Monday, October 25, 2010

Insurance Agent - Career Options


The insurance job market is on full swing as it is one of the hottest career options of 2010. People today are financially aware about insurance, they have access to resources (read the Internet) which tell them how to make comparative analysis between various insurance products. This means, insurance companies by themselves have become very competitive, are looking for hiring the best talent that can give them a higher market share.

General insurance companies and life insurance companies recruit people who have the go-getter attitude and confidence to explain to people about their insurance products. Training is provided but it has always been seen that the text book approach has limited effect. The insurance agent has to be a people's person, give a plan that can work best for the customers.The plan should be so good that the prospect should get 70 percent idea from looking at the plan. The insurance agent can clarify and confirm a few additional questions that the prospect may have. So, it is very important that the insurance agent has a good knowledge of the plan he is selling, the inclusions, the coverage amount, investment returns (if any) the exclusions, disclaimers etc. The agent is paid a handsome salary and there are commissions for targets met or exceeded.

Life insurance companies employ freelancers, retired people, students and part-time professionals to work for them. People who are selected are given adequate training and company material which they can use while showing plans to people. Life insurance is basically a thing of trust and though people should go by rationalist thinking, our human nature makes us say 'yes' to people whom we trust. This is the reason life insurance companies ask freelancers to work for them, so that they can reach out to their near and dear ones and show them the insurance plan.

Of course, there are good number of perks and financial incentives. There are many people who have earned a sizeable amount of residual income which runs into more than five figure through life insurance, as freelance life insurance agents. The insurance agent's career can be lucrative and self-fulfilling. The field of insurance is such that an individual has unlimited earning potential, there is no capping of income, you can earn as much as you want to, if you are good at your job. For the person who is working in an insurance company, he can steadily climb the corporate ladder if he or she is good at the job. Also it is recommended to have an MBA or a financial degree, because that definitely helps you in getting a high position in the company. You can also take independent insurance agency jobs as a freelancer where you can work for multiple insurance companies as you are not officially employed by them. You definitely up your stakes to get higher income here.

Apart from this, the pleasure of being self employed as an independent insurance agent is quite satisfying. However there is a downside because you have too many insurance carriers in your hand, and you have to take that extra effort to get training and become abreast with the latest developments happening with every insurance company that you are working for. If you can do it, then nothing like it! An insurance agent can be expected to earn between $30,000 to $40000 in the start and then move to $40,000 to $70,000 mid-career with people having good amount of experience can earn more than $100,000

Insurance Fraud Investigator Jobs - Careers Explained


Insurance fraud investigator jobs are an important job within an insurance company because it is their duty to determine if a claim has been made under false pretenses. It is a career with a good future job outlook that can take you all over the world or allow you to stay in your hometown if you desire. A variety of degrees, including criminal justice, can prepare you for this career. With so many career options and a great job outlook, choosing to become an insurance fraud investigators is a sensible choice. But just what does an insurance and fraud investigator do?

Unlike careers in art, education, health care and other fields, there may be some negative connotations to insurance fraud jobs. This is why it is important to have the right career information to determine if it is the right job for you. An insurance fraud investigator may be responsible for investigating disability claims where individuals say their mobility and/or quality of life is limited due to chronic pain. Since pain is hard to prove medically, much falls on the investigation of the investigator to determine if the individual is eligible for disability payments.

After getting their degrees, insurance fraud investigators might go to work for an insurance company full time. On the other hand, some insurance and investigators may choose to work on a contract basis as a private investigator. When an insurance company has a case they want investigated, the insurance and fraud investigator will usually start with some background information such as personal contacts, addresses, previous claims (if any), and the nature of the current claim. Once the file has been reviewed, the investigator might even do some surveillance work to ensure that the individual has actually lost the functions they claim they have lost. This will involve the use of equipment such as video and still cameras.

Most insurance fraud jobs in this field require working with insurance lawyers or consumer fraud lawyers in the cases where an individual has been found to be providing fraudulent information. It is important to be accurate, professional, thorough and skilled to have success in this challenging and demanding criminal justice career.

Work from Home Opportunities in Insurance - Is It Really for You?

Most people think of insurance agents as individuals who MUST travel from one place to another in order to sell insurance policies. But that was before the advent of the Internet. Nowadays, you can work from home in the insurance industry and earn a considerable amount of money from it as well.

Key Areas for Work from Home Opportunities in the Insurance Industry
There are primarily three types of insurance that you can sell from home:

Life, Health, or Medical Insurance - You're basically selling insurance for future payments for health and medical costs.

Car Insurance - As the name already suggests, you're selling insurance for automobiles. Car insurance provides car owners protection in cases of natural and man-made disasters.

Travel Insurance - You are selling temporary life, health, and medical insurance as well as protection from all sorts of accidents for people who are traveling abroad.

There are other types of insurance that you can naturally sell as you work from home in the insurance industry, but if you're looking for a niche market and something relatively easy to break into, it's best that you focus on any of three specified areas.

