCE the St. Paul/Travelers merger closes, there will be only six or traditional, national commercial carriers (give or take one, depending on how you count). Two years ago, I counted 11. This is a huge decrease in a short time, and the decline