Category: Bulletin Board

Alright – so last time we journeyed over to our insurance agent, found the best rate for whatever policy we needed and successfully activated our insurance policy. Congratulations! But... now what?  Once a policy is active, you (the insured) can request changes made to your policy at any time during the policy term! Simply contact your agent, who may be able to make changes themselves through the company’s website, or they may need to submit a request.  You also have the right to cancel your policy anytime during your term. Your agent will obtain a signed cancellation and have the policy canceled for you.  Once the cancellation is processed the policy will become inactive on the cancellation effective date and coverage will end (and the cycle stops).   If your policy…

Now for some reason, when I start to think about the life cycle of a policy, School House Rock’s I’m Just a Bill refuses to get out of my head! And while ‘I’m Just a Policy’ doesn’t have a fun refrain or animated storyline, it does have the advantage of moving faster through it’s cycle than the US Government allows bills to!  So what exactly happens when you go to purchase your insurance policy? Well, after you find an independent agent, they’ll ask you a few questions to determine what you’re looking for and what type of insurance you’ll need.  Independent agents represent multiple insurance companies and will usually know where they can best place the coverage depending on the risk.    Your agent will start a quote either directly on…

You may think that insurance is just one more thing you have to pay for, month after month, year after year. But unlike other ‘subscription services’, you don’t regularly see the benefits - so why do we really need it?  Well, insurance is a means of protection from financial loss.  It not only protects you, it also protects others around you; whether it’s when you’re in your car, your home, your apartment, or your business.  It will protect us and the things we value from a financial impact, big and small.  It provides peace of mind that you have coverage if and when you need it.  No one expects to be in a car accident or have a house fire after all.  Now peace of mind is worth it for…

Ready for a surprise? Roughly 70 percent of the world's daily business transactions rely on COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language), a 60-year-old programming language.Even more shocking is that within the constantly changing IT industry, COBOL Has remained relevant for the last six decades; and many experts predict COBOL will remain one of the most in-demand skills in the future.With over 30 new (and many would say better) programming languages available, you may be asking 'why COBOL?' Well, the average person interacts with COBOL 13 times a day, in sectors such as health care, government, finance, insurance, automotive, and banking.Some of the largest business systems that run COBOL include:Healthcare: 60 million patientsBanking: 95% ATM transactionsTravel: 96% of the bookingsSocial security: 60 million lines of codePoint of sale: 80% of all transactions…

A Whirlwind History of Insurance Technology The thing about technology, is some aspects change at the speed of light.  To be honest we're still not quite sure what TikTok is, or why it's a... thing.  What's so ancient about Facebook?  Or Myspace?  (Just kidding on that last one).  But at the same time, many of the businesses we work with are still supported by systems from the 1960s.  When they were building these systems, no one thought they would still be around in 2022.  In fact, schools are now starting to re-teach classes on COBOL, one of the earliest coding languages, because it's still being used in many industries.  Believe us, we didn't see that coming either.But let's take a look at the WHY.  Why are so many insurance companies…

The world as we know it has been taken over by tablets and smartphones!  To some, this has left them questioning, "Is print design a thing of the past?".  ASI is here to tell you it's NOT! 1.) Billboards and signage are still very much in demand and will not go away anytime soon, although the nature of billboards has changed.  The process now also includes digital components such as LED billboards. 2.) Print is still an essential part of a small business.  The ability to present someone with a business card or flyer has a value that cannot be duplicated with just a website.  Today's marketing is all about creating great user experiences for customers, and print is definitely still apart of that experience.   3.) 70% of all people…

Insurance Technology. Insurtech. Or... Insuretech? Some may call whether or not to include the ‘e’ in insurtech the gif vs jif debate of the insurance world. Or maybe that’s just me.  But what exactly IS insurtech? That’s right, I’m choosing to forgo the ‘e’. To really appreciate what insurtech is, we must first outline the traditional insurance model.  Say you apply for an insurance policy for your house. Traditionally, the insurance company will look at your application and use broad actuarial tables to calculate the risk that you pose for them as an agency (using several factors to figure out the probability that they would have to actually pay out on that policy). They then assign your policy to a certain risk category. That group is then adjusted so that enough people are lumped together,…

We’ve mentioned our Tech Nights before (in our 3D Printing story here), but as January is National Mentoring Month, we thought we’d take a deeper look at what these nights entail! Our tech nights are loosely structured on the OpenSpace model. What is that you ask? Great question! OpenSpace encourages groups of people to co-create their own learning, and provides just enough structure to ensure progress, but not enough to inhibit learning. How do they do that? Harrison Owen, who originated this approach, introduced four Guiding Principles and One Law that describe (NOT control) the process of these meetings:  The Four Principles Whoever Comes is the right people.Meaning you don't need the executive team and 100 people to get things done.  You just need people there who care. 2. Whatever Happens is…

While 2021 may have been far from ordinary, at ASI we’re SHOCKED that it’s already drawing to a close! I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!   Now. Following a month of feasting and frolicking, it’s no surprise that many New Year’s resolutions revolve around exercising, eating healthier, saving money, you get the idea. And these are all really great goals! There’s no better time than the present to get started and revitalize your health, wellness, and financial security. Truly. But. It’s been a strange few years – and if you’re looking for a slightly different take on a resolution this year, we’ve got some ideas to get you started!  Monthly Challenges Did you know that the average American abandons their resolution a meager 36 days in? So instead of a year-long resolution, try monthly challenges instead! We came up with a list of ideas that will take you well into 2022.   - 30 Day Challenges: No fast food  30 days of yoga Water - Did you know that you are supposed to drink half of your body…

One of our favorite rooms here in the office has been what we affectionately refer to as the ‘Comfy Conference Room.’ And that’s saying something, considering we have a full kitchen and gym on-site! But there’s just something special about a conference room that has towering windows, plants aplenty, and a few couches to settle into. This room also held a special place for us as we used it once or twice a week to gather for our ‘huddles.’ During these huddles, we’d each get a chance to share our current workload, dive into some fun projects we were working on, and ask for assistance and guidance if we ran into road bumps. Essentially, we got to connect as a team in this room, regroup, and go back out and…