Help! I’m 65 and Want to Sell My Insurance Agency

The highly anticipated day has finally come: you are getting ready to retire. After spending 30+ years working in your insurance agency, you have made the difficult decision that it is time to sell the agency and step down. Hopefully, you have been running your business over the years as if you were going to […]

Is There an Optimal Age to Sell Your Insurance Agency?

It is hard to say, however, based on our analysis, we believe the optimal age is 58. Whether you are planning to perpetuate internally or sell externally, it is inevitable that you are going to sell your ownership at some point. In this article we explore whether there is an optimal age to transition ownership […]

The Importance of a Strong Balance Sheet

The value of a balance sheet is a key component in the calculation of agency value. We encourage our IA Valuations clients to bolster their balance sheets, not only to increase their agency value, but also for a myriad of reasons that will have both short-term and long-term impacts on the agency. Agency Reinvestment Agencies […]

Being in the Driver’s Seat

As an agency owner, when it comes time to sell your agency or internally perpetuate, you want to be in the driver’s seat during the process. Now, what exactly does “being in the driver’s seat” mean as an owner? Simply put, you are in control during the sale, you know your numbers, you’ve done the […]

Narrowly- Vs. Broadly-Held Stock Ownership and the Impact on Agency Value

We have found that many agencies are on one side of the spectrum or the other when it comes to stock ownership. Whether they operate with narrowly-held or broadly-held stock ownership can have quite the impact on their agency’s value. We hope to highlight the major differences between the two in this article. Narrowly-Held Stock […]

Red Flags that Weaken Agency Value

In the 200+ valuations that the IA Valuations team has performed, pinpointing and recognizing the red flags has become an essential step in the process to maximize an agency’s value. In general, agency owners are not aware of the internal factors that are stunting their growth and limiting overall value. In this article, we will […]

Has Your Agency Value Peaked?

Is this a question you have found yourself asking? If so, we will explore what to do next. First, let’s start with the evaluation process of determining whether your agency value has peaked. For me, this question arose when I was meeting with an agency owner that was sharing that they had made the decision […]

5 Reasons to Use IA Valuations for an Insurance Agency Valuation

Getting a valuation of your insurance agency is an important decision and a tool to understanding the fair market value of what is likely your greatest financial asset. You can get a valuation from many sources. Each of those sources has a motive, experience, and credentials for providing the service. In this article, we will […]

The Power of Using an Agency Valuation as a Business Planning Tool

To know where you are going, you must first know where you are currently. The biggest step in business planning each year is having a clear metric for the agency’s success. We believe the most effective metric and report is to get an independent fair market valuation of your agency. The valuation report will give […]

The 6 Steps to Sell Your Insurance Agency

So, you’ve made the decision to sell your insurance agency. While reaching that decision is incredibly difficult, the next stages in the process do not get easier. Therefore, we are laying out the six steps that you should go through to plan, prepare, negotiate, and execute the transaction. 1. Independent Fair Market Valuation First, get […]