Articles by Tom Wetzel

Wetzel is CEO of Thomas H. Wetzel & Associates, an insurance marketing firm for independent agents whose services include a partnership with LivePerson to bring HIPAA-certified messaging and IBM Watson to the insurance industry, the Wetzel Digital Roadmap, website design and maintenance, and content creation. Website: www.wetzelandassociates.com. Email: twetzel@wetzelandassociates.com.

4 Myths to Cybersecurity: Who’s Vulnerable and How to Fight Back

This column has explored many angles of the cybersecurity issue in the five years I’ve been writing about it, and though many agents are taking their first steps to address it, some myths stubbornly persist. MYTH 1: Cyber Attacks Do …

How Remote Work Changes Agency Culture

Remote work is now an accepted practice for both agencies and insurers whether by necessity due to the pandemic or a growing workforce preference for working at home. Even considering the advantages of remote work such as flexible work schedules, …

Mitigation Takes Center Stage in Hardening Cyber Market

Hard markets are nothing new — agents have dealt with them for decades and the forces that trigger them, including more frequent and severe natural disasters and years of soft pricing. With the hardening market in cyber coverages, however, agents …

The Cybercrime Challenge for Agents

Ransomware is all over the news of late — Colonial Pipeline, CNA and JBS plus hospitals, municipalities and many other businesses. If only reading the headlines, you might conclude that ransomware affects primarily either large or high-profile companies, so agents …

Finding Best and Brightest Agency Talent Demands New Approach

All talk and very little action.” Two co-founders of a firm dedicated to helping insurers and agencies meet their talent needs deliver a blunt assessment of the industry’s recruiting performance and what must change to improve it. “The argument that …

E&O Risks to Agents Extend to Cyber

Agents are bracing for errors and omissions (E&O) claims stemming from the pandemic when insureds discover they carry inadequate coverage or none at all. Regrettably, agents likely face a similar scenario in cyber coverage unless they take steps to prevent …

Successful Recruiting Requires a Different Story

The industry has long warned of the growing agent shortage and has prescribed more aggressive promotion of career opportunities especially in technology to attract the next generation. As the shortages grow more acute, agencies and insurers have taken a fresh …

Insurance Agencies Get No Break When It Comes to Cyber Liability

As this trying year drags on, insurance agents might be tempted to take a quick breather. From a cyber liability perspective, however, the pressure on agents is ramping up over the rest of the year. Here’s why. In past columns, …

What Does the Future of the Agency System Look Like?

The demise of the independent agent has been predicted ad nauseam, however arguably the most hotly debated version came from a 2013 McKinsey report with a section entitled “The End of an Era for the Local Insurance Agent.” When Bryan …

Collateral Damage: How Cyber Security Affects Agencies

As we reach the midpoint of a trying year, it might be time to take a quick breather. From a cyber liability perspective, however, the pressure on agents will ramp up considerably in the second half of the year. Here’s …