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August 31, 2006

Update on New Jersey Auto Reform

Earlier this week, Riskprof provided some commentary about the issues facing the New Jersey auto insurance market and the serious savings NJ drivers have reaped as a result of the deregulated market.

The post provides some context via this article from The New York Times, part of which reads:

Some of New Jersey's worst drivers are paying more than before and some drivers have experienced little, if any, change in their premium costs. But agents around the state say costs have fallen for most of their customers and many are paying as much as 30 percent to 40 percent less. Even some drivers with poor records are saving money. Over all, state regulators say, drivers have saved more than $500 million since the regulatory controls were relaxed.

Check out Prof's post here and see if you can note the similarities between the New Jersey auto insurance market and the Florida home insurance market. Interesting indeed.

August 30, 2006

On Exiting Customers

I was really excited to read this latest post over at Make Marketing History, where author John Dodds answers the question, "Why do so many companies treat potential users so much better than existing users?"

Because let's not forget, he says, that word of mouth marketing goes both ways—customers who were treated poorly during their interactions with you are just as apt to spread that message as they are to share the positive experiences.

Maybe the reasoning is connected to what I see as the totally misguided belief that once you hook a customer (and this also erroneously is assumed to mean a young one), then their loyalty is assured. Companies know it is cheaper to keep a customer than to capture a new one, so the financial logic of chasing new prospects rather than growing more profitable existing ones must surely be predicated on some such falsehood.
exitsmall.JPG

I'm particularly interested in Dodds' post because I had a rather off-putting experience at a 24-hour Denver diner this weekend that aptly illustrates his point.

To make a long ordeal short, my friends and I received poor service at said diner (exceeding one hour without apology or appeasing) and when our food finally did arrive, it was severely overcooked. We got our bill to find that no discount had been given to compensate for the unsatisfactory circumstances.

I took the ticket up to the counter to negotiate.

"I'm really sorry," I said, "but we waited for over an hour for our food and it was pretty overcooked. Is there anyway you can give us a discount, maybe 20 percent, to compensate for this?"

The cashier, who also happened to be our waitress, was terribly rude and explained that I would experience a lengthy wait at any diner at this hour.

Overlooking the fact that it was after 3AM and the place was half empty, I conceded her point, but reminded her that the food really wasn't good. I got nothing but rudeness in return and made an executive decision to leave her a pretty minimal tip.

On the way out the door, the waitress verbally berated us from behind the counter.

Wow. Way to kick a girl when she's down. And the thing is, not only did she permanently lose four patrons but we've been sharing the diner story with just about everyone we know. I'm talking the name of the establishment, the address, the whole nine.

Why am I sharing the diner story with you all?

To illustrate Dodd's point that exiting customers are not docile. And while it's true that today's consumers are shopping their insurance more than ever—and that more of your clients may go with the cheaper rate offered by your competitor—it's important to remember that leaving a bad taste in an ex-client's mouth will cause them to "notice, talk and walk."

So be gracious, be kind and be thankful to departing clients. And you never know, the next time the shop, they just might be back to see you.

August 29, 2006

Women-Only Insurance: A New Niche?

forwomen.JPG Looks like one South African insurer is taking the word "niche" to new heights. Enter 1st For Women, an insurance brokerage for women only. AdFreak has the story, along with some of 1st For Women's print ads (click the photo to enlarge).

The South African insurance company, which offers coverage only to women, is under the impression that women are a safer bet, insurance-wise, because they don't put one another in senseless danger.

They raise a good point. You surely won't see my friends and me practicing any ridiculous stunts (other than walking in higher-than-high shoes). But in all seriousness, the insurer is accomplishing a couple of rather large feats:

  1. Targeting and catering to a highly lucrative demographic
  2. Developing a strong sales niche
  3. Becoming the first of their kind to do so
  4. Creating remarkable marketing campaigns to distinguish themselves from the crowd

I'm sure someone could play devil's advocate and tell me why singling out the men isn't a good idea...but I for one am impressed. Very innovative indeed.

[Thanks to the talented Jeb Foster for the link!]

August 28, 2006

Insurers Good Guys Afterall, Study Shows

okeydokers.JPGFellow InsureMe blogger, Jeb Foster, recently posted some good news over at the Insurance Blog: 90 percent of homeowners in Louisiana and Mississippi are satisfied with how their insurers handled their post-Katrina claims. Furthermore, only two percent of post-Katrina claims are in dispute.

