Written by: adam on August 30, 2010.Hurricane Earl – now category 2 – is expected to become a major category 4 hurricane today.  From today’s CNN.com article:
“Earl could affect areas in the United States from the Carolinas to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, over Labor Day weekend, said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
It is too [...]

Written by: adam on August 30, 2010.Independence!
Many, many of us experience tremendous frustration in our career, living day after day, year after year in a work situation we find confining, stifling and which frankly just doesn’t fit us. Perhaps we’re stuck in a cubicle. Perhaps we dislike our manager. Perhaps we’re selling something we [...]

Written by: adam on August 24, 2010.

Written by: adam on August 24, 2010.

Written by: adam on August 24, 2010.…. Insurance Adjusting is a recession-proof industry!
As our economy continues to slide, many are surprised to find that their once-strong industry has “dried up” – there’s just no work.  Take, as example, several jobs surrounding the housing industry – home inspectors, appraisers, real estate agents, and the entire [...]

Written by: adam on August 5, 2010.Hey Adjusters!
No one really knows how many millions of gallons of the dispersant Corexit were used, but it’s a massive problem.  Some scientists are speculating that we’ll see harmful effects for decades, as this dispersant can cause toxic rain.  The chemicals in Corexit were kept secret from the [...]

Written by: adam on August 3, 2010.I listen to books on tape all the time.  Today as I was listening to one of my current favorites, this quote stopped me in my tracks:
“We are not a composite of everything that has ever happened to us, but rather what happens in our lives is [...]

Written by: adam on July 3, 2010.Hello Adjusters!
I just got back from training new adjusters in New Orleans.  We had a FANTASTIC group of students – many of them involved in handling BP claims – and I’m praying for the long-term success of each and every one.
I was struck by a comment made by [...]

Written by: adam on June 26, 2010.I remember when I first got into the CAT business, I had to do some internal wrestling with whether I could in good conscience hope for a catastrophe.  There’s plenty of joking around in the industry about whether a larger hurricane should be referred to as a “good” [...]

Written by: adam on June 26, 2010.My wife follows several blogs and websites that are quite serious about the speculation that the oil spill fits the description given in the Book of Revelation.  Although I am not yet ready to say it is or ain’t, I thought y’all might find this topic interesting.  Here’s [...]

Written by: Daniel Kerr on June 26, 2010.Dr. Jeff Masters gives Tropical Storm Alex a 60% chance of obtaining hurricane strength in the coming week.  Read the full report.
He goes to predict less than a 10% chance of directly impacting the oil-contaminated waters, however, states that its likely to send swells of 2-4 ft [...]

Today I’d like to give a word of encouragement about the power of finding a way to get things done. First, a bit of history re. my CAT career.

My last real position as a salaried employee was as a high school math teacher in ‘97. Although I made very little, I knew exactly what I was going to have at the end of each month. This gave me and my wife a relative sort of comfort. The stress of moving to a commissioned position was intense; every month I started from scratch, and had to work my tail off, just to start all over again next month. I almost gave up at the end of the first year, but then I got my W2 – which showed that I had doubled my salary from my last year of teaching!

Jumping into CAT adjusting was a whole new step. Now, not only was I directly responsible for how much I made, I was totally self-employed, and responsible for everything. I arrived at my first CAT with a brand-new lap-top, digital camera, tape measure, a few other nick-nacks and a recently maxed-out credit card for these purchases. I had a wife, three daughters and a big mortgage back at home. I was now REALLY stepping up to the plate of believing in my ability to make it happen, to provide for my family. I’d be lying if I said i wasn’t a bit scared.

Here comes the happy part of the story. I worked harder than I had ever worked, and the results were beyond my wildest expectations. I took my job very seriously, worked 16 hour days, 7 days/week, and daily sought to improve my skills as an adjuster. This meant massive efforts in communication, time management, industry knowledge and more. It meant learning what policy holders need as well as what bureaus and carriers need (I will be blogging about all of these topics in the future!). After a while, with this attitude, not only did I succeed in that particular catastrophe, but I developed a reputation and relationships that have endured and have secured my future in a career that I love (the adjusting industry).

There’s one thing in particular that I learned that I feel called to share with you today. It has to do with closing a claim.

Written by: adam on May 27, 2010.Most every morning I start the day with a period of quiet reflection.  Sometimes this is hard for me to do, because I want to get busy and get stuff accomplished.  Here’s a cool quote from Francis de Sales: “Every Christian needs a half-hour of prayer each day, [...]

Written by: Daniel Kerr on May 27, 2010.Hey folks,
The Well-Adjusted blog, for better and worse, has been the sole child of AdjusterPro, and specifically myself, Daniel Kerr.  In the last few months, we’ve had the privilege of hosting a few guest bloggers like Robby Robinson and Brian Roberts whose material has been excellent and [...]

Written by: Daniel Kerr on February 24, 2010.Accuweather’s tropical weather guru Joe Bastardi lays out a very compelling case why 2010 will be a scary-busy hurricane season.  Click here to view the video.
Independent catastrophe adjusters should prepare for an active year.  Tune up your licenses and get your fifth-wheels compliant because it could be [...]