Turn turn turn

That we should have travelled thus far and not realised the truth of the journey is an amusement to me.

There is time to stop and consider what we have done and where we are going.

Make that time now.

To anyone that has occasionally read the blogs that I submit to the world, they should have realised that every text is linked to a song. 

Why? 

The idea is to make the words more memorable and resonate with the reader for longer.

The songs featured are always darned good tunes too and worth a second listen or discovery if this is the first time.

So hitch up your skirt, pull up your socks, gather up whatever is in need of a gather and follow me.

I am about to embark on a new journey; one of learning and creativity

This is a taster of what is to come

A tease 

And you never know, the words to the song just might spur you on too

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4 

In between days

Your choice is made.
It is too late now to change it.
How many times have you made a change, selected something then wondered if you had done the right thing?
With some choices, it is doesn't really matter; brown sauce or red - well it's only one sausage sandwich spoilt, the wrong pair of shoes, they can live with you for a painfully long time.
And with some decisions, they can linger long and have catastrophic results.

Now, consider the world of insurance; all of us do from time to time wonder whether to renew with the same company, the same broker, the same insurer..."they know me, they know my business, they know what I do. They look after me and I am sure that I have the right cover for what ism lily to happen to me." I hope you have said all these things, or at least considered them carefully before renewing.

If there is any doubt in your mind, then stop, reconsider and contact a professional insurance broker for advice.

You will not receive advice if you go direct to an insurance company or a comparison site online.

So if there is a problem in the future, bad luck befalls us all from time to time and you are unlucky enough to have to make a claim, go to the broker, the trusted advisor who said what cover you needed to best look after your particular needs, pointed out what was not covered and what additional covers that were available and say "hey I need to make a claim, can you help me please?"

Their response should be clear and unequivocal: "yes there is cover, let me go through the procedure to deal with the incident"; "No this incident is not covered, it is excluded alas as outlined when we discussed the policy some months ago" or maybe: "I will need to check the policy wording and possibly negotiate with your insurers how best to handle this matter".

Now every claim is straightforward and occasionally a degree of persuasion is needed to resolve an issue. That is when you need an insurance broker to assist you.

There are many independent brokers around, who are not tied to loyalty deals, comfortable relationships with insurers and bonus allegiances and still offer the best deal for you interns of price and cover.

It is important to make the right choice as your business, home and livelihood could be in jeopardy.

Make sure you find one and check out well in advance of renewal that you are with someone you trust to give you the right advice.


I am one of those insurance brokers you can contact, by the way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=scif2vfg1ug

What are words worth? Another tribute

I want to tell you a story and try and keep it light and gentle. So lend me an ear and park yourself in front of the screen for a few minutes and listen to what I have to say.

A few weeks ago, I met a young lady through a Networking meeting. I was impressed with her knowledge of the finer arts of Accounting, from conducting a balance sheet audit to process management; I was truly dazzled by the array of words she used that I understood on their own, but not when linked together.

You know the kind of thing; I came across a Project Manager the other day and he used the phrase critical path method. 

Now I know what is critical; making sure I achieve my targets, whether that is Merlot or Money and I know what a path is; how to follow one and why it might not lead where I want to go; and I don’t struggle with method;- it is how something is done, or not done or just madness. 

But put them all together and I am baffled at what the meaning is.

Anyway, insurance is a little bit like that. We have filled the policies we sell (encourage you to feel the need to buy) with terms that can be just a little too fancy for their own good.

Indemnity is a great example – quite simply you are put in the same position as before the claim – but you never are. Ask anyone.

Average is even better. When a claim is settled, average will be applied if you failed to insure your stuff for the full amount it would take to replace it. So the claim payment will be reduced in the same ratio of underinsurance. Makes sense when you spell it out and sounds fair yes, but average. 

Average is Stoke City on a good day. Average is what Bradman wasn’t at cricket and his average of 99.94 proved it.

So words can be a stumbling block to understanding.

