La oVZVoL Za

"The Voice" of Independent Agents in NM since 1934

COPPERPARTNER

BRONZEPARTNER

SILVERPARTNER

GOLDPARTNER

DIAMONDPARTNER

PLATINUMPARTNER

PARTNERs PROGRAM2016 IIANM

This publication is intended to provide accurate and authoritative informa-tion on the subject matter covered, but is distributed with the under-standing that neither IIANM, nor any contributing author, publisher, contributor or advertiser is render-ing legal, accounting or any other professional service and assume no liability whatsoever in connection with its use. Further, the electron-ic links to our advertisers and/or contributors found in this publica-tion are provided as a courtesy to our readers and do not necessarily indicate an endorsement by IIANM.

Advertising rates are available upon request.

Please contact Rachel Sheffield at

rachel@iianm.org for details

Acuity 19

Burns & Wilcox 16

EMC Insurance 15

Market Finders, Inc. 06

Mountain States Insurance Group 05

MHI - Manufactured Housing Insurance 12

New Mexico Mutual 10

Union Standard 21

ADVERTISER !NDEX

CONTENTSFEBRUARY

04 Annual Spring Seminar - 15 Hrs of CE

La Voz cover courtesy of Mary Lynn Gross, Burns & Wilcox

2016

08 Four Critical Questions for Agency Leaders

17 Cyber is a Must for Small Businesses... Including Yours!

13 The Bad Leads Are FREE

18Industry TidBits

07 Retention vs New Business, a delicate balance

14 Tech Talk - Steve Anderson

20Odds n Ends

11 Insurance Start Up’s $2M Success Could Threaten Independents

4 www.iianm.org

March 9

8:00 - 12:00pm• Personal Auto• FMLA / Panel Discussion

1:00 - 4:00pm• Business Owners Policy• Next Generation Insurance Agency / Medicare

4:00 - 5:00pm / Ethics Hour

March 10

8:00 - 12:00pm• Commercial Property• Long Term Care / Telemedicine / Dental - The Impact on Healthcare Costs

1:00 - 4:00pm•

4:00 - 5:00pm / Ethics Hour

March 10

Room block ends February 15, 2016Click here to reserve your room

March 9

E&O Mock Trial

Exhibitor Form

Partners. They

define us.The foundation of Mountain States is

built on our valued agent partnerships

along with the policyholders they’ve

brought to us for the past 78 years.

As respected partners, we treat you the

way we like to be treated. Aw, shucks,

we couldn’t have done it without you.

The Mountain Stands Behind You.®

www.msig-nm.com

5201 F Venice Ave NE - P.O. Box 90280 Albuquerque, NM 87199-0280

(800) 530-8711 (505) 822-8711 Fax: (505) 822-1165

www.market-finders.com

Proudly Serving the Independent Agents of New Mexico since 1977

Check out our new website! www.market-finders.com

7LaVoz

PRINCIPAL by Jacquelyn Connelly & Morgan Smith, IA Magazine

5201 F Venice Ave NE - P.O. Box 90280 Albuquerque, NM 87199-0280

(800) 530-8711 (505) 822-8711 Fax: (505) 822-1165

www.market-finders.com

Proudly Serving the Independent Agents of New Mexico since 1977

Check out our new website! www.market-finders.com

It’s an age-old problem that all independent agencies face, regardless of size or location: finding a formula that focuses on both client retention and new business production.“Balance - that word doesn’t fit into my own thinking of the two,” says Tim Starr, CEO of Wisconsin-based Best Prac-tices agency The Starr Group. “It’s not a balance in that you have to compete for time or resources for one or the other. They’re both critical parts of what we do. Then how do we do it and what does it all look like?”It’s a simple question - with a complicated bottom-line impact.

The Balance Challenge

According to a recent Accenture survey of 1,100 indepen-dent agents, “Evolving to Compete and Win in the Long-Term,” most independent agents’ top priority is retaining existing customers. Attracting new customers comes in at No. 5, following providing a more consistent overall custom-er experience, servicing existing customers and providing access to competitive products.

