We really enjoyed being at Keri and Claude’s camp for our annual fish fry and installation program. Helen Andrews did the honors and Mama Love was along for support. Ruthie had a game for us, and we found out the Mary knows a lot about knees and Virginia was the only one who knew the strange name of someone who knows wood. Ask them about it!
So proud of Keri getting the IPOY award at National. Deborah, Keri, Ruthie, and Virginia reported having a good time at National and doing some sightseeing.
Our association has 100% renewal and we’re looking forward to what our new year will bring, hopefully a new member or two. It’s hard to believe that Ruthie wants to start on the Pinnacle Award again, thought we were to shoot her if she mentioned it. Our members were so wonderful in agreeing to chair the different committees, they’re always ready to do whatever is asked of them, within reason. Of course, we are all members of any given committee if it involves getting together to eat.
Something to ponder – If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.
JULY
1st NAIW Dues are due at National
4th Independence Day
5th NAIW National Closed
6-8th IIAM Agents License Review, Jackson, MS
15th IW of SW MS Monthly Business Meeting
26th Dues not received notification to local presidents
22nd NAIW Inroads emailed
26th CISR Agency Operations, Tupelo, MS
27th CISR Agency Operations, Jackson, MS
28-30th CIC Agency Management, Jackson, MS
Deadline reminder!
The next deadline to apply for an Education Foundation Scholarship is September 1, 2004. Get your applications ready!
National NAIW NEW Address: 1847 E. 15th St.
Tulsa, OK 74104-4610. Send all standard mail to this address.
Send check or payments to National NAIW: Dept.
1400 P.O. Box 21820 Tulsa, OK 74101-1820
On April 16, 2004 ACE American Insurance Company gave 60 days notice of their intention to withdraw their personal lines manufacturing housing business sold through independent agents.
GE Casualty Insurance Company changes its name to AIG Premier Insurance Company effective April 1, 2004.
The Mississippi State Rating Bureau has upgraded
the public fire protection facilities of the Greater Tremont Fire Protection
Subdistrict (A) in Itawamba County. They have been upgraded
to class 8.
A staggering 96 percent of Americans check in with their offices several times during their vacations, according to a national consumer survey commissioned by Jameson Irish Whiskey and conducted by Beta One Research in Connecticut.
The survey found that while trying to vacation, 70 percent of Americans receive phone calls from their offices. On top of that, only 5 percent of respondents were able to relax as soon as their vacation started; about 60 percent said it takes one to two weeks to relax - and by then it's time to head back.
To make sure that you make the most of your vacation, Robert R. Butterworth, a psychologist who has spent 20 years counseling patients suffering from stress-related disorders, has some suggestions:
1. Starting three weeks before you leave, prepare co-workers with reminders on a weekly basis.
2. Delegate specific tasks to specific people.
3. Assign a trusted person to handle all crisis and emergency matters.
4. Designate one primary contact with the office so that you are not making and receiving calls from an entire staff.
5. Create a specific time when you will be available for emergencies, and stick to it (for instance, you'll take calls each day at noon).
6. Let bosses know that if you are called and are on the clock, reimbursement is expected.
7. Program your e-mail, work telephone and pager to reply saying that you are on vacation and will respond on your return. Give the name of the contact person.
Have fun on your vacation this summer and try not to think about the office!
The Hartford School of Business offers several classes to insurance agents and brokers. Some of these classes are available online for free. They have developed some classes themselves and deliver those courses using a software product called VuePoint Learning Systems (VLS).
The free courses change monthly so check back frequently to see what is being offered. The classes that are available this month are:
Who is an Insured Under the CGL - Mini Course
Insurance Impacts of e-Business
SPECTRUM- What's New in 2002?
Understanding The Hartford's New Online Costimator for Personal Lines
To find information about these and other classes,
check out the following web site:
www.hsie-campus.com.
You may have a fresh start anytime you choose, for this thing that we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.
Mary Pickford
The Insurance Women of Southwest Mississippi took home several awards in Pittsburgh during NAIW’s National Convention. Keri Morrell took home top honors with the National Insurance Professional of the Year. Keri and Brittany Powers were awarded with a National Alliance Scholarship to attend any CISR class. Ruthie Phillips was awarded the Past Officer’s Council Award and also received a scholarship from the National Alliance to attend any CIC program.
Speaking of awards, Ruthie was also named the 2004 CSR of the Year for the State of Mississippi by the National Alliance. She will go on to compete at the National Level.
Keri Morrell is taking July off! She is not taking any classes for now as she just completed her ASLI designation. Keri has just had a visit from her brother and his family from Arizona and is looking forward to celebrating her grandma's 100th birthday with friends and family in Missouri on July 31st.
Mary Stogner has been working in the yard - a never-ending project and doing a little sewing. She and Tim got to spend a little time with Whit, their beautiful 4-month old grandson. They are still waiting for Dawn to deliver their next granddaughter. Mary has her suitcase packed and ready to fly to Chicago!
Virginia Zeigler is spending July working hard on CPCU 530, hosting a birthday party for her son on July 3rd and going to Gretna, LA for a family get together on the 4th. Her younger grandson, Chandler, will be 2 on July 22nd!
Deborah Ledford enjoyed her trip to Magnolia for the annual fish fry. She will be spending her time working on CPCU 530
Travel insurance costs can be relatively inexpensive, but they're well worth the investment. If your dream vacation falls through or you fall ill, travel insurance can save you thousands of dollars. Before you go on vacation examine your existing policies.
Auto Insurance. Your auto policy does not provide coverage outside the United States, except in Canada. Depending on your destination, you may need insurance through a car rental company, and an international driving permit. If you are traveling in Mexico, you will need to purchase a policy in Mexico.
Umbrella Policy. If you have an umbrella policy, lost luggage may already be covered.
Medical insurance. Many health plans do not provide coverage outside the United States, except for business travel. Seniors should assume Medicare will not provide coverage when traveling abroad. A travel agent can customize an international medical policy for your needs. Before you make your purchase, request a copy of the contract and read the fine print. Know what the policy doesn't cover.
Be wary of policies purchased through the tour operator. If the company goes out of business, chances are good your policy will be worthless.
If you are going on a cruise, make sure you read the details from the policy available from the cruise line. Cruise policies may carry less coverage, and benefits may stop between 24 and 72 hours before departure. Your insurance policy should cover you from date of departure to the end of your trip.
Remember that travel insurance is your safety net should the unexpected arise.
Well, it is a new year for NAIW officers. Let’s see how much you have learned about leadership. Take this new quiz to test your leadership skills!
# 1 Leaders are “born”; no amount of skill and training can make a leader someone without the right genetics. True or false
# 2 The most important action of a leader is service. True or false.
# 3 Leaders are reactive. They wait for events to occur and then they react quickly. True or false.
# 4 You can be the best leader possible at work and yet a poor leader at home. True or false.
# 5 In order to be an effective teacher, the teacher should first model, then listen, then teach, always in that order. True or false.
# 6 You can win an argument. True or false.
Answers.
# 1 False. Leadership can be taught and learned.
# 2 True. Great leaders serve those they lead.
# 3 False. Leaders are proactive. True leaders experience few real emergencies, because they are involved.
# 4 False Mahatma Ghandi said it best, “One cannot do right in one department of life whilst doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.”
# 5 True.
# 6 False. No one truly wins an argument.