Blog

Insurance continuing education doesn’t just help you keep your license and certification current. It can also be crucial to keeping you informed about industry rules and regulations. The regulatory landscape differs throughout the states and it’s constantly changing, so it’s crucial that licensed insurance professionals periodically learn about the changes that affect the types of insurance they sell.

Rules vary by state and are different across types of insurance licenses and specialties. Most states, however, require licensed insurance professionals to complete continuing education courses every two years, and many require an ethics component. Many states have a minimum number of hours, which can range from as few as 12 to as many as 24.

But if you’re going to spend that much time on your insurance continuing education, you should get more from the classes than just meeting the minimum requirement for your license. You should also learn valuable information that will help you build your expertise—and make you a better expert resource for your customers. Here are a few tips on what to look for.

Specialized areas within the lines you sell. Many insurance continuing education programs offer specialized courses that can help you build up a new clientele in a specific area. If you sell health insurance, for example, a course on LTC insurance could open up a new branch of business for you. A P&C lines agent could look into specialties within commercial property insurance and start targeting business prospects.

Topics your customers are asking about. Pay attention to your customers. Do they often ask similar questions about a specific line of insurance? Is there a demonstrated need in an area where you don’t have in-depth expertise? If so, look for specialized courses targeting these areas—and build up the expertise your clients are looking for.

Areas within your professional passion. Your state may have requirements for your specific line of insurance—that you study a certain number of hours on a certain topic. After that, you have some hours to play with. You can use your elective hours to study a new line of insurance, or you can look into topics such as online commerce for insurance agents, legal and regulatory issues, risk management, and more.

It’s best to choose an insurance continuing education company that offers a lot of variety in the courses you can take. Be aware of your state’s regulations for licensure, and spend your electives wisely—and you should be able to get more from your insurance CE courses.