Why? Retaining an existing customer is not only less costly than acquiring a new one - many producers also find it easier to work on retention than to hunt down new business. “Everyone takes the path of least resistance,” says Nick Kormos, vice president of sales management at MarshBerry. “Part of the issue is just the producer being complacent. There’s no law that a producer has to wake up every morning trying to figure out how to grow their income by 20%. Some of them are just going to get to a certain level and be happy.”But client retention is still important. According to data from MarshBerry, retention levels of average agencies and high-growth agencies are almost identical - in fact, the top 25% of performers in the firm’s database achieved slightly higher retention levels in this past year than the average agency, Kormos says. Meanwhile, MarshBerry’s high-growth agen-cies also write about 20% new business as a percent of prior year commissions and fees, compared to an average of just 12.6% - suggesting that high-growth agencies must focus on both client retention and new business production in order to succeed. A Reagan Consulting study, “Producer

Recruiting & Development: Getting the Attention It Deserves - and Achieving the Results You Need,” reports similar find-ings: The bottom 25% of firms in the Reagan Value Index achieve new business growth of only 7.3%, while the top 25% of firms achieve 25%.

What It Looks Like

To address the challenge, The Starr Group establishes three goals for producers: minimum, regular and stretch. The first is based on research - what’s happening at the local, state and national levels, using MarshBerry for refer-ence. Starr then sits down with each producer to discuss his or her “real goal” - an individually based number that is above a minimum all agents must hit so their renewal percentages stay the same, rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach. Forming the stretch goal is straightforward - just add 20%. “Goals are clearly established and measured every week,” Starr says.For Ramon Montalvo, president of Montalvo Insurance Agency, a Best Practices agency in Texas, it begins by looking at the past. “At the end of the year, we look at our figures - our retention and our growth,” he explains, not-ing the goal is usually 15% growth and 85–90% retention. “Then we meet with producers at our annual producer meeting in early January and give them their goals based on our agency projection.”Bolton & Company, a Best Practices agency in California led by COO Michael Morey, doesn’t use the same top-down approach. “We build it from the individual producer, roll it to the team and then to Bolton as a whole,” Morey says.The process starts by analyzing an individual’s book, acknowledging lost accounts and establishing a base retention - taking off another 2–3% based on pure foresight. “From there, they start to build in their new business op-portunities and determine what that net growth looks like,” Morey says - and because some producers overestimate and others underestimate, it turns out to be a fairly stable projection of future revenue.

Retention vs. New Business:A Delicate Balance

Finish the story...

When it comes to increasing production in the insurance industry, we are, in many ways,

in the same place we’ve always been.And no wonder: Even though we invest a lot of mon-

ey in sales training and costly programs, our staff often remains much the same. It’s like that latest seminar, book or online series - unless you choose to learn the how-to’s of change, nothing dramatically different will ever happen. I often say it’s a disservice to ask ourselves to do something different when the way we relate to it hasn’t changed.So how do you learn to do something different? Let’s start with agency managers and principals. I believe you can't improve the business with-out first improving its leaders - and you can't give those leaders greater freedom and happiness without re-shaping the business.First, begin by asking yourself - and each other - some thought-provok-ing questions:

This question should stir up both positive and negative responses. Whatever is present includes the things that really challenge you - the real struggles you can never seem to overcome. Positive responses might look something like:

• Overall atmosphere of people who care about the firm• Skilled people• Good customers for placing business

Meanwhile, negatives might look something like:• Personality conflicts• Stress• Clients complaining that your product or service costs too much or that they have lost traditional customer service

The same guidelines apply here. A few common responses:• Training and education• Guidance• Communication between departments• Accountability• An electric can opener

This can be a great exercise in self-reflection vs. self-blame. The responses you bring up here should be honest, objective realizations regarding the influence you have in the organization.I’ve met many principals who are great producers, but not great manag-ers of people. This one can be perplexing, but you should try to uncover

are the things you as a principal instill into the culture that already exists at your agency.It’s important to realize things work the way they do because at some level, everyone involved in the day-to-day operations of a business have had a hand in what is currently in place. Your current situation did not drop from the sky on an asteroid. It’s the result of many small and some big decisions by all the people in your organization—including you as a principal. The good news is that you can redirect negative consequenc-es through the will to act in a different way, for a different purpose.Better yet, you can accomplish this without shifting blame or making someone else “wrong.” It’s the first step in creating an environment truly built upon responsibility, accountability and self-government.

Take some time to reflect on the way you act with your staff. Are you demanding and difficult, creating a culture of overload? Or are you a passive conflict avoider, creating a culture where no one feels comfortable bringing issues out into the open and resolv-ing them? One of the ways to view objective feedback is to think about what your staff says about you when you’re not in the room, and then break apart the “why” - what has occurred, objectively, that would result in the current situation?

