Editor’s Note: I originally wrote this two years ago, but I realize not everyone has been here since then. I’ve also noticed some people have been searching for it lately, so thought I’d re-share it as a fun end of the year post. What’s worse than leaving your eight year Continue Reading
Introducing Ohtani Life & Annuity
Shohei Ohtani recently signed the biggest contract in baseball history at 10 years for $700M. However, it wasn’t quite as big as it seemed. He deferred most of his money for ten years which, at a 4.4% discount rate, means he will earn the equivalent of $460M over ten years. Continue Reading
Decoding Insurer Speak
One of my main roles as an investor was trying to assess the difference between what companies said and what they were actually telling you with their actions. Company scripts for investor calls rarely directly answered your questions. I had to read between the lines or listen for what was Continue Reading
Measuring The Tail Risk of Democracy
We’re now less than one year away from voting for the next President. If that doesn’t send a shudder down your spine, you are more resolute than I. The odds of an undisputed election seem fairly low. If you think what happened three years ago is the worst that can Continue Reading
My Allstate Activist Campaign Proposal
You may have seen the recent news that famed activist investor Nelson Peltz took a stake in Allstate. This is surprising on a number of fronts. First, activist investing has largely failed in insurance (most prominently Carl Icahn and friends at AIG). Second, Allstate is not an obvious target for Continue Reading
The Fed Is Worker’s Comp’s Best Friend
I see a lot of negative talk about worker’s comp of late, mainly because pricing is coming down and reserve releases will likely be declining. However, just because these things are true, doesn’t mean one should be negative on comp. First, while earnings can be declining, they are declining from Continue Reading
My Best Investment Idea: Three Year Treasuries
Disclosure! Disclosure! Disclosure! This is not investment advice. I am only describing what I am doing. You should do whatever you think is best for you. So let me head off something right off the jump. I am not suggesting Treasuries will beat stocks over the next three years. I Continue Reading
How Prisoner’s Dilemma Made ILS and Streaming TV Worse
Innovations are supposed to make things better, but sometimes, they, inadvertently, make things worse. How so? Because they can create some bad game theory incentives. Companies feel pressured to do something that is a positive if only they do it, but, once everyone copies it, results in a lower equilibrium. Continue Reading
Where Can Insurers Innovate? Teen Drivers!
Editor’s Note: If you missed last week’s post, there is still availability to have us help you shop for home or auto insurance. We had a number of people sign up last week, but we’re caught up now and can accept more. Sign up here. With all the energy spent Continue Reading
How Informed Is Breaking The Rules of Insurance Distribution
I haven’t written about what I’ve been doing at Informed for a while so I wanted to share something Jim and I are very excited about. We’re introducing a new way to buy personal lines policies that gives consumers more choice and more transparency. What I’m going to describe may Continue Reading