Publications – Commercial Insurance Update
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| Dec. 2018 | The Secret to Lowering Your Experience Modification What is an Experience Modification? An Experience Mod compares the loss experience of a company against all the similar businesses in a given state. In addition to the impact that a Mod might have on cost, it can also preclude you from working on certain projects. |
| Oct. 2018 | 2019 Insurance Market Outlook: What Can You Expect? Our annual State of the Market newsletter will provide background on the economics of the insurance industry and will give some perspective on where insurance rates are going in 2019. |
| Aug. 2018 | You’re Selling Your Company – What Insurance Should You Require the Buyer to Carry? |
| Jun. 2018 | Auto Insurance Premiums Are Going Through the Roof! What Can You Do About It? What has caused this dramatic increase in loss ratios over the past eight years? |
| Apr. 2018 | Cyber Insurance – What Does It Cover and Why Do You Need It? Data breaches occur every day, and not only to large companies. The good news is that insurance is available, coverage is fairly broad, and costs are reasonable. |
| Feb. 2018 | How Good is Your Risk Control Program? The concept of insurance is unique. A business can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a product is hopes to never use. |
| Dec. 2017 | Duties in the Event of a Claim: The Insured’s Responsibilities: If a claim or circumstance that could give rise to a claim is not reported in a timely manner to your insurance company, they can deny the claim. Learn what your responsibilities are as an insured. |
| Oct. 2017 | 2018 Insurance Market Outlook: What Can You Expect? Read what is in store for 2018 regarding commercial insurance, surety bonding and health insurance. |
| Aug. 2017 | Crime Coverage – Everyone is exposed and everyone wants your stuff! Criminals are incredibly creative, are you protected? |
| June 2017 | The Sharing Economy – What You Need to Know Before You Share Your House or Car – As sharing applications become more familiar to us, many property owners are considering renting out their homes or driving part-time for extra money. But what are the risks? Will your existing insurance cover you if someone gets injured in your home or car? |
| April 2017 | No Remix! The Importance of Managing Risk Correctly…the First Time! Jeff Cavignac shares stories of his recent trip to Nicaragua and how that relates to risk management and getting it right the first time. |
| Feb 2017 | The World is Rapidly Changing…Are You Prepared to Travel in It? While most people don’t equate planning their international vacation with risk, the fact is, the world is changing and travel – especially international travel – is becoming riskier. What are the risks and how do you mitigate or avoid them? |
| Dec 2016 | Workers’ Compensation – Executive Officers: Include or Exclude? This article answers some of the questions regarding whether or not to include or exclude officers from coverage and under which circumstances they should be covered. |
| Sept 2016 | The 2017 Insurance Market Forecast: The Underwriter’s Conundrum Read about our predictions for the upcoming year. |
| Aug 2016 | Report Your Claims…PRONTO! There are several reasons why you should report a claim as soon as possible. Read more to find out. |
| June 2016 | Are You Friends with Your Colleagues? The Pitfalls of Accepting “Friend” Requests from Coworkers on Social Media. While there are many benefits to this heightened level of connectivity among peers, these forms of communications can have their pitfalls. |
| Apr 2016 | Zip Code 89410…Where Do You Want To Live? We all have a lot to do, so how do we get better? The first way is to learn from your mistakes. The second way is to learn from others. The third is by reading. Here are some outstanding books on business and personal excellence. |
| Jan 2016 | The Modern Day Con Man and the Social Engineering Play! Social engineering is different from other forms of cyber theft like funds transfer and computer fraud. |
| Dec 2015 | Is a Captive Insurance Company For You? At our core as business owners, we are managing risk every day. |
| Oct 2015 | State of the Insurance Industry…And What This Means To You Learn how premiums are affected by the various insurance cycles and what you can do to control them. |
| Aug 2015 | Drones! Are You Insured? While drones are currently legal if they are used personally, they are illegal, absent a waiver, for commercial use. |
| Jun 2015 | 2015 Wildfire Update Experts say the increase in the frequency and severity of wildfires results from two situations: changing housing growth patterns and changing climate |
| Apr 2015 | How to Prepare Your Business for Disaster A disaster recovery plan is something every business needs, but something most businesses don’t have. Why? |
| Feb 2015 | The Secret to Lowering Your Insurance Costs! If you lower the cost of your losses, you will lower the cost of your insurance. |
| Dec 2014 | Your Workers’ Compensation Final Audit The workers’ compensation audit process can be confusing, complex and, if done incorrectly, expensive. |
| Oct 2014 | 2015 Insurance Market Outlook: Putting It Into Perspective For many companies, insurance is one of their largest costs. It is critical to understand not only how to manage these costs, but also how to forecast your costs as you look into your next fiscal year. |