Answers to this question might include:• An exciting future of growth and success• More productivity from sales staff• Greater relationships with your customers• Opportunities for acquisition• Better team effort from account managers

Ask yourselves what you will do within the next few days, and involve your management team to make it happen. Ask questions like, “By when can we meet on this?” “What will Kathleen report on?” “What will Jamie bring to the table?” “How will we reach our goal?” “What are the obstacles that may get in the way?”

It’s easy to make statements that seem lofty and full of visionary insight, but what will you do differently to compel action with the goals and objectives you have spent time creating? That should be the follow-up response to this question.

4 Critical Questions for Agency Leaders

by Brandie Hinen, founder & CEO of Powerhouse Learning

1 - What’s present?

2 - What’s missing?

3 - How do you contribute to what’s missing?

4 - What possibilities exist for your organization?

You asked, we listened… Introducing ALP, IIANM’s Agency Leadership Program first class participants:

- Kimberlee Brazell, Aon Risks Solutions

- Charlene Fairchild, Aon Risks Solutions

- Dan Foley, Poms & Associates

- Bruce Foster, Cress Insurance Consultants

- Joseph Menicucci, Berger Briggs Real Estate & Insurance

- Mike Parisi, Atlas Insurance Services

- Bob Smith, Kysar Insurance Agency

- Kendra Zacharias, Rio Grande Insurance Services

You can't improve the business without first improving its leaders

Introducing Brandie Hinen, our new Agency Leadership Program (ALP) facilitator!

Brandie Hinen began in the insurance industry in 1995 as a young producer for a well-known North-ern California brokerage. In the spring of 2003, Brandie was asked by members of the insurance community to break off and begin doing on-site consulting and training. From 2006-2008 Brandie was an instructor for the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, now teaching the program she once attended less than a decade earlier. She eventually instructed for Dynamics of Selling, Dynamics of Company/Agency Relations, and helped create the curriculum for Dynamics of Personal Lines. Brandie’s firm currently has the honor of 10 state association endorsements (and

counting) for their implementation and leadership programs.

We are excited to welcome Brandie and are looking forward to her expertise in paving the way for our next agency leaders!

Thank you for placing your business with a New Mexico company. We look forward to providing your clients with a wide range of local services to enhance their insurance experience.

New Mexico’s Experts in Workers’ Compensation Insurance. 3900 Singer Blvd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87109 • 505.345.7260 or 800.788.8851 • www.NewMexicoMutual.com

*Excludes accounts that were insured with New Mexico Mutual in the previous 6 months, canceled policies, rewritten policies, and renewal policies.

*Applicable to new policies bound with effective dates of October 1 to December 31, 2016.

5% COMMISSION INCREASE

ON NEW BUSINESS*

Drive New Business to

Policy Effective Dates October 1, 2015

to December 31, 2016

By federal law, the Big “I” is required to provide member states with the following disclosure regarding their 2014-2015 dues.

Dues to the Big “I” are not deductible as a charitable contribution, but may be deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense.

To the extent that the Big “I” engages in lobbying, the portion of the dues that relate to lobbying expenses is not deductible as an ordinary and neces-sary business expense. This law was enacted in 1993, effective Jan. 1, 1994 (Section 13222 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 [OBRA

1993]). The non-deductible portion of dues for 2014-2015 is 25.03%. Please forward this information to the appropriate staff in your organization. The following is a recap of the non-deductible portion of dues for the past six years:

FY 2009-10 Estimated 17.72% Actual 21.37%

FY 2010-11 Estimated 21.92% Actual 22.19%

FY 2011-12 Estimated 22.83% Actual 22.29%

FY 2012-13 Estimated 22.71% Actual 23.14%

FY 2013-14 Estimated 23.76% Actual 25.27%

FY 2014-15 Estimated 25.21% Actual 25.03%

FY 2015-16 Estimated 25.07%

IIANM DUES DEDUCTIBILITY

Coverhound, Google Compare and Wal-Mart dominated head-lines in recent months as alternative ways of shopping for auto insurance continued to gain traction and threaten the otherwise stable independent agent and broker channel.

Now, the entrance of a new startup has raised the bar in terms of what consumers can expect – and for how independents will have to upgrade and diversify in order to remain relevant in a digital age.

