As of May 2017, self-driving and self-parking cars are allowed on public highways in New York. The new policy went into effect after Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo signed a budget bill allowing a one-year test of the new technology. According to a July 2017 article from Insurance Journal, this technology was previously prohibited because of a state law requiring that driver’s “keep at least one hand on the steering wheel.”

As an independent insurance agent, you’re a small business owner facing many of the same challenges that your small business clients are facing. You need to make sure that your potential clients know who you are, what your business is about, how to contact you, and what’s new with your business. Without solid marketing tools at your disposal, this could be a super tough job.

By Robert Pizarro

It seems easy and convenient to use public Wi-Fi – there are free connections in almost any airport, hotel, restaurant or coffee shop – but for your clients, it's important to remember the risks. Can your client really afford to expose valuable business or personal data? There’s no need to if agents and clients use these safeguards to avoid becoming a victim and putting business data at risk.

For insurance agents or any small business owner – a LinkedIn profile can be a great way to engage customers and prospects. With roughly 400 million users, the opportunities for networking and generating leads are almost endless.

Are you looking to get more bang for your insurance agency’s marketing buck? Video – with its ability to show and tell – may be the answer to captivating customers and piquing prospects’ interest in seeking out what your agency can do for them.

Once properties become REO (real estate owned), banks must be more vigilant than ever to protect their investments. Even in “good” times, over one million homes are foreclosed every year. Despite the economic recovery, the U.S. is still seeing foreclosure filings of about 4% higher nationwide (289,116 in 1Q2016) compared to the pre-recession quarterly average of 278,912 (1Q2006 to 3Q2007).