Welcome to the first Insurance & Risk Soapbox article in the in the reborn Boca News.
It is an honor and privilege to be able to share my forty-three years of Insurance and Risk Management experience with our readers.
I’d like to share my goals and objectives in writing my articles as well as the format planned for this column.
Goals & Objectives:
Educate – Like the weather, most people have strong opinions about the insurance industry. Unfortunately, there is a profound lack of understanding of basic insurance fundamentals, purpose, process, and procedures. I will provide industry insights which will be informative, helpful and at times controversial.
Inform – Trends, facts, predictions, and experience will be shared to inform you of insurance related issues and events affecting or soon to affect our lives and businesses. When providing educational material, I will focus on the how and why of insurance topics. Informational discussions will be more what, when and who oriented.
Help – I want to help our readers better protect what is important to them. Insurance is a key tool in many aspects of your financial protection. It is also a costly expense. Risk Management, a topic we will often discuss, is an equally important process in the protection process. I want to help you obtain the best quality protection at a fair and reasonable cost.
Challenge – I will be disappointed if I do not challenge ingrained concepts and create new and broader understandings of insurance. I am not looking to convert anyone to different opinions. I hope to enhance perspective and insight.
Rant & Vent – The inscription on my tombstone should read ” Often wrong but never in doubt”.I have no shortage of strong opinions. Occasionally they are sage. They are never without a reasonable degree of validity. Four decades of industry observation and study allows me the credentials to spout like an expert. This column provides the vehicle. Hang on! I intend to use it.[Ergo: The Soapbox in the column title]
Format:
You, the readers, will determine the future direction and format for this column. This includes my early retirement, if it is not well received.Initially, the plans are to rotate on a weekly basis, without any strict schedule, between the following layouts.
- Free flowing format addressing multiple topics educational informational and helpful in nature.
- Topical discussions on ‘Big Picture’ events, concepts, ideas or subjects you may find insightful.
- An occasional foray into a single topic addressed to educate or challenge our readers.
- Periodic Editorial comments when the volcanic pressure is too great to restrain.
- As many Q&A columns as our readers demand based upon their valued comments and inquiries. Please email questions and suggestions for future articles.
Throughout the tenure of this column [predicted by many to be days or weeks] there will be irreverent humor, healthy cynicism, unvarnished opinion and a consistent desire to improve upon the staus quo. If you think Insurance cannot be fun, this will not be the column for you.
Forty-three years in this industry has given me the belief that a large portion of the public has a visceral distrust and dislike for the insurance industry. This disturbs me because I have found the vast majority of people and companies, in Property & Casualty Insurance [my forte] to be honorable and trustworthy. Of course there are bad actors and unscrupulous companies. I believe they are the exception.
Hopefully this article will provide insight and increased understanding of how and why the industry operates. Added knowledge allows us all to form more informed opinions.
Please send you comments and questions to lburke@bbbins.com<mailto:lburk
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