Are You Suitable and Qualified to Work from Home in the Insurance Business?
It's easy to say that you want to work from home in the insurance business and start dreaming about big bucks, but in reality, there are some requirements that you must satisfy first before you can proceed to fantasizing about your future income.

KNOWLEDGE - You don't have to be a doctor to sell life insurance, but it's infinitely preferable that you know a lot about cars if you want to sell car insurance and ditto for travel insurance. You'll be better able to assuage any concerns of your clients if you understand what they're talking about.

If it's car insurance, for instance, you need to be able to explain why you can't provide basic insurance for a sport car and persuade your client as well to upgrade to the appropriate policy. If it's travel insurance you're selling, you need to explain why you're charging a lot if he wants to fly to Afghanistan.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS - Work from home opportunities in the insurance business are great essentially because they require little, if any, financial investment from your part. If there's something you have to invest then it's just your voice and how well you communicate your client. If you don't a talent for speaking - indeed, if you don't love talking to other people - then selling insurance policies isn't the right job for you.

Advantages of Working from Home in the Insurance Industry

High Commission Fees - Although the commission fee you can expect from selling insurance contracts is in no way near to the biggest bonuses in the real estate business, they still promise more money than you would expect from working in an office day job.
No Boss, No Time Requirements - If you decide to work from home in the insurance industry, rejoice because you can finally say goodbye to the life of an employee. From now on, you are your own boss and you can work only when and what time you want to. And you don't even have to quit your day job if you don't want to!

Social Benefits - Working in the insurance business, whether it's from home or in an office, always allow you to meet different types of people and have new friends at the same time. The various personalities you'll come across will easily keep your job interesting day in and day out.

How to Prosper from Work from Home Opportunities in the Insurance Industry

Having a large network of contacts may not be necessary, but it's definitely an advantage and gives you an edge over other insurance agents. A person with two friends can give at least two referrals while a person with four friends can easily give twice as much.

Having a pleasing countenance doesn't hurt either because most people feel more comfortable talking to an attractive looking person. If you've got great looks, this is definitely one job where they'll be to your advantage.

And lastly, if you really want to work from home in the insurance industry and prosper from it, you need to dedicate lots and lots of time to it. Insurance deals will usually require two to three meetings before they can be successfully closed so that means meeting with each and every client at least twice.

When Part-time Jobs Don't Offer Health Insurance


Many Americans choose to work part-time jobs for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you've just enrolled in college and have chosen to attend college full-time and work part-time in order to graduate sooner. Maybe you've chosen to work part-time in order to devote more time to your home business. Maybe you've decided to work part-time in order to spend more time with your children. Perhaps you've opted to work a few part-time jobs instead of one full-time job because you like the diversity or you just can't find a full-time job for which you're qualified or enjoy.

See? There are so many reasons American choose to work part-time jobs.

Despite the perks part-time jobs offer, there are some downfalls, too. One of the major downfalls of working a part-time job is many part-time jobs don't offer health insurance. This is usually because employers don't feel their part-time employees invest enough time in the company to compensate for the cost of health insurance. While this makes sense, it does little to console the part-time employee.

Americans who work part-time jobs that don't offer health insurance basically have three ways to get health insurance: their spouses can add them to their health insurance policies, they can buy into a group health insurance policy, or they can purchase an individual health insurance policy.

It's true that individual health insurance policies are often more expensive than being added to a spouse's policy or buying into a group policy, they are also sometimes the only choice part-time employees have. After all, not everyone is married, and not everyone belongs to an organization that offers health insurance policies.

If this is your situation, you can lower your individual health insurance costs by minimizing coverage, raising deductibles, and paying annually rather than monthly. Shop around for an individual health insurance policy that offers the lowest rates that can be paid annually for only the coverage you need.

Compliance Jobs - Could You Work In Insurance Compliance?


In the insurance industry, one of the most important jobs is in compliance. Insurance agents have to ensure that their customers have the right insurance for their needs, as well as making sure that the terms of the insurance companies are met.

When a company or business looks for insurance, there may be a set requirement for insurance on their lease or loan for the business. In these cases, lack of the proper insurance can result in them losing everything.

On the other hand, insurance companies require a specific type of insurance for different types of businesses. For instance, if an insured company is high risk for theft, then they require much more theft coverage insurance as well as a higher premium to cover the potential losses.

Compliance jobs in the UK are common. The people in these kinds of roles spend most of their time ensuring that the regulations of the insured party are met, that the terms of the insurance requirements on their lease or loan are met and to ensure that the insurance company's terms are met. Compliance jobs also entail finding the right policy and insurance company for the company wishing to be insured. At times, it can be difficult to find the proper insurance for a customer.

Compliance issues plague many an insurance company or brokerage--there are times that the agent or broker simply can not provide the right levels of insurance and keep it cost effective for the customer. It can be a telling tale of the industry that is chosen--if insurance is difficult to acquire, it usually means the risk is extremely high.

High risk equals high premiums in the insurance industry. There are businesses with premiums that are so astronomically high that it's almost redundant for them to have any insurance at all--however the compliance laws within their company, country, organization, lease or loan agreements show that they must have insurance--and the proper kind or face possible legal consequences.