Insurify, a company developed out of MIT, recently pulled in $2 million in seed from investors after introducing the launch of Evia (Expert Virtual Insurance Agent). The “robo” agent purports to find consumers better car insurance by snapping a photo of a car’s license plate and pulling the resulting information to shop for quotes.

The startup’s model resembles that of Coverhound and Google, but differs in its user-friendly simplicity and the range of carriers it represents (big companies like Progressive, Allstate and AAA are on board). Insurify also represents a partner opportunity to these comparison sites.

While privacy concerns abound, Insurify and similar models are becoming a force to be reckoned with and some – including War-ren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway – are attempting to build on their success by developing similar approaches to homeowners and commercial insurance lines.

Insurance agents themselves are not unmoved. A recent survey from agency technology provid-er Vertafore reveals that more than half of insur-ance agents (54%) feel moderately to seriously threatened by these new entrants.

Guy Weismantel, vice president of marketing of Vertafore, points out that agencies are not standing still, howev-er. Four out of five agencies reported increasing their IT budgets over the last 12 months in order to address these threats, with 47% planning to spend more to advance customer self-service capabilities, while 43% are looking to investments in cloud ser-vices and solutions.

Investments in mobile (40%) in the form of mobile-friendly websites and apps are also among technology budgets for agents in 2015.

“The insurance industry is on the verge of disruption in the way we work and do business,” Weismantel said. “New self-service technologies are popping up daily, contributing to the evolving role and future of the insurance agent. Rather than shying away from change, our survey shows that agents are embracing and integrating technologies into their operations to enhance the customer experience.

“The future of insurance is not about displacing the agent; it’s about strengthening and reinvigorating agent services with technology.”

Insurance startup’s $2M success could threaten independents by Caitlin BronsonSOURCE: Insurance Business America

http://mymhionline.com

13LaVoz

PRODUCER by Ryan Hanley

To kick this off, here are 4 things we know about TrustedChoice.com today:

1) The bad leads are free

Every lead delivered to Advantage subscribers through Trusted-Choice.com is unique. We create one-to-one, buyer-to-agent, connections.

This is why we don’t call these connections leads, we call them referrals. We also do not resell leads. Our work is always and only about creating a powerful introduction.Some of the leads are good (referrals).

Some of the leads are bad.It’s true. You are going to receive leads you don’t like.

There are many reasons you might receive a “bad lead.” But the hard truth is: Bad leads happen.

This is why we created the Appetite Engine algorithm.

We’re constantly tweaking search results to better match insur-ance buyers with the agent/carrier combo who best serves that piece of business.

We have more work to do.

The Rub

We know you’re going to get bad leads. The bads leads are free. You don’t pay for bad leads. Why? Because unlike most pay-per-lead services, TrustedChoice.com is a subscription service. You pay a flat monthly fee.

Stop worrying about the leads you don’t like and focus on the referrals you do.

2) Some referrals will take work

The reality is, people don’t go online unless they have a prob-lem.

If everything with their insurance was great, they wouldn’t have gone online in the first place.

T he Bad Leads Are

Free (and 3 More T hings We Know About TrustedChoice.com)

TrustedChoice.com is not perfect.Let’s get real for a minute.

Its time for an honest discussion about what TrustedChoice.com is today, the role TrustedChoice.com plays in the independent insurance industry and what we’re working to improve in the future.

I’m going to be as transparent I can be. There is no denying I have my own biases.

1.I work for TrustedChoice.com2.I believe in the mission of TrustedChoice.com3.I’m bullish on the future of the independent agency channel

This being said, I’m going to do my best to provide an authentic take on TrustedChoice.com.

In return, I expect you to keep an open mind.

Just as TrustedChoice.com is far from perfect, the standard business practices of most independent insurance agencies are far from perfect.

We succeed as an industry by learning, communicating and growing together.

Servant and StewardTrustedChoice.com sits in the fairly unique position of both ser-vent to and steward of the independent agency channel.

We are a service provider (expanding brand awareness and gen-erating online referrals) for independent agents and our carrier partners.

At the same time, we must act as digital standard bearer, edu-cating, entertaining and inspiring insurance buyers to choose an independent insurance agent.

These are two very different constituencies with, at times, diametrically opposed strategies in service of one constituency over the other.

Balancing the needs of all is our true measure of success.