According to a press release from the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), other positive highlights include:

  • Insurers have paid out over $15.5 billion to homeowners in Mississippi and Louisiana
  • Claim settlement rates are over 94 percent in both states
  • Claim payments equal 11 percent of state income in Louisiana and 10 percent in Mississippi.

In his post, Jeb hits on three significant takeaways from the I.I.I. report, one of them being that insurers should consider throwing some of their huge profits at PR campaigns to negate negative media coverage and highlight their Gulf Coast successes.

I have to say I'm in agreement here. And while I also think there's something to be said about being humble and having the integrity to realize that doing the right thing doesn't always mean receiving over-the-top recognition, I think the industry would do well to stand up to negative media attention and remind people of all the good that's happening. How will consumers learn otherwise?

I'm anxious to get an insurer's point of view here. Leave your thoughts via comments and let the discussion begin!

[Related post]:
Can The Insurance Industry Turn It Around?

August 25, 2006

Peculiar Postings: How To Hold Your Earnings

You've gotten your insurance license. You're getting tips every day from the InsureMe Agent Blog and Resource Center. You're closing InsureMe insurance leads left and right.

You're enjoying a successful career and you need a classy wallet in which to store your earnings.

Why not try out this replica bacon wallet from Archie McPhee? It's sleek, it's hip and has lots of room for goodies.11653.jpg

Have a good weekend, everyone. :)

August 23, 2006

Shocking Insurance Headline du Jour

A quick scan of today's insurance news revealed unto me this shocker: "Many New Orleanians Unable to Find Affordable Insurance."

The story, presented by IJ, gives a couple anecdotes of distressed homeowners, including that of a successful personal injury lawyer who had a hard time paying for the insurance on her dream house—a 130 year-old Victorian home in the French Quarter—with a price tag of a half-million dollars.

The best quote she got from a private insurer was nearly $10,000 per year, or over $800 a month on top of her monthly mortgage - far more than she had budgeted and enough to price her out of the house.

Indeed, high insurance rates are much to blame for Gulf Coast homeowners having to sell and move inland, but I'm afraid I agree with the lone commenter to the IJ article (at the time of "press," ha) when he says that insurance shouldn't be looked at as the "lone exodus" of coastal homeowners.

There are a myriad of reasons why insurance companies are increasing premiums, the largest of which, high-risk weather, is of little surprise to residents. But aside from risk of catastrophe, let's not forget that property values in these regions have been escalating in recent years—as shown by the abovementioned $500,000 house. That'd be a hefty claim to pay if the house sustained significant damage.

It seems to me that there's a delicate balance to the co-dependent relationship between insurer and policyholder. It's true, they need each other. But how do you protect consumers while simultaneously protecting insurers? And how do you keep insurers from becoming the scapegoat of bereft homeowners along the coast?

Check out the IJ article here, along with the reader responses...and feel free to post your thoughts, ideas and opinions here!

August 22, 2006

Insurance Regulators and Commissioners to Assess Industry Threats

presentation.jpgSounds like some interesting discourse will be had at the annual Society of Insurance Research (SIR) Conference this year.

The conference, which will be held in Charleston, SC, October 22-26, will include an open forum consisting of several insurance commissioners, according to PR News Wire. Attendants will tackle issues related to heightened catastrophe risk, avian flu and other pandemic exposures, the impacts of illegal immigration on demographics, niche marketing to Baby Boomers, the implications of increased lifespan, and more. And, excitingly, they'll discuss these issues as they relate to both P&C and Life and Health insurance carriers. Very cool.

SIR is a non-profit organization geared towards using research to develop new solutions to combat the insurance industry's current and future problems. As far as innovative organizations go—and as far as innovative insurance-affiliated organizations go—SIR fits the bill.

Check out the full conference blurb courtesy of Insurance News Net here; full conference details (including the goods on registration), visit http://www.sirnet.org.

Rave: On Competitive Advantage

Read and loved this recent article by BusinessWeek Online. The article, entitled "How to Hit a Moving Target," has some great advice for business folks in any trade, though I think some points could be particularly well-absorbed by the insurance industry (for example, "Don't Just Get Bigger, Get Unique").

I could paraphrase for you, but to the detriment of the article. Check it out here, and prepare to be inspired.

