Trusted Choice® Marketing Reimbursement Program Changes for 2020

​​The Trusted Choice® Marketing Reimbursement Program (MRP) was created to ease the financial burden of branding efforts for independent insurance agents. With the MRP program, agents can receive reimbursement funds for cobranding their marketing materials with the Trusted Choice® logo, purchasing a new website through our partnership with Web.com or signing up for an Advantage subscription. Starting in January, the program will be structured with the following reimbursement tiers: Tier 1: Agencies receive up to $750 for using the Trusted Choice logo on any consumer-focused items, including but not limited to advertising, promotional items, store signage and collateral items, such as business cards or stationery. Each agency location may…

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Big ‘I’ Members to Receive ACORD Forms Licenses – Register for FREE Webinar!

​The Big "I" and ACORD are launching a new Big "I" member benefit. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, Big "I" members with an annual property & casualty gross revenue of less than $50 million will receive a complimentary license to use ACORD forms.  On Jan. 1, 2020, ACORD will begin charging all ACORD forms users an end-user license fee (EUL), which includes agents, brokers and carriers. Currently, most agents access ACORD forms via their agency management systems or other ACORD-authorized third-party forms redistributors. ​ The Big “I" has negotiated an agreement with ACORD where the Big “I" will cover the cost of the EUL when accessing the forms…

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Don’t Be So Sure Your Employee Doesn’t Qualify For Overtime

​Some employers may mistakenly believe that they are not required to pay certain employees at the overtime rate for hours worked in excess of 40 per week. While the federal Fair Labor Standards Act generally applies to the question of whether an employee is exempt or non-exempt from requirements such as overtime pay, New York State Labor regulations set a different standard. Big I New York members should verify that they are meeting the state requirements. Effective December 31, 2019, employees whose duties may exempt them from the overtime pay requirement are exempt only if their wages are at or above the following levels: In New…

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