If the agencies and carriers we serve don’t succeed, we don’t suc-ceed (and to a certain extent, the opposite is true true as well).

My hope is that through open discussion we can learn how to better serve your needs and grow our great industry together. In the future, you’ll see much more content on Agency Nation with news, updates, results, best practices, and case studies about TrustedChoice.com.

Finish the story...

14 www.iianm.org

SteveANDERSON.comby, Steve Anderson

(Always feel free to email me with comments, new ideas or products that have worked for you. I will check them out and spread the word!)

Social Platform Tools That Will Help Boost Your Marketing Communications (Part 1)

Helping your agency be visible to the online consum-er is an important part of your agency’s marketing communication process. Using the appropriate tools is an excellent way to streamline the process of building your social presence. Any brand presence on social media is worthless if it fails to connect with the right audience in a relevant way.

Following are a few social platform tools that will help you build visibility and reduce the amount of time you have to invest on these marketing efforts:

BoardBooster is a tool that will help you schedule and manage Pinterest postings. It has many features that will kickstart your marketing strategies. In addition to scheduling pins, it allows you to loop activity. With this feature, you can update your board by repinning an older pin and then get rid of the existing pin or the latest pin based on their performance. This helps you by repinning great material on a regular basis. The free version allows for 100 pins per month. Paid plans start at $5 for 500 pins per month.

If your agency website uses the WordPress platform, this could be a great plug-in to add. Once you have installed Revive Old Post, this plugin will extract the existing collection of blog posts and automatically post them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts respectively. It keeps your old articles live by sharing them in driving more traffic to your website.

With this tool, you do not need to bother scheduling your most recent and significant articles on your social media accounts. You just need to arrange it and monitor the flow of traffic with automation. A Pro (paid) version adds additional functionality.

Using pictures and images in your articles and on social platform posts is essential to getting someone’s attention. Using personal pictures is a much better way to engage with someone than simply grabbing a stock photo.

The updated Google Photos platform is a great way for you to more easily manage your pictures and images.

When you install Google Photos on your computer and other mobile devices, the program will automatically start uploading your images and video to your Google Photos account.

The benefits of using Google Photos to upload your pictures include: • All your pictures are transferred automatically to Cloud as a backup. • You can easily transfer your photos among various de-vices. For instance, you can take a picture with your camera and download it onto your phone through Google Photos and post it on Instagram. • Google Photos will automatically create stories, anima-tions, and collages with your best pictures. I have found these to be quite compelling. • Using machine learning that recognizes images, you can search for different photos just by topics and faces. As in many Google products, there is no cost for using the Goo-gle Photos service.

I recommend you experiment using these tools to see which ones might be relevant to you. A key to continuing to develop your online presence is consistency. Using just one of these tools could help you save significant time and allow you to streamline the management of your social presence.

Part 2

SCORING CLAIMSFOR BETTER SERVICE.

© Copyright Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2016. All rights reserved.

www.emcins.comPHOENIX BRANCH OFFICEPhone: 800-432-8422 | Home Office: Des Moines, IA

EMC does more than handle claims, we score them. Information gathered from adjusters and customers provides us with metrics to continually enhance the quality and promptness of EMC’s claims handling. It’s just one of the many reasons policyholders Count on EMC ®.

MALLORY ANDERSONClaims Adjuster IIEMC Phoenix Branch

Placing insurance for different contractors can be a daunting project. At Burns & Wilcox, our network of domestic and international carriers opens doors to the broadest range of markets. Since time is of the essence, we deliver quotes and binders fast. When it comes to finding solutions for every stage of construction, contact the wholesale broker with the tools to make the hard-to-place easy – Burns & Wilcox.

CONTRACTORS SOLUTIONS

Commercial | Professional | Personal | Brokerage | Binding | Risk Management Services

Your gateway to contractors markets.

Albuquerque, New Mexico | 505.346.2583toll free 866.643.8538 | fax 505.822.0092albuquerque.burnsandwilcox.com

37998 Burns Commerical Ad RSZ La Voz Dig APPROVED.indd 1 7/7/15 10:13 AM

17LaVoz

“If an agent isn’t suggesting cyber insurance to their custom-ers, talking to them about their cyber exposures or somewhat knowledgeable about the various product offerings that exist in the market, they’re doing their customer a disservice—and ultimately themselves a disservice,” says Tim Francis, enterprise cyber leader at Travelers.

