The Independent Adjuster Podcast (IA Path)

Today on the podcast I am joined by a man determined to become an auto adjuster. Now my guest Derek Blanton, is already working in an IA capacity as a independent appraiser, but his ambitions don’t stop there.

Derek is taking courses in his pursuit of a college degree, he’s taken the Auto Adjuster’s Boot Camp from IA Path, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He has an iron will and is willing to do what it takes to get the knowledge and experience needed to do the job right.

Name – Derek Blanton

Company – DK Inspections

Location – Omaha, NE

Superpower – Determination

Contact – Derek's LinkedIn Profile

Cell: 402-515-3968

[email protected]

Checkout our IA Community, the League of IA's, by clicking HERE

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

Today on the podcast I am very excited to interview an insurance industry leader, fellow podcaster, and member of the INS Nerds Super Troup, the elder and councilor of their group, Nick Lamparelli

Nick and his group of super nerds are helping guide the next generation of insurance professionals from avoiding the pitfalls, not hitting dead ends, and on finding purpose in their career. Therefore I decided Nick’s Super Hero Alias to be, Beacon, because he is a shining light for the next generation.

Nick is also leading a company that helps develop and test unique insurance products currently with a focus on flood policies, this part of the conversation will paint some interesting pictures and problems in the catastrophic insurance arena. This is a market with huge growth and obstacle potentials, 90% of customers don’t even have flood insurance…. Yet….. But He wants to change that.

Now without further delay its time to call and to talk with Beacon, Nick Lamparelli, the elder counselor of the INS Nerds Super Troup.

Name – Nick Lamparelli

Company – INSNerds & reThought Insurance

Location – Boston, Massachusetts 

Superpower – Testing

Contact – Nick's LinkedIn Profile

Checkout the League of IA's by clicking HERE

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

Today on the podcast we will be talking to James Nichols who is a 1st year IA who is thriving after Irma. After getting thrown into Irma to write property claims James found himself wanting to make this a steady career and refuses to be an IA that is one storm and done.

I believe after this last huge hurricane year there are many IA’s needing to hear this episode.

Hear how James transitioned from being a one storm CAT adjuster to doing daily auto claims, James shares how his journey has been successful and how he has surrounded himself with peers to support him.

Name – James Nichols

Company – Nichols Appraisals

Location – Florence, Alabama

Superpower – Determination

Contact – [email protected]

James Nichols LinkedIn Profile

Checkout the League of IA's by clicking HERE

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

Hurricane Predictions vs. Reality – Through the Lens of an Independent Adjuster

Because we’re living in a technological age, it’s easy to assume that we understand almost everything about the world around us. However, while we have the sum of human knowledge at our fingertips, there’s one area where we still have a lot to learn - the weather.

Unfortunately, weather patterns matter a lot more than just deciding on whether you need a coat or shorts when you go outside. Storm systems like hurricanes and tornadoes can do severe damage, so it’s necessary to understand how to predict them. This also greatly affects our jobs as independent adjusters.

Many times the industry gets excited about a great prediction of what to expect from the coming hail storm or hurricane season, but how are the predictions doing verses the reality?

Today I want to look at hurricane predictions for the last five years and compare them to the actual results. We have mountains of data about hurricanes, but are we putting it to the best use and can you actually plan anything around these predictions? Let’s find out.

How are Hurricanes Predicted?

For the most part, scientists are only able to make predictions based on past trends. While current weather data (temperature, wind speeds, etc.) can help inform their decision, the best way to predict new storms is to see what happened in years past.

The other factor is what’s considered a “normal” hurricane season. Before, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) used data from 1950-2000 to determine that an average season would see 11 named storms, six hurricanes, and two significant hurricanes. However, the new model is based on data from 1981-2010, which paints a different picture.

Now, an average hurricane season is listed as 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. Not a huge difference statistically, but one extra major storm can mean millions more in damages, so it’s a pretty drastic change overall.

Is This Data Accurate? Let’s Compare the last fast years

2012 Predictions

50% chance of a normal season

25% chance of an above-normal season

25% chance of a below-normal season

9-15 named storms

4-8 hurricanes

1-3 major hurricanes

2012 Actual

Apparently, the 25% chance of an above-normal season was enough, as this year saw an abundance of storms and hurricanes. In this case, NOAA came up short.

19 named tropical storms

10 hurricanes

2 major hurricanes (including Sandy)

2013 Predictions

2012 made NOAA reconsider their forecast models, so they were a bit more liberal for this year.