[Related post]: Ignorning the Competition

August 18, 2006

How to Snooze Your Way to Success

Can spending some extra time in dreamland help you improve your sales? You might be surprised.

Metronap Sleep Pod

These are just some of the observations made by our own Jeb Foster, who recently had his article, "Snooze Your Way to Success" featured in Insurance News Net. I highly suggest checking out this entertaining piece to learn how a lack of sleep could be affecting your sales—and how to maximize your slumber time.

And for you particularly restless sleepers, I'd suggest checking out the Metronap Sleep Pod (seen right) to help you catch a nap before making that important sales call. :)

Here's hoping you all have a good weekend...and that you catch up on your Zzzz.

August 17, 2006

On Meetings

I've got a quite a few meetings today, which are leaving me little time to blog.

Oh, meetings, you might be thinking sympathetically, don't they just eat up your day?

Sure, meetings might mean less blog time for me today, but trust me when I say that meetings aren't keeping me from getting any work done. Quite the contrary in fact; I come out of most meetings energized, with a renewed sense of purpose.

A few months ago, Seth Godin posted about meetings, namely how to make them work you. Here's my favorite passage:

When you go to the presentation in the auditorium, don't sit in the back row. It doesn't matter if you don't feel like sitting in the front row, you should. The presenter will do a better job. And if you're tired, work hard at smiling and making contact. The presenter will do better, especially if he's particularly boring and nervous.

Don't bring a bag of Fritos. Don't sit back. Don't close your eyes.

Seriously, it's not study hall. Rather than lying your head down on the desk, focus your attention and see what you can learn—and what you can lend to the meeting. Sure, it might take a little effort on your part...but they don't call it "work" for nothing. :)

August 16, 2006

P&C To See the Money in 2006

dollar bill$!Expect to see 2006 property casualty profits in alignment with those of 2004, says Conning Research and Consulting, Inc. They recently released their forecast for the P&C industry, which gives a peek into profits through 2008.

The results may come as a surprise to some, considering last year's ferocious hurricane season and the predictions for more heavy storms this year. The consulting firm did take past and potential future losses into consideration—they anticipate a dip in P&C profits during 2007 and 2008.

"Profitability continues through 2006, but slowing premium growth, rising loss costs and accumulating surplus will take their toll and the industry will again show combined ratios above 100 percent in 2007 and 2008," says Stephan Christiansen, Conning Director of Research.

Christiansen goes on to say that there are several factors that cloud predictions for 2006-2008, namely the competitive market conditions outside of high-risk areas, which are perpetuated by surplus accumulation, strong loss reserves and strong cash flow. Despite some premium volatility, Christiansen expects that increasing pricing in coastal exposures, as well as higher costs of availability and reduced availability of reinsurance will help moderate these premium trends through 2008.

"Overall, we expect ROEs will slowly subside, falling from 9.2 percent in 2005 to 7 percent in 2008."

The full report, "Property-Casualty Forecast & Analysis by Line of Insurance, 2005-2008" can be purchased on a quarterly basis through subscription from Conning Research and Consulting, Inc. If anyone decides to snag a copy, feel free to share other highlights via comments. :)

[Source]: Insurance Journal

August 15, 2006

How Postive Patterns Can Help You Achieve Sales Goals

At InsureMe, we develop corporate quarterly goals, along with personal quarterly goals. I think most of us find that goals keep on task and help us to add value to our organization. There's also something to be said, I think, for always being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's like my hometown meteorologist says when he does the seven-day forecast: "Your weekend is always in view." Even on Monday, you can see Saturday. Nice, no?

Anyway, I spent some time on David Cheong's blog today and liked what I saw. I found his post, 5 Steps to Accomplishing Your Goals, to be very encouraging...but we've already given some goal-reaching tips here at the Agent Blog. And not that they don't bear repeating (do check out the 5 Steps post), but I found this later post, Developing Positive Patterns, to be a great help when it comes to setting and achieving goals.

Here's an excerpt:

If you feel you're going to be late, you will be. If you think you're always broke, you tend to be.

The trick to achieving your life goals and being happy is to minimise the negative patterns and reinforce the positive patterns. Focus on establishing the habits which lead to desired results. Eliminate the temptations to do bad and surround yourself with aids that encourage the good.