Recent headline-worthy mega breaches and October’s status as Cyber Security Awareness Month have helped raise awareness about cyber security, but independent agents and their business clients still have some catching up to do. Because cyber liability coverage is still relatively new in the marketplace, a layer of naïveté and denial remains about its necessity—and experts say that needs to change.

Small Means Susceptible Independent insurance agencies and their small business clients have an obligation to protect collected personally identifiable data. But for many, having the infrastruc-ture in place to deal with a breach is unlikely. Francis explains that small companies are every bit as vulnerable as the big dogs—and perhaps even more so due to the lack of resources and staff that are necessary to protect against a breach in the first place. “Cyber events can have a significant impact on the bottom line and a significant impact on the reputation,” Francis says.

“That’s as true of a small company as it is of a big company and everyone in between.” “It’s important to have an appropriate cyber product, not just to protect financially, but also to help respond to such an event,” adds Jeff Norton, private enterprise product head at Beazley. “Mismanaging a breach can be far worse for insurers than the event itself.” Data from New Agency Partners proves it: While 31% of all cyber attacks occur at com-panies with fewer than 250 employees, 60% of small businesses will shut down after an attack—a sobering statistic considering 40% of small businesses do not have a contingency plan in place.

Understanding Cyber Whether you’re a seasoned expert or a cyber newbie, the first step for agents is to identify what exposures are present and to form a working knowledge about why exposures exist. “Whether they are a data owner, in that the consumer believes that that business has their information, or whether they’re a data processor, and they’re just processing someone’s information on behalf of someone else, each one has different exposure,” Norton explains. Understanding common data compromise threats and staying aware of available cover-age products are crucial steps for agents just warming up to the

conversation about cyber. Begin by taking these basic preventa-tive steps: Look at the data you take in. Ask yourself if it’s nec-essary and where it’s located. Review potential security issues that can be implemented to protect that data, such as updating company policies and procedures around cyber. Think about data in the context of what would happen if a breach were to occur. Develop a plan to respond in a timely, effective manner. Complete a test run.

Your agency should consider purchasing cyber coverage for E&O purposes. Reviewing proposals and understanding which coverage responds in what way is applicable to selling the coverage to their own clients. “It’s very difficult to sell a product if you don’t buy it yourself,” says Norton, who notes that cyber liability “should be considered a core line of someone’s insur-ance portfolio.” Sabrena Sally, senior vice president at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, asks the ultimate question for indepen-dent agents who juggle multiple markets, “How does someone become a specialist when they almost have to be a generalist in everything?”

Sally’s advice is to start by focusing on the resources you currently have—educating yourself about the cyber coverage available through the carriers you already work with.

The bottom line? Cyber liability coverage for your agency and your small business customers is worth it. “While for your own agency's E&O, you may buy an E&O policy that includes some cyber liability coverage, it's likely not to the extent that you would need it,” Sally says. “There’s still a need for the stand-alone policy.”

MEMBER BENEFIT

CYBER

Cyber is a Must for Small Businesses

Including yours!

It’s jumped from a specialty niche to a mainstream coverage in a matter of years. And cyber liability has no signs of slowing down.

by Morgan Smith, IA assistant editor

Get A Quote

Recently, longtime IIANM member, Will Burke, owner of the Burke Insurance Group, LLC was featured in NMSU’s Semi-annual Report to Stake-holders Newsletter. Burke donated $5,000 to NMSU’s Risk Management and Insur-ance Studies Program.With the Giving Tuesday matching, this year’s scholar-ship will be worth $10,000.

Thank you Burke Agency for your generosity!

Pictured: NMSU students that attended last year’s IIANM convention. IIANM and New Mexico Mutual donated $50,000 to the scholarship program for these and future students in the insurance program.

Rated A+ by A.M. Best and S&P

Ward’s 50 best-run company

Named the #3 large company to work for in America

Manages over $3 billion in assets

61st largest insurer in the nation

In business since 1925

Less than 3% voluntary employee turnover

Amer i can Hear t Mon th . Heart disease kills an estimated 630,000 Americans each year. February has been celebrated as American Heart Month since 1963 as part of the effort to urge Americans to join the battle against heart disease. Learn how to reduce your risk through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

Valentine’s Day, love, and moneyMoney may not buy you love, but on Valen-

tine’s Day it can buy a lot of flowers, candy, and jewelry. Americans last year spent $18.9 billion

on Valentine’s Day, with the average person paying $142.93—$96.63 on their spouse or significant other,

and the rest going to gifts for family members, co-work-ers, teachers, and others.

