Designation Suggestions

[Tracy1326]

I have been a commercial lines producer for one year and feel like I'm doing pretty well learning the ropes but would like to learn more. I am in a family business (I'm 4th generation) so advancing through a company isn't my goal; education and knowledge is. I would like to pursue a designation, possibly ARM or CPCU. I'm looking for advice as to which designation others think would be more helpful in my position. Again, knowledge and competency in assessing clients' risks and needs and helping them make informed decisions are my goals, not advancement or taking over the business. I would like to be well-rounded and I enjoy studying/learning.

[yoyowordup]

I think ARM and CPCU are great programs and they can definitely help you become very knowledgable in your technical skills.

I have been a CIC for over 20 years and all of their programs (www.scic.com) have been perfect for me and my needs and schedule. When I first started out I was newly married and started a new family so the lesser time commitment of the CIC program was perfect. Over the years I have really enjoyed the flexibility of their other offerings as well. Along with the technical classes they also offered sales classes and lots of other resources for producers and CSR's. I don't think the CIC program is as intense as CPCU and ARM but it's been great for me.

[gforaker]

I have had my CPCU designation for over 30 years and have taken and passed all of the CIC courses (though not in a 5 year period). I think that for most any producer or agent the CIC course would be better to start with. After the CIC you can take CPCU if you feel the need. I do have complaints about the way the CIC program is run and in my opinion, it is a money grubbing scheme. It is still good training, though.

[earlybird]

Having earned both CIC and the CPCU designations, CIC is basically "Insurance 101" for agency personnel while the CPCU and CRM programs will provide a comprehensive world view of the insurance industry, including risk analysis, rate making, reinsurance, accounting and economics. When the CPCU or CRM designation is earned, it is yours forever, whereas the CIC can be maintained only by attending the CIC classes already taken or their Ruble seminars on a yearly basis. Besides taking 2-3 days of your time,each CIC meeting costs around $1,000 minimum yearly to take the CIC classes/seminars if you must stay in a hotel during the 3 day period. Since you are in the business for the long term and say you are interested in learning, I would skip the CIC program for the present and complete CPCU, CRM or both before bothering with CIC. At some later date, the CIC Ruble seminars are of some value, depending of the qualifications of the presenter, and for networking with other agency types. Insurers prefer their employees participate in CPCU, so if networking with company marketing reps and underwriters appeals to you, I think the CPCU meetings will pay off for you far earlier.

[Tracy1326]

So I decided to start my ARM... Anyone have suggestions about whether to take the tests by section or as one complete exam? Breaking it down in sections is definitely more expensive but I'm wondering if one exam is too much content. Is it much worse than studying for the license exam?

[wariline]

I just finished the ARM exams eariler this year, and took them as complete sets. Make 3 trips for one course is no fun. I definately felt ARM exams are more challeging than CPCU exams - it took me almost the same amount time to complete the exam even though CPCU's allowed 3 hours. I'd suggest you to study real hard on those.

[Shagster1261]

I would also suggest you consider the AAI designation. It offers a broad based induction into many various areas of incurance and agency management. I feel confident clients and prospects respond to the AAI designation and once they're told it stands for Accredited Advisor in Insurance, it lends a good deal of credence to your expertise in the field.

Just my humble opinion....

[NCPCLHagent]

How does the AAI compare to the CIC? Are they equivalent or is one more advanced than the other?

I have the CIC and was looking at the AAI but they seem very similar.

[Shagster1261]

I would agree they do seem similar.
The CIC requires 5 courses of 20hrs each with a 2 hr essay exam to pass each one.
The AAI is in 3 courses, when I studied it we did 12 classes per each course at 2 1/2 hrs per class over the course of a year.
As far as the content for the CIC I have no experience, but I can tell you the AAI courses give you training in everything from policy language to Agency management and is really quite thorough... I am glad I did the AAI and at this stage have no further desire to add to it...

[brookemarker]

I did the ARM in 2014. It was quite challenging.
I learned so much and would recommend it.
You will learn concepts you thought you would never learn about in insurance. Lots of talk on investments.
Also a lot of math.
I failed ARM 55 the first time.
Now onto the CPCU so far, CPCU is easier.