It really is a great post and I encourage you to take a look and see what negative influences you can cut out of your professional life. Because, like fellow blogger Penny once said, "...the measure of my success comes in understanding my goals then using them to prioritize my tasks so I can generate maximum revenue every day."

I hope the same will be true for you.


August 14, 2006

Pinko Marketing: How It Can Help Your Insurance Business

I've been reading quite a bit about Pinko Marketing lately. And while I find the historical reference behind the movement a tad unsettling, I do think Pinko marketers are onto something. And whether or not you agree with their manifesto, the tenets of Pinko marketing can—and should—be adapted by anyone looking to advance in the marketplace. box.JPG

Courtesy of Tara Hunt, author of HorsePigCow, here are the five basic principles of Pinko marketing:

  1. Focus on inbound, rather than outbound messages
  2. Be a community advocate (not a corporate evangelist) ...you are part of the community you serve or you aren't pinko
  3. No less than 100% authenticity and ethics
  4. Serve niche markets ...don't go for the mass ...be patient
  5. Use open source thinking ...operate with utter transparency, develop your product openly, care about community first, consider open sourcing

I really dig these principles and I think using them as the underpinning of your insurance business is a good idea. Because I've said it before and I think it's still true—that insurance professionals, along with used car salesmen, tend to be seen as the bottom feeders of sales, at least in the eyes of some consumers.

And yet, people still buy your product. They buy to alleviate the risk of losing their homes, their cars, their health, their lives, etc. Sometimes they buy because their state requires them to. But despite these circumstances, I think you'll find that the sooner you modify your business practices, the more clients you'll keep and the more referrals you'll receive.

And you never know...making changes in one area of your life just might bring positive change to other areas as well. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone.

August 11, 2006

InsureMe Hits The Big Screen

Well, maybe not "the big screen", but we have uploaded our first video to YouTube. Click the play button (or the above link) to see how InsureMe helped Cindi and The Thor find each other.

More to come... :)

Floridians Suggesting Boycott

Homeowners in Florida are fed up with being dropped from their current insurers as well as the rising cost for licenseplatesmall.jpg policies through those few companies that can offer home coverage. An activist group in Pasco County is encouraging homeowners to drop their auto insurance with several companies that write both auto and home insurance. Members of this group feel that this is one of the best ways for Florida residents to punish the companies for dropping their homeowners insurance or raising the premiums so high that they have to consider a second job.

While the article does offer a few instances of retaliation, officials in the industry have yet to see a large number of people dropping. Some major companies are giving customers the multi-line discount even after they were forced to drop the home portion of the coverage. Their intention is to help relieve some of the financial burden that Florida residents are experiencing. Ryan Priest, a spokesperson from one of these companies states, "It (a boycott) is an understandable reaction. But it seems like it's been fairly rare."

I guess time will tell. As always, your thoughts are welcomed.

[Source]
Insurance News Net

See Ya, Boring Outlook Reminders.

Oh, Friday.

I heard someone once say that they wished every day was Friday. That makes no sense to me. If it was Friday every day, we'd never get to the weekend, right?

Anyway, I found a neat download by way of Lifehacker that I thought I'd pass along to you. It's called the Citrus Alarm Clock, and it allows you to personalize as many alarms as you want, using whichever audio tracks you want. Check out this screenshot and excerpt from Lifehacker, Wendy Boswell:

citrusalarm.png
[...] this week I've got to take the kiddos to about five different places. I set up alarms for said events, with different audio files for each one (Ladysmith Black Mambazo for camp, Mindy Smith for soccer, Rolling Stones for the dentist, etc.)

Citrus Alarm is a free download and is compatible with both PC and Mac. Just think, instead of that irritating Outlook reminder, you could be serenaded by a song of your choosing to remind you of that 1PM appointment with Mr. Client.

Personally, I hate alarm clocks; I don't own one. I can't stand the digital display or the ticking sound of passing hands that comes with a traditional alarm clock. But I'm going to give this a go, both at work and at home. If nothing else, it allows you to personalize your spaces and I'm all in favor of that.

Have a great weekend, everyone. See you back here Monday, same bat time, same bat channel, etc.

August 10, 2006

We Can Tame Hurricanes, Scientists Affirm

trainer.gifI recently posted about the effects of global warming on home insurance rates over at the InsureMe Insurance Blog. Now, it seems as if scientists have come up with a way to weaken the hurricanes, which have arguably gotten stronger in light of global warming.

