New "WAHVE" Of Opportunity For Retired Insurance Professionals

She also saw insurance agencies looking for staffing expertise at a time when they are also under pressures to keep costs low.

WAHVE is trying to be the bridge that will connect the emerging issues for retirees and agencies–by providing a unique, cost-saving remote staffing solution that supplements an agency's staffing needs by using the insurance industry's highly knowledgeable and technologically savvy retirees, she explained.

WAHVE can provide back-office and CSR services on a full-time or part-time dedicated basis, or on a project basis. While helping agencies improve their profitability, the WAHVE model is also keeping outsourced jobs in America.

"WAHVE creates an opportunity for employers to cut costs in half," Ms. Emek said, noting that when they use WAHVE home-based staffers, agencies save money because they don't have to provide benefits. In addition, since employees are outsourced, the agencies can save on overhead.

Ms. Emek, who is also a partner at CBS Coverage Group, a New York-based insurance agency, has been developing WAHVE for the past two years.

A driving factor fueling the creation of WAHVE, she said, was the fact that the aging population has become more technologically advanced. In addition, the aging population has continued to grow, leaving some to look for post-retirement positions at local malls or grocery stores.

Ms. Emek described the research conducted during the early development stages of WAHVE, including a survey she conducted together with the Austin, Texas-based National Alliance Research Academy, called "The Looming Professional Gap: The Aging of the National Insurance and Risk Management Workforce."

The study sought to identify current retirement trends within the insurance and risk management industries and the impact of such trends on the economy.

Survey participants–insurance industry professionals who have retired and are near retirement–said top factors in retirement planning were: financial well-being, cost and availability of health insurance, and the ability to perform day-to-day job functions.

Only 33 percent of all study participants said they believed their organizations are prepared for their retirement, according to the survey, which was also undertaken to understand the future of the industry as it prepares for the exit of the "baby boomer" population.

The study concluded the future of the insurance and risk management industry is very unpredictable, but the number-one concern is preparation.

A separate finding reported by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America American Agent & Broker (a sister publication of NU, which is part of Summit Business Media's Property & Casualty Media Group) shows that the insurance industry continues to see a shortage of trained insurance professionals, and with the average age being 54, it is expected that 50 percent of the industry will be retiring within the next 10 years.

This leaves a lot of available positions that have not attracted many insurance-literate employees in years, providing a need for the "perfect storm model."

Since its launch in April, Ms. Emek reported that WAHVE already has a steadily climbing base of 350 qualified retired insurance professionals who offer 25-plus years of service within the industry. WAHVE is also an Entrepreneur Insurance Award finalist within the distribution category. The winners are set to be announced in December.

More information is available at www.wahve.com.