As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, it may be an interesting exercise to consider how agents and brokers are positioned to respond to some of the traditions that are a part of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's. What do agents and brokers have to be thankful for? What would agents and brokers put on the list of gifts they would want to receive? And finally, what New Year's resolutions would they most likely be making?

As consultants to many of the best agents and brokers across the U.S. and based on the significant research we do every year through the Best Practices Study, the Organic Growth and Profitability Study, and the Study of the Leading Banks in Insurance, we are well positioned to know how these holiday questions would most typically be answered.

These are difficult times in the U.S. and throughout the world, but there's still a lot for agents and brokers to be thankful for, including the following: 1) We sell products that people/businesses have to buy in good times and in bad; 2) the independent insurance-distribution system has proven its worth and continues to control the majority of the commercial business and a stable portion of the personal business; 3) agents and brokers can make a great living (where else can people that were B and C students in college make more than their A-student friends who are now doctors, academics or unemployed?); 4) much asset value can be created through the growth and expansion of insurance brokerage firms; and 5) the long-term future of our industry looks bright (save some uncertainty in the health-insurance field).