Who Works to Make Your Insurance Work?

Several professionals stand in a circle and put their hands together in the center for teamwork. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

There is an old joke that nobody sets out to work in the insurance industry. You start out doing something else, maybe dabble in something related to insurance by accident and end up getting sucked in. Once you’re in, you’re in for good. The industry is sticky that way — you get in and you never get out. But just how many ways are there to work in the insurance business? Let’s look at just a few of them — you might be surprised how many different types of talent it requires. You can also watch my video about this:

What an agent or broker does

I am going to start with the role that I am most familiar with, that of an insurance agent or broker. Our role includes everything from being a therapist to consumers in their times of need to acting as a trusted adviser in all things insurance. We are relied upon greatly to help make the world of insurance understandable for, well, just about everyone. That is no easy task!

The radio talk show, YouTube channel and podcast I host, called Insurance Hour, has the tag line “Informing, Educating and Entertaining,” and let me tell you, those are some really tall orders.

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just ~~$107.88~~ $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

What underwriters do

Underwriters are the folks with whom your insurance agents and brokers have the most contact outside of their clients. The underwriters are the people tasked with carrying out the guidelines set forth from the insurance company they are representing and working for, typically.

If insurance company ABC says it wants to underwrite a lot of one type of vehicle and not so many of another type, it is up to the underwriter to enforce those guidelines when they accept or reject business applications submitted to them by agents and brokers. Clients talk to the agents and brokers, then that information is taken to the underwriters, who will accept or reject those applications for insurance. Talk about a power trip.

Karl Susman

Karl is an insurance agency owner, insurance expert witness in state, federal and criminal courts, and radio talk show host. For more than 30 years, Karl has helped consumers understand the complex world of insurance. He provides actionable advice and distills complex insurance concepts into understandable options. He appears regularly in the media, offering commentary and analysis of insurance industry news, and advises lawmakers on legislation, programs and policies.

What claims adjusters do

Sadly, things don’t always go the way we would like, and claims happen. Next up among our insurance family members is the claims adjuster. This is the person who gets to talk to all the angry people. Let’s face it, when a claim happens, those involved are not happy campers. Something bad has happened. Some element of loss has occurred. Forget the fact that sometimes it is due to no fault of our own. If that’s not enough to put you in a foul mood, I don’t know what is.

Then, to top it all off, you have to work with a claims adjuster to help figure out what the insurance policy you bought and paid for will and won’t pay for. My hat is forever and always tipped to the claims adjusters who work with us when we are at our worst.

What insurance actuaries do

Backing out of the public eye, we have some professions in the insurance world that the customer rarely sees or hears about. Ever wonder how an insurance company decides how to price your insurance? Enter the insurance actuary, who uses mathematical, statistical and a whole host of tools at their disposal to determine the probability of a loss happening and then finds a way to price an insurance product around that.

It’s quite wild if you stop to really think about it. An adjuster considers how likely it is that something in particular could happen and, based on that, how much do we have to charge in order to have enough money to pay for it and still make a profit? A math lover’s dream!

What insurance appraisers do

Some risks are more complicated than others. Some require a professional touch both before or after a loss occurs. For this role, we have an insurance appraiser. This professional works with clients, agents and brokers — and insurers, too — to assist in putting a dollar value on things that are, well, tough to put a dollar amount on. Sure, they will work with the more obvious and mundane items, such as determining the value of your car. However, they truly shine when it comes to the market research they do to assign a value to that honking diamond on your finger. With apologies to Beyoncé, since you liked it, you put a ring on it. And now that ring needs to be insured.

Understand that a ton goes on that you may not be aware of. Lots of extremely talented people both behind the scenes and front-and-center work in harmony to be sure you have the ability to protect the things of value you wish to insure. It isn’t simply about which insurance is the least expensive, it is about which insurer has made the most effort to find a way to offer the most comprehensive coverage for you at a cost that works for you both.

Want to learn more about insurance? Visit KarlSusman.com.

Disclaimer

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

TOPICS

Karl Susman is a veteran insurance agency principal, nationally engaged insurance expert witness and broadcast host who translates insurance from jargon to judgment. For more than three decades, he's helped consumers, courts and policymakers navigate coverage, claims and compliance. As Principal of Susman Insurance Agency, Karl works directly with households and businesses to compare options and make clear, defensible coverage decisions.