Six Reasons to Complete a Valuation of Your Agency Annually
For many agency owners, the business is their largest financial asset, yet they often go years without understanding how their decisions are impacting its value. Revenue, profitability, retention, and growth are closely monitored, but agency value is often overlooked. A valuation provides more than a snapshot of what your agency is worth today; it offers […]
Technology, AI, and Agency Value
What Agency Leaders Should Really Be Paying Attention To The Insurance Industry has never had more technology options than it does today. Agency management systems, CRMs, automation platforms, AI tools, comparative raters, marketing technology, document processing tools, carrier integrations, and countless point solutions all promise to help agencies become more efficient and more profitable. For […]
How Are the Best Agencies Approaching Growth, Hiring, and Technology?
August is an exciting time of year for many. For families, school is back in session, bringing relief, excitement, and opportunity. For fanatics, football season is nearly here, ushering in championship daydreams and inevitable heartbreak. For independent agent nerds, Reagan Consulting and the Big “I” proffer the 2026 Best Practices Study Update, presenting excellent information […]
What Independent Agencies Can Learn From The Market’s Next Chapter
For the past several years, independent agencies have navigated a hard market defined by rising premiums, limited carrier appetite, and difficult client conversations. Now, signs are emerging that conditions are beginning to shift. But what does that transition really look like at the agency level? Recently, Jeff Smith, CEO of IA Valuations and OIA, sat down with […]
From Revenue Folklore to Real Value: Understanding EBITDA
One of the most common questions we receive from agency owners is, “Why does everyone keep talking about EBITDA?” Whether they are preparing for a valuation, considering a perpetuation plan, or simply trying to understand what drives agency value, many agency owners encounter EBITDA without fully understanding why it has become the industry’s preferred measuring […]
Investing in Producers: The Best Investment an Agency Can Make
When agency leaders talk about growth, the conversation often turns to acquisitions, carrier relationships, technology investments, or market opportunities. While those areas certainly matter, there is another investment that can have the best impact on an agency’s future value creation: developing a strong producer pipeline. A conversation between Mike Wagar and Melissa Hama-Wardle from Peoples Bank, Jarod Steed from IA Valuations, and Brian Lawrence from the […]
From Scratch to Success
How Frank Chan Created an Excellent Agency IA Valuations has been valuing independent insurance agencies for nearly a decade. From Palmer, Alaska to Quincy, Massachusetts, we’ve had the opportunity to evaluate the operations and financials of over 400 agencies across the country. Through this work, we have been identifying and qualifying the metrics that make […]
Valuation Views 2026 Q2: Quarterly Marketplace Report
2025 Profit Sharing Improves by 50% over 2024 for the Independent Agent Industry As an agency professional, does it feel like you are starting to emerge from the chaos that was the hard market? The numbers would say that’s the case. In 2025, every revenue group experienced a decreased loss ratio from 2024, and every […]
Why Due Diligence is More Than a Checklist: A Conversation About Protecting Agency Value
Agency growth almost always involves risk. Whether you are buying another agency, hiring a producer, merging with a peer, or transitioning ownership internally, the decisions you make today can shape your agency’s future for decades. In a recent conversation, IA Valuations’ Jeff Smith, CEO, and Jarod Steed, Business Planning & Valuations Analyst, sat down to unpack one of the […]
Valuation Views 2026 Q1: Quarterly Marketplace Report
Beyond the Headlines: Where Most Agency M&A Really Occurs A 2025 recap of transaction volume, buyer demand, and the structural forces reshaping agency ownership as we move into 2026. The independent insurance agency system continues to experience elevated M&A activity, but the story heading into 2026 is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. After more […]