When the countdown ends on 2009, it also brings an end to thefirst decade of the new millennium. It's hard to believe how muchour world has changed in those 10 short years, from globalterrorism (still happening) to the financial meltdown to theascendancy of the Internet. Let's look at just a few:

Everything tech. Yes, the Internet was aroundat the turn of the century, but it wasn't as ubiquitous as it isnow. Since then, a whole generation has grown up with thistechnology, and that generation is our future employees andcustomers. While all this has made our lives a lot easier, it'salso phased out a lot of what we were confortable with and raisedthe bar on customer expectations. A mixed blessing, to say theleast.

A world of new risks. The world is smaller, andthe risks you underwrite are not like anything that's been insuredbefore. Acts of terrorism, environmental exposures, professionalliability related to new technology standards and expectations —they're all in the mix, with new risks coming at us every day. Thechallenge for our industry will be to keep one step ahead ofanything new that comes along.

A bigger, smaller agency universe. Theagency/brokerage M&A boom may have slowed to a trickle, but theactivity of the past 10 years has altered the landscape forever.Big brokerages have gotten bigger by increasingly targeting themidmarket customers that have long been the bread and butter of theaverage agency. Conversely, the latest IIABA Agency Universenumbers suggest that smaller, startup agencies are on the rise,thanks in large part to the availability of sophisticatedautomation systems that allow them to compete with biggerplayers.

More eyes on the industry. Public/politicalscrutiny of the insurance industry is nothing new, but the seismicfinancial upheavals of the past 10 years — from the Enron fiasco in2002 to last year's subprime mortgage meltdown and AIG bailout andcurrent healthcare debate — have put this most risk-averse industryin the spotlight more than ever before.

And while nobody can predict what the next 10 years will bring,it's a safe bet that the trends we saw begin at the dawn of thecentury will continue to play a significant role going forward. Andwhile 2009 was a good year in that we dodged a lot of bullets —from natural disasters to truly bad legislation — it's inevitablethat we'll stand to take a hit from these and other problems in thefuture.

What were your biggest concerns in 2009, and what do you predictwill dominate the headlines in 2010?