American Family Information Services – 87 Layoffs – Insurance Networking News

The company has reduced its total workforce by 730 positions, or almost 10 percent, over the past four years, mainly by attrition.

via American Family Information Services Department Incurs 87 Layoffs – Insurance Networking News.

Short articles like this make me wonder what’s really happening.  We don’t know the total number of staff in the company’s IT department so we cannot know what percentage of the entire staff was affected.  So I went online and found the following:

The cut positions included 85 people based at the company headquarters at 6000 American Parkway and its other Madison location, off Milwaukee Street, plus two people outside Madison. There are 850 people remaining in the company’s information services division, making the job reductions equal to about a 10 percent cut there.

So now we know the IT department was 937 before the layoffs.  Hmmm….

Opportunities EVERYWHERE

Exchange of Services and Adding New Business Lines: I have a good friend who is a young MD type doctor. He was loaded down with student loans and he operates his own office in Encino, CA, a fairly wealthy area. It costs him $225 per hour to keep his office doors open. He had to do hospital rounds at night to survive. Radio time is now going begging. So, I worked a deal for him with a local radio station. He gets advertising air time and even has his own medical “show” on that station. He is also now the personal doctor for the station owner and the few employees. This was an exchange of services. I did not charge for putting this deal together but it lead to a new business line for him that I proposed and share in that revenue. He is located in a wealthy area. There are a lot of wealthy older people in the area who do not like going to see the doctor but from time to time, need medical help and attention. So we set up a medical concierge service that also gets advertised on that radio station. We make house calls and the fee is not cheap. We now have eight doctors on call and business is brisk.

via Opportunities EVERYWHERE Market Sniper – Slope Of Hope with Tim Knight.

The example above is one of the real life money making opportunities highlighted in the article.  Go read the rest.  This is tremendous food for thought.

I started to think about my own business after reading the article.  A while ago I recognized my opportunities were similar to the ones described by Knight.  began to understand that I had started working at the intersection of disciplines.  Underwriting and law.  Auditing and underwriting.  Technology and underwriting.

Can you take your expertise to the intersections of disciplines to meet unmet needs?

HT – Michael Panzner at Financial Armageddon

New Study Examines Long-Term Care Insurance Claims – Largest Claims Reaches $1.7 Million Mark – Women Represent Two-Thirds Of Claimants – Insurance Broadcasting

The largest open long-term care insurance claim has reached $1.7 million in paid benefits, according to a just-released report from the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (www.AALTCI.org). The claimant, a woman, purchased coverage at age 43, paying an annual premium of $881. Three years later her long term care insurance claim began and has continued for almost 15 years.

via New Study Examines Long-Term Care Insurance Claims – Largest Claims Reaches $1.7 Million Mark – Women Represent Two-Thirds Of Claimants – Insurance Broadcasting.

Sagicor Life Acquiring PEMCO’s Life Insurance Business

Sagicor Life Insurance Co. has an agreement to buy the policies and clients of PEMCO Life Insurance Co. from its parent company in Washington State as the latter firm exists the life insurance market.

Tampa-based Sagicor is buying about 10,000 term and whole life policies, along with about 7,500 clients, from PEMCO Mutual Insurance Co., a Washington State-based company.

via Sagicor Life acquiring PEMCO’s life insurance policies, clients | Insurance & Financial Advisor I IFAwebnews.com.