| Aug 2014 | Fleet Safety: A Critical Element to Your Risk Management Program Why do you need a fleet safety strategy that goes beyond compliance? |
| Jun 2014 | The Economics of Ergonomics The consequences of poor ergonomics in the workplace can be extremely costly. Find out some basic actions you can take to prevent injury and possible loss of work. |
| Apr 2014 | Preventing Electronic Funds Transfer Fraud As an increasing range of financial transactions move to the virtual world of computers, a whole new set of liabilities arise. Find out about the available options that can help protect your business. |
| Feb 2014 | Risk…Is Yours Being Managed? Cost of Risk is not a line item found on a company’s income statement, yet this can be one of the largest and most volatile expenses that a company has. |
| Dec 2013 | Contract Litigation Insurance The issue of attorneys’ fees is high on the list of concerns for both the average litigant involved in a local business dispute as well as the sophisticated conglomerate involved in a “bet your company” matter. |
| Oct 2013 | State of the Insurance Market…and What it Means to You! The purpose of this month’s article is to explain where the industry is in the insurance cycle and what you can expect to see in 2014. |
| Aug 2013 | Health Reform: What You Can Do Now to Protect Your Business and Your Future This month’s newsletter provides some basic questions and answers that will help you understand current and upcoming changes, take advantage of new benefits and tax credits, and implement requirements established by the law. |
| June 2013 | Return to Work Programs – Why You Need One As rates continue to rise, it will become increasingly important for employers to control costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses. One of the biggest, yet most controllable, costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses is lost time from work due to disability. The most effective way to have a favorable impact on these costs is to implement a Return to Work (RTW) program. |
| Apr 2013 | Disaster Recovery: Lessons Learned from Superstorm Sandy Although it was classified as a moderate Category 1 storm, Sandy will be remembered as one of the most devastating storms in history. While some businesses had plans in place to deal with a situation like this, most did not. So if a disaster strikes your company, how prepared are you? |
| Feb 2013 |
The Parent Care Conversation – The conversations you should have with your parents…while you still can! Long term care for aging parents is a sensitive, often difficult, but ultimately inevitable issue for all of us. Read our February Commercial Insurance Update for some guidance with this sensitive subject. |
| Dec 2012 |
Understanding Business Succession: Utilizing Life Insurance to Avoid the Dangers of an Installment Sale – Many business owners expect to sell their ownership interest during their lifetimes. In fact, some see selling their business interest as a practical way to fund their retirement needs. Read our November Commercial Insurance Update to learn more. |
| Oct 2012 | The Economics of the Insurance Industry and Why It’s Important to You! – The insurance business like most industries is cyclical. It is affected by the general business climate but ebbs and flows subject to unique factors. The simplest way to understand the industry is to look at the critical indicators that drive the industry’s results. Read our October Commercial Insurance Update.
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| Aug 2012 | Insurance Ramifications of Mergers & Acquisitions – A merger or acquisition involves the combination of one firm with another, or the purchase of one firm by another. Whether a firm is merging, acquiring, being acquired, or if there is a majority change in ownership, there are risk management and insurance ramifications that need to be considered. Read our August Commercial Insurance Update to make sure you fully understand the risk management ‘deal breakers’ that need to be identified before a deal is consumated.
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| Jun 2012 | Foreign Insurance – Business is becoming increasingly global. It is not uncommon for even small businesses to have sales overseas. But if you do business in a foreign country, will your domestic insurance program protect you? Read on to learn more about how your domestic insurance policy will respond to foreign exposures, and how to ensure that you are appropriately covered!
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| Apr 2012 | How Smart Business Owners Protect Their Families and Companies – As a business owner, if your goal is to keep your company in your family when you retire or pass away, then it is critical to protect the entity, and to decide when and to whom to transfer it. Read our April Commercial Risk Management Newsletter to find out the best steps you can take to properly plan for succession.
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| Feb 2012 |
Safety Pays: The Importance of a Safe Work Environment – Business owners and managers realize that the cost of a lost workday due to injury is substantial. For every dollar you spend on the direct cost of a worker’s injury or illness, you will spend at least that much, or more, to cover the indirect and hidden costs. Read our commentary on the best ways to prevent and mitigate workers compensation costs.