70% chance of above normal season

13-20 named storms

7-11 hurricanes

3-6 major hurricanes

2013 Actual

Fearing the worst, this season turned out to be one of the quietest and least active in history. In fact, it was the lowest number of hurricanes since 1982.

15 tropical storms

2 hurricanes

No major hurricanes

2014 Predictions

As we can see, looking at past data can skew results in one way or another. In 2014, the season was considered average based on the low results of 2013.

70% chance of a normal season

8-13 named storms

3-6 hurricanes

1-2 major hurricanes

2014 Actual

This year was much lower than average, although there were still two major hurricanes (Edouard and Gonzalo)

3 named storms

4 hurricanes

2 major hurricanes

2015 Predictions

Because of the previous two years, this outlook was optimistic.

70% chance of a below normal season

6-11 named

Steve Benson is the Founder and CEO of Badger Maps, the #1 route planner for field salespeople. After receiving his MBA from Stanford, Steve joined Google, where he became Google Enterprise's Top Sales Executive in 2009.

In 2012 Steve founded Badger Maps to help field salespeople be more successful with multi-stop route planning. He also hosts the Outside Sales Talk podcast where he interviews industry experts on their top sales tips.

I really wanted to bring Steve on because I believe as IA’s we too often neglect an all too important task, sales.

Today he is going to help us learn, to hear, no, how to have a successful and fulfilling career, while describing how his journey started as an adjuster.

Name – Steve Benson

Company – Badger Maps

Location – San Francisco, CA

Superpower – Sales

Contact – [email protected]

Steven Benson's LinkedIn Profile

BadgerMapping.com

Click HERE to Get 2 Free Months of Badger Maps for Being a Part of IA Path!

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

“There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.” Now I  definitely think it is worth being an independent adjuster, but our families are worth ten times more! 

How do we struggle through this?

An honest article by Chris Stanley

Many independent insurance adjusters are faced with a confusing and important question… “what adjuster license should I get?”

The answer to this question changes quite a bit based on where you live, your goals, the time of year, and if this is your first or fifth adjuster license.

Rest easy, if you are asking the question, “what adjuster license should I get” at any stage in your career I have some custom suggestions just for you.

I’ve created an interactive quiz you can take that will walk you through the entire process below and give your our PDF breakdown or you can listen the rest of this article.

Click HERE to take the online quiz

Today our guest works behind the scenes, working numbers, coding, and making sure your claims are there when you need them. He is a leader in the technology development for IA’s his name is Andre Shervanian and he is the CEO of Claim Leader who, according to their own competition is the leading claim management platform for Auto IA’s

Mr. Shervanian was an IA just like us and decided to help IA’s everywhere have better technology to compete in a rapidly changing claims environment. 7 years later they are still on that mission. Today we discuss the importance of responsibility as a claims company, how to quit focusing on how to do your work and to start finishing it,  and response-ability…… you’ll have to listen to find out what I mean.

Name – Andre Shervanian

Company – Claim Leader

Location – Los Angeles, CA

Superpower – Response-Ability

Contact – [email protected]

ClaimLeader.com

Learn to write heavy truck & trailer claims with IA Path's new course, "Heavy Truck Adjuster's Boot Camp"

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

Today on the podcast I’m joined by two guests that are here to discuss IA’s and Heavy Truck Claims

Jay Contino has been a guest on the podcast before and has over 20 years in the field writing heavy claims and David Jimenez is a former heavy truck IA and creator of the Truck Writer Estimator software.

Now you’ll hear that David coded this amazing program himself! Completely awesome,

Both of these guests are here to discuss the major changed in the industry and to help us all have a better understanding of heavy equipment claims, how they can benefit us and how to do a better job as IA’s with our heavy truck claims

Today I’m also proud to announce IA Path’s new sponsor ACD

OK now its time to call and to talk with Jay Contino, the Jayggernaut and David Jimenez the “IA Coder”

Name – Dave Jimenez & Jay Contino

Company – Truck Writer Estimator & Bassett Services Inc

Location – TX & NC

Superpower – Heavy Lifting

Contact – Dave Jiminez Website https://twesoftware.com 

713-574-7785 Email: [email protected]

*New Course*

Learn to write heavy truck & trailer claims with IA Path's new course, "Heavy Truck Adjuster's Boot Camp"

Podcast Sponsor

ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand what type of claims you are working then you should check out ACD.

Have you ever felt threatened by our industry changing?

You know as an auto damage appraiser and adjuster with the photo apps, technology and owners taking photos of their own vehicle, its changing, and even eliminating some jobs, it can be scary.

My name is Chris Stanley and I think it’s time we added a new revenue stream to your business, heavy truck and trailer claims.