The Insurance Journal reported this week that two New Jersey scientists believe that by cooling a vast area of the ocean before a storm, that they can deprive the hurricane of "fuel" and spare lives and property along US coast lines.

Scientists have long ago proven that the difference between a tropical storm and a full-fledged hurricane lies in only a few degrees; the warmer the ocean water is, the bigger the wallop the storm will pack.

The idea, then, is to cool the ocean using millions of wind- or water-powered pumps, which would be placed about 200 miles offshore in the path of the storm. The pumps would then churn cooler ocean water (which can be found a few hundred feet beneath the water crest) to the surface—cooling the top layer of water by two or three degrees Celsius. According to the scientists' calculations, this could weaken the hurricane by about one category.

Alan F. Blumberg, a professor at Steven's Institute of Technology, is a bit skeptical that such an innovation could tame the so-called beast but agrees it's worth a shot. He agrees that cutting the strength of a hurricane by just one category "translates into a very large reduction in the damages expected from a hurricane."

The team of scientists has yet to determine the environmental impact of transferring billions of gallons of water, along with fish and ocean inhabitants. The team also has yet to secure the $1 to $3 billion needed to test smaller versions of the pumps in a secured environment.

Personally, I'd love to see money spent on this kind of research. It comes second, I think, to repairing the environment, but I'm all for preventative measures and diminishing the impact of hurricanes on our coasts, which could save human lives and lessen damage to property and our economy.

Check out the full article via Insurance Journal here; it's a pretty interesting read. Special thanks to InsureMe president, Tim McTavish, who spotted the article and passed it along.

August 09, 2006

Slow Insurance News Day

slow.jpgRather than rehash some of today's headlines, I've decided to direct you to some helpful articles from the InsureMe Agent Resource Center:

While the first two articles are certainly considered timeless, I think the latter is very timely. Did you know that roughly nine out of ten women are in control of the family funds?

Take a look at the articles and let me know what you think. Of course, if you have suggestions for something else you'd like to see in the Agent Resource Center, I'd be happy to hear those, too!

August 08, 2006

UPDATE: Elderly Women Now Charged with Murder

RuttSmall.jpgGolaySmall.jpgThe saga continues for Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt as the pair has now been formally charged with murder for financial gain of two homeless men.

According to a recent LA Times article, federal charges on the two women will likely be dropped to pursue the murder charges, for which they may face the death penalty.

As you may recall, the two women were first arrested on suspicions of mail and life insurance fraud, after two transient men were found dead—with dozens of life insurance policies taken out in their names. Golay and Rutterschmidt allegedly claimed they were relatives of the men in order to collect policy procedes. That's the short version.

The defendants have both pled not guilty and Golay's attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, (okay, I just wanted to say his name) said that his client is innocent and that he's certain they're going to win the trial.

I don't have quite the confidence of Mr. Diamond, not after reading the most recent LA Times article. At first blush, it seems the women were really working the system to get away with such debauchery. Needless to say, I'll post updates here as I catch them.

[Related]:
Previous Agent Blog posts on Golay and Rutterschmidt; here, here and here.
MSNBC's update
KTLA News update [video]

August 07, 2006

Taking Home Inventory, 2.0

Recently, Lifehacker asked its readers how they document proof of their belongings in the event of theft. Because of course, when you've been robbed (or, if your dwelling has been damaged), you have to show the insurer proof of your belongings. fuji_lea-r.jpg

But like Lifehacker blogger, Adam Pash, writes, taking photographs is an obvious start; he was looking for "detailed systems" of home inventory. Among the comments, posters recommended:

  • Taking at least one photo of every room of the house
  • Taking video of the house
  • Saving receipts for large purchases
  • Renting a safety deposit box for photos and important documents
  • Taking a photo of a receipt after you buy something
  • Emailing photos to yourself [so that they can't be destroyed or stolen]
  • Uploading photos to a [private] Flickr account

That Flickr idea is really innovative, in my dorky opinion. Of course, online home inventory forms like those from KnowYourStuff.org are always good, but they can be pretty tedious. I like the idea of saving receipts and snapping some photos every once in awhile.

I'm interested in the kinds of inventory tactics you provide to your clients. Because after reading the post at Lifehacker, I'm getting a sense that the Web has changed the way we take inventory—making it a lot less painless...even, dare I say, fun. (Full disclosure: I love Flickr)

Let me know what other tips you have; I'll be sure to share the suggestions with readers of the InsureMe Insurance Blog.