Nothing new there, but spare these word-makers a thought and take advantage of the best word-makers around and choose the person for the job, not the on-line App that promises to meet your every need. It wont.

I am sure that internet is great for many things, but getting a hair cut is not one of them.

So you go to the barbers for styling and snipping and if you want solid, honest and above all clear advice on insurance, please come to me.

For more information on words see link below and clear the fog

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vl1m5FYlAo

This is the day - a tribute

Now is the time to create an environment of peace, love and understanding, sharing the warmth of shared experiences and develop as a person your worth and appreciate how being at one with yourself can bring benefits to you in your daily activities.

The calendar on the wall is ticking the days off...now is the time to act.

The paint is peeling and the rust is forming. Kick off the winter blues and heady for Summer spring, fresh water glistening in pools of mysterious emptiness and longing fading into resolution.

When the email pings, the letter falls through your letterbox or lands on your desk.

When the hand on the clock clicks the hour, the number flips into now.

Probably too late to consider the alternative.

Before you reach the eleventh hour, the night is always darkest before the dawn, you feel backed into a corner, no time to reconsider and more later flowers for the bees.

Insurance: is the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another in exchange for payment. It is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss.

You will have some of this stuff.

Now look around and ask if what is there, is measured and true; you understand what you are paying for and what is and what is not covered.

If you are unsure, let me know - I will undertake to examine closely the risks associated with what you are doing, then like the finest Savile Row tailor, fashion a suit of policies to meet those needs; compare that with what you hold at the moment and walk away. If you call me back because there are glaring omissions and savings to be made, then great. If you are happy with holes in your socks and gaps in the windows, letting wind and rain in, then great also, just be lucky.

For unbiased advice, contact me

For an independent look over your shoulder, get in touch.

Moving just keep moving

As times goes on, it is possible to become jaded and not sure that the direction you are taking is leading to the destination you want to arrive at.

Often we are thrust into a place where we are uncomfortable add the feeling of being unsettled is not a pleasant one.

There are choices to be made throughout life; brown bread or white; car or walk, sugar or not.

And we can change our mind quite easily and it well, it really doesn't matter that much.

But there are certain areas in our life where our decisions can have a great impact on how things turn out for us, if other things happen. White bread will be fine for the odd sandwich, but if it is all you eat, you are not going to live a long and healthy life.

Turning to insurance, you can buy an insurance policy from anyone authorised to sell that product. You can be safe in the knowledge and belief that if the peril listed happens, then you will be paid in line with the cover arranged. It is as simple as that. Or is it?

As vital as insurance is to any business, it can be an expensive piece of paper if it is not arranged correctly. A company might have insurance relevant to every aspect of its operations, but if you don’t fully understand the implications of the terms, conditions and warranties, you could still be left exposed.

So, take that policy and examine it, read every word and make sure you know what is covered and make allowances for anything that falls outside the policy coverage, for no insurance policy can cover everything - the cost would be under stably prohibitive. If your advisor doesn't talk about what is not covered ask yourself why? If this is the case, then in the event of a claim or an incident that could give rise to one, one that is going to cost you money and inconvenience, I expect you will have the uncomfortable feeing again, the one where you are not sure what is going to happen next. Too late to click refresh and go back to the insurance meeting where you discussed in detail the merits of obtaining the right cover and what would happen if a claim arose. The water is gushing through the ceiling, the folding machine so essential to your business is damaged and not working, with no replacement available for three months and orders piling up, employees unhappy, management scratching their heads and you in charge of the company, but not in charge of the elements which caused the flood.

Now is the time when that insurance policy needs to kick in and come to the rescue.

Now is the time to pull the insurance policy out of the filing cabinet and start reading the clauses and conditions so fundamental to understanding how the policy will react to the losses you are suffering.

There is a better way.

With an insurance broker to look after you, you can however be in a position of strength, you can turn to them to appoint a Loss Assessor and Loss Adjuster and with the assistance of the might of a strong insurer to fund the delivery of resources and ensure your business recovers swiftly and grows again.