Men spent more than women—an average of $190.53, com-pared to $96.58. Almost 52 percent of men bought candy for their partners, 61 percent went for flowers, and 21 percent splurged on jewelry.

The gift giving wasn’t limited to people, either—21.2 percent bought something for their pets.

Start your day with a breakfast that countsBreakfast is the most important meal of the day, many experts (and moms) say, so nutrition and good choices in the morning are key to a healthy lifestyle. Keep these tips in mind to start your day off right:

• Don’t skip it. You may think you’re too busy or you’ll save on calories. In reality, you may not have the energy you need to get going, and you’ll probably be more tempted by snacks later in the day.

• Watch the sugar. A food labeled “low fat” may be high in sug-ar content (yogurt, for example). Juices and coffee drinks can be loaded with extra sugar as well. Keep an eye on unwanted sugar so you don’t absorb needless calories—and crash later in the day.

• Get lots of protein. If you put milk on your cereal, remember to drink all of it instead of dumping it in the sink when you’re finished eating. Otherwise, try a hard-boiled egg, or spread some peanut butter on your toast.

• Get plenty of fiber. Fiber makes you feel full longer. Bran flakes or an oat bran muffin (without too much sugar) can give you what you need. You can also add chia seeds or ground flax seeds to your cereal.

• Eat more than fruit. An apple or banana may sound like a good choice, but chances are it won’t give you the energy you need to get through the morning. Eat a balanced breakfast of 300–400 calories so you don’t start snacking before lunchtime.

Reduce stress with these simple stepsStress can undercut your effectiveness at work. Every job has less than enjoyable moments, but when you start feeling ready to burst, put some of these techniques into action:

• Take a 15-minute break. Once a day, spend 15 minutes relaxing. Try meditation, a quick walk, or some inspiration-al reading. Don’t think about your problems, just immerse yourself in the activity. You’ll feel better when you get back to work.

• Learn to say no. You probably can’t turn down orders from your boss, but you can take more control of your time by not letting co-workers bury you with requests. Help out as much as you can, but let people know—politely—that you’ve got to stick to priorities. You’ll avoid being overwhelmed by extrane-ous tasks.

• Identify your motivations. Figure out what you like about your current job—and what drives you crazy. Seek ways to maximize the first and minimize the second. The better you know what you’re looking for in your career, the quicker you’ll find it.

Odds endsand

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to break the bankLooking for something to do with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day that’s not too expensive? Try these ideas:

• Read a story together. Buy two copies of your favor-ite book or story (or borrow them from your library) and spend the evening discussing it. You may both learn things you didn’t know about the story (and each other).

• Team up on a new recipe. Instead of going out to a restau-rant, delve into your cookbooks and find a meal to collaborate on. Choose something different and challenging, and enjoy the results.

• Visit a museum. Your town probably has a museum (or two) that you’ve never been to, or a landmark you haven’t seen yet. Select someplace new and check it out together.

• Go ice skating. Fnd an ice rink nearby and go out for an hour or two of gliding—or falling—around together. Most rinks will rent skates for a minimal fee.

Commercial Insurance >> Done the Right Way >> By a Company of People >> Who Care

USadvantage is our new and proprietary product that replaces BOP for new business and is an option on package accounts. With over 280 eligible classes of business available,

you can grow your business easily and quickly. USadvantage allows you to provide your customers with comprehensive and flexible coverage, tailored to meet their needs.

USadvantage is easy!Our online rating system, Express Rate, will take the guess work out of determining

if an applicant is USadvantage eligible. You can also bind coverage online for certain classes. Best of all, you still have a dedicated underwriter to assist with coverages

and pricing as needed.

Want to know more?For more information on eligibility and coverage, contact your local

Union Standard branch office today!

AM BEST

Products and services are provided by one or more insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation. Not all products and services are available in every jurisdiction, and the precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to the actual terms and conditions of the policies as issued.

Union Standard Insurance Group is a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.

6501 Americas Parkway NE, Suite 600 | Albuquerque, NM 87110P 505-830-0038 | TF 888-387-0038 | F 505-830-0033 | usic.com

t h e n e x t b i g a d v a n t a g e f o r s m a l l b u s i n e s s