August 04, 2006

Discounts for Daylight Driving?

I ran across an interesting article this afternoon on AutoTrader UK regarding discounts for young adults who limit their driving to daylight hours only. nightdrivesmall.JPG

According to the article and UK government figures, drivers under 30 make up 28 percent of all serious injuries and deaths on the road, although they only make up 10 percent of the driving population.

Insurers who adapt the new program, called "DriveTime" would offer discounts of up to 40 percent to young adults who agree not to drive at night.

That's a pretty serious discount, and an attractive one I imagine, for young people. But how do you ensure that policyholders adhere to the to the daytime driving-only hours?

Ah, the catch.

The catch is that policyholders would have to install an in-car tracking device that would monitor when the vehicle was driven. Furthermore, if the device found that the vehicle had moved between 11PM and 6AM, the policyholder would be fined £25.

Now, I'm a twenty-something driver with a good driving record. Under the DriveTime pretenses, I'd save about $480 per year on my auto insurance. That's a healthy discount. But I don't know that $480 would be enough to compensate for the fact that I:

A: would have to install something in my car
B: would feel like I was on house arrest every time I drove my car
C: couldn't drive my car after 11PM (not that I have a particularly wild social life, but I have been known to drive all night through the Midwest...as well as to move my car to the other side of the street to avoid a parking ticket.)

I could definitely see the DriveTime appeal for younger drivers faced with overly expensive premiums, say from too many violations or a previous DUI conviction. For me though, I think I'd pass.

So what do you think? Could DriveTime ever make it to the States? What would the ramifications be for insurers? For policyholders?

Let's meet back here on Monday and discuss the possibilities. :)

Goal-Setting 101

To be a successful insurance professional, it is important to set goals and achieve them. I read this article by Bill Bachrach via Insurance News Net that provided an interesting approach to setting appropriate goals. This approach is referred to as the "Most Program." According to Bachrach, adopting this program will help you reach goals that are important to you and also reach them faster.

The basic idea of the program is to be moving toward your goals "most" of the time so that you can actually be successful in what you set out to do. For example, if you set the expectation that you will set 60 appointments in a month and you spend only two days each week contacting leads, chances are you will fall short. It's definitely a let down when you don't hit the mark.

The article also asks the important question: what is drives you to reach your goals? Think about the reasons behind this goal and if they are not important to you then you might need to reconsider what you are working towards. It is much more enjoyable to work on something that you are passionate about... and you'll likely find that it yields much more productive results.

The article has some great information, especially if you are like me and struggle a little when goal setting time rolls around. Give it a look and let me know how it helped!

August 03, 2006

MAD FU: How to Qualify Your Prospects

Do you ever just have one of those weeks? One of those weeks where it feels like the rain cloud is straight above your head, following you wherever you go?

In an attempt not to pass the rain cloud on (indiscriminate as rain clouds can be), I'm going to send you in the direction of this interesting post over at Top Lead Generators where you will be wowed by the newest sales acronym: MAD FU.

Before your imagination runs away with you, I'll you that MAD FU is a formula that you can use to determine how qualified a prospect is before meeting with them—or, as author Dan Tudor says, "...to differentiate between a qualified prospect and a time-waster or a tire-kicker."

Check it out and let me know what you think!

August 02, 2006

UK Insurer Says Sagittarians Pay Lower Auto Insurance Premiums

Knock on wood, the blog hiatus is over.

We're back today with some heavy-hitting insurance news: apparently Sagittarians (Nov. 23rd—Dec.21) have lower insurance rates than their cosmic driving counterparts. At least in the UK anyway.

In new findings reported by the UK firm, MoneySuperMarket.com, Sagittarians apparently file seven percent fewer claims and receive eight percent fewer driving convictions; it seems as if Arians pick up the most claims and convictions, due to their "impatient nature." Naturally.

Here's my favorite quote from the article, as made by MoneySuperMarket's Director of Insurance:

"Some drivers will read more into this than others, but it's fair to say we were surprised how closely this year's claims and conviction statistics mirrored traditional star sign traits."

I can't wait to ask my agent come renewal time if there are any additional discounts available based on my planetary alignment.

Big hat tip to RiskProf for pointing me in the direction of this enlightening article. :)