It sounds simple and I know it will be a time fraught with difficulties, but if you make the right choices early on in the insurance provider selection and insurance advisor, there is no reason why you need panic.

Measured delivery of a planned reinstatement and recovery to where you were before is what you expect and deserve.

For this you need an experienced broker who knows and understands your business and can relate what could and would affect your business into a risk management and insurance programme to deal with those problems.

For more information on how I can help you contact me and I wall put you on the path to enlightenment and peace.

Graham Wedgbury

Insurance but different

I can guarantee that I will reduce your spend on insurance.

I will take a fee for my services, in proportion to what I save, so the more I save, the better off you will be and the better off I will be.

You have nothing to lose.

You do not need to place your insurances with me, if your existing relationship with your current insurance broker is sound, but you may find that after I have completed the exercise that you do wish to use me as your preferred supplier and advisor.

I would repeat that there is no requirement for you to do this and I am at ease working with your current arrangements and still save you money.

At the same time as I save you money, I will produce a detailed analysis of the risks your business faces and how to use insurance or an alternative means to address these.

I am confident of my ability and have a track-record of performing the same tasks for my existing portfolio of clients and non-clients who have benefitted from my advice.

I qualified as an associate of the insurance institute in 1991 and became a Chartered insurance practitioner in 1995.

Qualifications are no more than pieces of paper, but it is in applying the knowledge gained from many years of a wide range of corporate enterprises that has given me the edge over my competitors.

I am straight talking and will provide unbiased advice on how best to resolve the question of insurance; often a large and seen as necessary evil to many.

Insurance is this, but much more and it is knowing how to make the benefits the cover provides work for you that will help your business and put you in a stronger position going forward.

As I said, you can us me a one-off service to reduce your spend, take the advice on offer and remain where you are, or you can use me again the next year, if you are not certain if your current broker is performing as they should

I know that you receive many calls each year from insurance brokers, agents and cold-callers trying to persuade you that their brokerage is in the best position to save you money and look after your every need.

I am not promising that, unless that is the conclusion you come to after I carried out my review, saved you money and arranged increased benefits for you and your organisation.

I would add that I will save you a great deal of time and wasted energy dealing with the insurance brokerages and sales companies touting for your business going forward as all you need do is to say that you have our portfolio of insurance reviewed annually by an insurance consultant and have no desire to change your working practices at this time.

I have come to the conclusion to offer this to you and organisations like yours, as I do not feel that the current insurance model is working to anyone’s advantage.

We are all chasing the same pound, when we should be concentrating on providing the best service to you. That service should, in my eyes, include arranging the best cover for you to suit your actual requirements, not what your broker can convince you is what you need.

I have often said to my clients – there is a policy you could take out that would provide you with such and such cover but do you really need it? Well the simple answer is often No, they do not.

When it comes to the end of your meeting with your current broker, do they run down a list of add-ons and cross-sells to see if they can squeeze an extra sale out of you?

I am sure the answer is Yes.

I am even more sure that if the requirement for that cover was there in the first place and trust me there is nothing new or exciting in insurance that has not been considered before, then they would have said at the beginning of the meeting, “Hey before we go any further, the item at the top of the agenda is Directors and Officers Insurance or Legal Expenses insurance”.

It doesn’t happen.

I will give you the ability to assess your broker by what they have done for you and what they should have done for you. And at the same time save you money.

I am sure that some insurance brokers do a great job. Alas, I know that quite a few rely on being ‘friends’ with the client, established an ‘unquestioning’ relationship, on being able to smooth over the poor claims service here and there. Some are complacent, some are, to be blunt, not up to speed; not aware of the risks that a business faces and lack the ability to assess this and fit a package of insurance covers and risk management to match the risks.

If that person is you and you are not sure; not 100% sure that everything is in place as it should be, or not sure if the price you paid last year was inflated by high commissions and the broker has blindly relied on the same policy as last year and not completed a full fact find and proper assessment of your business, then contact me.