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| Dec 2011 | An Employer’s Nightmare: The Wage and Hour Issue – It will come as no surprise that the poor economy, which has resulted in massive layoffs and terminations, has caused employment-related claims and lawsuits in general to increase. Wage and hour litigation seems to be increasing the fastest; the Department of Labor estimates that wage and hour complaints increased 15% from 2009 to 2010.
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| Oct 2011 |
The Insurance Cycle: What to Expect in 2012 – The insurance industry marches to its own economic drum. Historically, it has fluctuated between what are called hard and soft markets. Interested to know what to expect for the coming year? Read Jeff Cavignac’s annual update on the insurance industry in this month’s Commercial Risk Management Newsletter to understand the current cycle, and where it is headed in the next year!
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| Aug 2011 | Fiduciary Responsibility– You have responsibilities as a Fiduciary for your company retirement plan… Are you complying?
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| Jun 2011 | Human Resources Hiring “Best Practices”– Hiring the right person for the job is one of the most important decisions a business owner makes. In this issue of the Commercial Risk Management Newsletter we suggest some “best practices” for hiring and outline a process that is designed to help you identify those candidates who are best suited for the job and your company.
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| Apr 2011 | Extraterritorial Workers Compensation– Or When Do You Need Foreign Workers Compensation Coverage
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| Feb 2011 | New ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability– We provide the answers to some common questions on the recent changes to the new ACORD 25 form.
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| Dec 2010 | Cyber Liability
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| Oct 2010 | The 2011 Insurance Market – What It Means to You– We provide facts and projections to consider as you begin the budgeting process for 2011.
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| Aug 2010 | Life Insurance 101– Answers to basic questions about America’s most underused risk management tool.
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| Jun 2010 | Workers Compensation Injuries: Employers’ Best Practices– Action steps to substantially improve your company’s risk profile – and drive dollars to your bottom line.
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| Apr 2010 | Social Media and Its Risk Implications– Social media (FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, Yelp, Twitter, etc.) has tens of millions of users – including employees that may work for you. This article addresses the problems and concerns that employers face, and offers action steps to minimize your risks.
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| Feb 2010 | Workplace Investigations– Sooner or later, your company will face the need to investigate an employee. Find out how to conduct such an investigation quickly, thoroughly, and objectively
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| Dec 2009 | Management Liability aka “Executive Risk”– Running a business involves its share of risk. See what protection is available and make a conscious decision regarding coverage – don’t be caught unaware in the event of a loss.
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| Oct 2009 | State of the 2010 Insurance Market– Based on past history and current critical indicators, we can help you budget insurance costs for 2010.
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| Aug 2009 | Managing Your Corporate Auto Exposure– Whether your company owns 100 vehicles or none at all, you have a major exposure to loss arising out of autos used in your business. Effectively managing your automobile exposure can lower your company’s Total Cost of Risk and drive dollars to your bottom line.
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| Jun 2009 | Communication or Lack Thereof– Bad contracts and misunderstandings cause confusion, and confusion costs companies money. Read how an effective Communications Protocol can help reduce your company’s cost of risk and drive dollars to your bottom line.
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| Apr 2009 | Getting Paid… in a Slow Economy– Careful client selection is a cornerstone of risk management. Find out how to increase your chances of getting paid in bad economic times.
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| Feb 2009 | The ‘Obligation to Defend’ Your Client – and Why You Should Avoid It at All Costs! (pgs 1-3)– Insurance companies never intend to provide coverage when their insureds do nothing wrong. A recently decided California Supreme Court case demonstrates the dangers of a poorly worded indemnity agreement. Don’t be caught uninsured!
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| Dec 2008 | Protecting Against Environmental Liability– Potential environmental liability concerns can be ‘deal breakers’ for business and property owners.Risk Management Seminars – 2009 Series
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| Oct 2008 | State of the Commercial Insurance Market – Report for 2009 Employee Benefits Market for 2009– Insurance is often a major budget item – plan your 2009 budget now.
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| Aug 2008 | Fiduciary Liability – Do You Need It?– See why fiduciary liability is an exposure you need to evaluate.
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| Jun 2008 | Personal Insurance – Is Yours Adequate?– Over half the homes in our country are underinsured by 20% or more, and many people also carry inadequate personal liability limits. When was the last time you reviewed your personal insurance program?
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| Apr 2008 | Business Continuation Planning– Have you taken the necessary steps to make sure your business can survive the loss of an owner or key employee?
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| Feb 2008 | Crisis Management – Is Your Firm Prepared?– Your company’s chances of managing a crisis increase significantly with the amount of preparation, planning and training done before a crisis strikes. Find out how!