One of the most common insurance compliance issues is for vehicle owners, all around the world insurance must be kept on vehicles at all times. Failure to present valid insurance when asked for by law enforcement can have you facing an extremely steep fine. It is essential that if you are the owner or operator of a vehicle that you have proper insurance on your vehicle. Again, if you are leasing your vehicle or have a loan or lien on your vehicle, then you may have insurance compliance rules to follow as well, which usually incorporate a lot of insurance to prevent loss in the event of a collision or accident.

When to Avoid Fraudulent Medical Insurance Work From Home Jobs

Getting a job concerning medical insurance on work from home jobs is a practical choice these days. Among the many home-based opportunities available, working as a medical insurance agent through a work from home job is quite profitable. But the question lies on whether this type of work at home job is legal and reliable. Many home-based businesses may attest that they can deliver quality products and services and can even give you reliable sources of income. And as long as you can do the job well you can get income plus commissions.

With this, many people are enticed to quit their day job and try working at home. The wonders of technology have created various options for people who can no longer meet both ends while working at their day job. With telecommuting or home-based jobs and business, more and more people can earn money without having to leave the comforts of their home. No wonder working on medical insurance work at home jobs have become so popular.

Nevertheless, not all work from home jobs were created equal. Processing medical insurance claims are serious matters as well. Hence, it is best that you know how to choose a home-based business that can give you a good medical insurance work at home job.

Here is a list of some warning signs that you have to watch out:

1. Look for no start-up rates

One of the most common signs of getting into an illegal activity, which focus on providing medical insurance work from home job, is to compel collection from the person concerned. If you are being forced to purchase something from them, chances are, that company is simply good for nothing.

In most cases, fraudulent work at home jobs will insist on purchasing paraphernalia such as software programs and other items needed for the work at home job. There is nothing wrong with that to some extent, but what is wrong is when these items are being sold at very steep prices.

2. Training sessions

Since you will be working in a medical insurance work from home job, most scammers will ask you to undergo special training sessions. These sessions are required to certify you that you are eligible to work in this kind of environment and that you would be mostly working with health care professionals, hence, a certification will be needed. The drawback: these training sessions are very costly.

3. Work coordination

Most fraudulent medical insurance work from home jobs will tell you that your work will be synchronized with an insurance company through a special device known as 'central computer'. With this, your work will seem professional enough, letting you think that everything is supervised and done legally.

In the end, no central computer backs you up. No affiliations with a certified insurance company. And worse, your medical insurance work at home job is nonexistent.

4. Pressures! Pressures! Pressures!

A fraudulent work from home job will not just urge you to join their workforce but will insist that you do the work without more ado. In turn, you get confused, cannot think straight and may end up deciding without being able to check if the job is authentic or not.

These things will surely give you a hint that the work at home job you are about to start with is a definite fraud. Things like these will surely put you in a hot spot with your customers. There will be no way you can deliver the services that you have assured to them. And whether you like it or not, you will be doomed because you are the person in the front line.

Getting Out of the Fraud

Do not let this thing happen to you. Never wait to get yourself out of the fraud. It pays to stay informed and learn to detect and avoid fraud as early as possible. You can simply start with evaluating each work at home job you encounter. The number rule is that if the idea seems too good to be true, it probably is. So better stay out of it.

Employment Working Insurance Fraud Investigator Jobs


Maintaining a full time career working Insurance Fraud Investigator Jobs is not easy. It is a job that involves tracking down scam artists who are trying to steal from businesses, the government and anyone else in their path. Although the work itself may mean having to work long hours and deal with high stress situations, being a certified insurance fraud investigator serves as a very rewarding career for those who take fighting crime seriously.

With the rising numbers of fraud related crimes in the insurance industry, there seems to be an over load of work for those employed in the field. This is creating an influx of new fraud investigation employment vacancies with many lining up to fill the positions. We can see this in many areas of insurance related fraud such as:

- Workers Compensation Fraud: Involving those who make false work related injury claims and try to collect pay outs. Faking a back injury is one of the most common examples where those faking are unaware that they are under surveillance, being filmed lifting heavy items when claiming they are unable to work because of their injured back.

- Arson Ins. Fraud: This job, made popular through movies, involves investigating and determining the cause of fires. Many times fires are set purposely in order to receive insurance claim pay outs for damages.

- Automobile Ins. Fraud: There are many insurance fraud cases involving drivers claiming damages not caused by initial accidents. As well, staged accidents in order to claim auto insurance pay outs are very common.

- Life Ins. Fraud: Unfortunately, there is a high number of homicide cases centered around life insurance claims. It is up to the skilled fraud investigator to solve the case and bring the con artist to justice.

The world of insurance investigation remains a vital component for many businesses within the insurance industry. The amounts lost due to this form of fraud is in the billions of dollars. Without the vast number of individuals working insurance investigator jobs, most outfits would have to close their doors due to the overwhelming losses. It is sad that we live in a world where people think they can get a free ride. However, for those caught committing these crimes, the free ride turns into a free jail cell.