oes anyone really have the truth? Every insurance publication, it seems, promises instant revelations about the current "insurance crisis." The reality is that if there were an instant answer, there would be no talk of a crisis?

ONE TRUTH: The challenges and solutions are different for each organization. There is no quick, one-size-fits-all answer.

What could be described as a crisis for one business is of no consequence to another. Solving the problem of escalating premiums and critical cancellations within the insurance industry is usually a long process.

For the business executive, surviving the current hard market requires knowledge of insurance and the available options and alternatives. Careful review and planning of your business insurance program, with the assistance of knowledgeable and unbiased professionals, is essential to revealing important and applicable truths about the current hard market and how to deal with it effectively.

In difficult insurance markets some organizations turn to their trade association for help. These associations can sometimes help by providing their members access to a larger group-purchasing or risk-bearing arrangement. However, all organizations will still need a competent professional insurance representative, risk manager, insurance consultant, loss control specialist or a combination of all of these professionals to help them minimize the adverse effects of the current difficult insurance marketplace.

In any case, McNeary's staff is capable and ready to assist you in surviving the problems of the current insurance market. Each month we publish the current truths, as we see them, in the form of timely tips and current issues which will aid you in handling your risk management and insurance program.

In the final analysis, the implementation of a solid risk management program is the strongest medicine for ailing insurance. Unfortunately, sorting through the volumes of information written on risk management can be exhausting. And that's where we can help. We can help you separate the wheat from the chaff and devise a sound risk management strategy to deal with the current situation.