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| Dec 2007 | Waivers of Subrogation– Learn what they are, how they work, and what you need to know about them.2008 FOCUS SeminarsUpdated list of training seminars through January 2008.
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| Oct 2007 | Commercial Insurance Marketplace – What to Expect in 2008– Whether the market is hard or soft, firms with favorable loss experience can expect the most competitive rates and best coverage terms.
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| Aug 2007 | Managing Real Property Exposures– Background and overview of the risk management issues involved in the real estate lease exposure.
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| Jun 2007 | You’re at the Rental Car Counter – What Coverage Do You Need?– Understanding how your personal or business insurance works is the key to making an informed decision.
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| Apr 2007 | Business Interruption Insurance– After a loss, business interruption coverage can make the difference between getting back in business – or folding your tent!
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| Feb 2007 | Cost of Risk: Who’s Managing Yours?– Regardless of how big your company is, formalizing the risk management function will lower your cost of risk and drive dollars to your bottom line.
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| Dec 2006 | Timely Reporting of Claims and Claim Circumstances– Failure to report claims in a timely manner can jeopardize your coverage.
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| Oct 2006 | Commercial Insurance Outlook for 2007– For many businesses, insurance is a major expense. Plan your 2007 budget now.
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| Aug 2006 | Disaster Recovery – A 10-Step Checklist for Disaster Preparedness– A well thought out Disaster Recovery Program will go a long way toward reducing the potential impact of a catastrophic event.
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| Jun 2006 | Contract Review – A Critical Element of Your Risk Management Program– The time taken at the start to quantify risk and negotiate a contract can yield substantial returns in the event of a problem.
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| Apr 2006 | Telecommuting: Home Sweet Home Office?– Although staff members can live and work from virtually anywhere there is a high-speed Internet connection, take a look at the liability issues.
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| Feb 2006 | Coverages to Consider – What You Don’t Insure Can Hurt You– Although we don’t recommend that you purchase insurance for all, or even most, of the hundreds of exposures to risk, you should be aware of the risks that exist for your firm and what it would cost to insure them.
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| Dec 2005 | What You Need to Know About Crime Insurance– Crime coverage lends itself to being managed – find out how.
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| Oct 2005 | Commercial Insurance Outlook for 2006: What Can You Expect? – For many businesses, insurance is a major expense. Plan your 2006 budget now.
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| Aug 2005 | Soften the Blow of Rising Health Care Costs– Choose the employee health plan that’s best for your business!
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| Jun 2005 | Inland Marine Insurance– Read why you need an experienced Inland Marine insurance broker to identify your exposures and tailor appropriate coverage.
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| Apr 2005 | Understanding Your Experience Modification: What You Need to Know– Find out what a workers compensation experience modification is, and how it affects your business.
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| Feb 2005 | Is Your Property Adequately Insured?– See why spending the time to make sure your property is adequately insured is worth the effort, and how to go about it.
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| Dec 2004 | Safety Programs: Safety Is YOUR Responsibility!– Accidents cost money. Read how to develop a Safety and Health Program for your firm that can reduce your claims and ultimately lower your insurance premiums.
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| Oct 2004 | Commercial Insurance Outlook for 2005– Budget planning assistance based on educated assumptions about the state of the insurance market in 2005.
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| Aug 2004 | Mergers & Acquisitions: Insurance Implications– A thorough analysis of a company’s risk management and insurance programs is critical to a successful merger or acquisition.
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| Jun 2004 | International Insurance: Do You Need It? – As more and more companies do business in foreign countries, use foreign suppliers and/or service providers, international insurance coverage has become a “must.” See if you should have it! |
| Apr 2004 | Your Workers Compensation Final Audit– The audit process is set up so that errors benefit the insurance company. Find out how to make sure the audit process benefits your firm!
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| Feb 2004 | Employers Liability: What Does It Cover?– It’s important to know the coverage provided by the “Employers Liability” section of your workers compensation policy.
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| Dec 2003 | Workers Compensation Insurance: Extraterritorial Exposures– Workers compensation law differs from state to state. Do you have a workers compensation exposure in another state?
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| Oct 2003 | Insurance Outlook 2004 – What to Expect– Provides premium estimates for 2004 based on educated assumptions to help you plan your budget.
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| Aug 2003 | Protecting Your Electronic Assets– What would you do if your entire computer system had crashed or been destroyed?
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| Jun 2003 | Mold Is a Four Letter Word– “Toxic Mold” – the “next asbestos” – is a major concern for everyone associated with the building industry and buildings in general.
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| Apr 2003 | Employee Benefits: Defined Contribution Plans (HRAs) vs. Section 125 Cafeteria Plans– See what type of plan best fits your firm’s needs.
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| Feb 2003 | Mediation and Why You Need to Know About It– A great majority of civil suits are settled before trial. Learn how to work toward a conciliatory (win/win) settlement of disputes that may keep your client relationship in good standing and negate the necessity for more legal action.
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| Dec 2002 | Negotiating– Manage risk and cut losses through the art of negotiation.
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| Oct 2002 | Insurance Requirements in a Hard Insurance Market– Subcontractors are increasingly unable to provide the preferred additional insured endorsement required by their clients. What can be done?
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| Aug 2002 | Reservation of Rights Letters– A reservation of rights provides an insurance company the flexibility to satisfy its duty to defend without committing to coverage. It requires careful monitoring and attention from the insured business owner.
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| Jun 2002 | California’s Workers Compensation Market: Is It Getting Any Better? – See what to expect at your next workers compensation insurance renewal.
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| Apr 2002 | The State of the Insurance Market Today – What to Expect at Your Next Renewal–You’ve heard about the drastic insurance price increases taking place. Why has this happened, how long will it last, and what can you do about it?
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| Feb 2002 | Controlling Employment Practices Liability Claims– Recommendations to help your organization reduce its exposure to employment practices liability claims.
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| Dec 2001 | Workers Compensation Insurance – A Primer– As an employer, it is imperative that you understand how the workers compensation system works, the benefits it provides, and you rights as an employer.
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| Oct 2001 | Managing the Employee Dishonesty Exposure– Employees stealing their employers’ assets happens more often than you’d think, and the perpetrator is generally a long-term, trusted employee. Learn how to reduce your exposures to loss.
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| Aug 2001 | I’ve Been Sued!– What should you do? What happens next?
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| Jun 2001 | The Trouble with E-Mail– One minute it’s your friend; the next minute, it’s telling everyone your deepest secrets. You just can’t trust it!
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| Feb 2001 | California’s Workers Compensation System: On the Verge of Collapse? – The California workers compensation insurance market is in trouble. Find out why, and how this will affect your premium costs. |
| Dec 2000 | Internet Liability Insurance: Do You Need It?– Companies that disseminate information to the public, whether through an Internet web sites, desktop publishing, or e-mail, now face all of the exposures that traditional publishers face. Find out more about these exposures as well as available Internet liability coverage.
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| Aug 2000 | State of the Current Insurance Marketplace – The downward premium spiral is at an end. Jeffrey Cavignac analyzes the current marketplace as insurance companies face downgrades, failures, and consolidation following twelve years which have benefited consumers with lower premiums. |
| Jun 2000 | Auto Coverage in Mexico – Addressing the perennial problem– The Republic of Mexico considers any auto accident a criminal offense as well as a civil matter. Even though you carry U.S. insurance, Mexican authorities may not choose to recognize it. Don’t become another sad example!
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| Apr 2000 | Improving Employee Relations– Why employees and employers often perceive workers compensation to be adversarial
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| Feb 2000 | Coverage Simplified: Commercial General Liability Insurance– It’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of how your coverage works
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| Dec 1999 | D & O Insurance– Do directors and officers of privately owned companies need coverage?
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| Oct 1999 | Environmental Coverage for Non-Environmental Business– Many insureds have significant uninsured exposures; anyone who has even a remote exposure should at least consider this coverage
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| Aug 1999 | Certificates of Insurance– The pros and cons of using certificates of insurance
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| Jun 1999 | Workers Compensation: State of the Market–A brief history of workers compensation and the outlook for the future
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| Apr 1999 | Executive Liability– Unique loss exposures faced by corporate executives
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| Feb 1999 | Crisis!–How would your company handle a major crisis? Are you prepared?
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| Dec 1998 | Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act – Determine how you can best take advantage of the new law’s provisions to minimize your potential liabilities |
| Oct 1998 | Employee Dishonesty – Could It Happen to You? – Most employee theft losses are caused by long-term, well-thought-of employees |
| Aug 1998 | Life Insurance– How much do you need, and what kind? A quick and simple survey to help determine your needs
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| May 1998 | Laptop Computer Security – How good is your security program? Suggestions to help protect your laptop and the information stored in it |
| Mar 1998 | “All Risk” Property Coverage: There’s No Such Thing! – The misnomer “all risk” has been changed to “special perils” to avoid misunderstandings |
