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Published monthly by United Farmers Agents Association,
aka UFAA, Chapter 15 Eastern Oklahoma. The chapter meets the first Thursday of each month.
Next Chapter 15 Meeting will be Thursday Aug. 2nd 11:30 AM
Lone Star Steakhouse 101 E Albany St. Broken Arrow
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101 E Albany St. Broken Arrow
Chapter 15 Meetings have moved to the more elegant LONE STAR STEAKHOUSE (this is right off the B/A Expressway @ 161 E A just past entrances to BASS PRO). MAP Chapter 15 Meetings have changed from the first Wednesday to the FIRST THURSDAY of the month.
Non-members welcome
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Mission Statement
 The United Farmers Agents Association -UFAA- is a professional association committed to helping our members through education, communication, support and information and to establish a true partnership with Farmers Group, Inc.Check out UFAA's newly updated website |
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Oklahoma UFAA Contacts:
UFAA Chapter 15 serving Eastern Oklahoma
President- Glenn Johnson 918/252-0561 Tulsa
UFAA Chapter 12 serving Central-Western Oklahoma:
President- Jeff Roberts -580-224-0808 -Ardmore
United Farmers Agents Assn. National Office 800-275-8668
UFAA Oklahoma Voice Editor
UFAA Oklahoma Voice Ads
To join an Oklahoma UFAA Chapter
choose one closest to you and
contact the chapter. Or, sign
up at the UFAA Website.
United Farmers Agents Association Web Site
UFAA Chapter 15 Newsletter Archive & Homepage
Letters to the Editor
Learn more about our advertisers in this issue. Ads are hot links to their websites.
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| | Correct email address to the Okla Voice. |
Greetings!
If you have received this newsletter at your farmersagent.com email address above, please click on the Join Our Mail List below with your alternate (non farmers address). Be sure to enter your farmers email address on the sign up form instead of your agent number on the second screen. If you received this newsletter at your alternate address shown at the top of this email, you need not take any action. We do not distribute address to others and abide by the spam rules. |
Greetings!
Join us August 2nd at the Lone Star Steakhouse
for the UFAA Chapter 15 Monthly Meeting
Chapter 15 will hold the next monthly meeting on Thursday, August 2nd 11:30 AM at the Lone Star Steakhouse 101 E. Albany St. Broken Arrow- located just past the driving entrance to Bass Pro. Exit B/A Exp. @ 161st E A aka (Elm PL) 101 E Albany St, Broken Arrow, OK Menu (scroll to bottom for lunch) August Special Guest will be OKC Agent, Roy Copeland, who was terminated last Spring for a conflict of interest issue (not listed in the contract) as his wife had been an Independent Agent for two decades. Roy will advise attendees what he did in his 90 days prior to his termination date.
WHY WOULD YOU NOT BE A MEMBER OF OUR ASSOCIATION AND ATTEND OUR INFORMATIVE MONTHLY MEETINGS AND OUR GREAT ANNUAL CONVENTION?
Until August 1st, we have dropped $100 off of a NEW members annual dues- that would be only $260.00 Or, you can get $50 off of a semi-annual membership ($25 off each installment).
Just click the JOIN UFAA NOW logo below to obtain a membership app.
Please arrive for Lunch @11:30 - UFAA Meeting begins at Noon.
Meeting attendees should prepare to order lunch upon timely arrival at 11:30 AM The staff will be prepared to take your order upon your seating and cooked to order. We will no longer order as a group as in the past as this has caused our meeting to run overtime.
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If you wish to be excluded from future mailings please let us know by emailing us at ufaa15@gmail.com or by using the Unsubscribe feature at the located within this document. Disclaimer - The Oklahoma Voice is published twelve times per year for the United Farmers Agents Association, Chapter 15 Northeastern Oklahoma. The United Farmers Agents Association and the editor neither assumes any responsibility for the accuracy of the articles or advertisers, nor any liability arising from reliance upon them. The Oklahoma Voice expresses its appreciation to the many members who assist in and support its publication,. Opinions in the Oklahoma Voice do not necessarily express the views of any single member or Chapter officer or UFAA organization. Products and services advertised are not endorsed by this Chapter or United Farmers Agents Association, Inc. Complaints or inquiries should be forwarded directly to the advertiser. All purchases and services are at the complete discretion of the consumer. Trademarks and/or logos are the respective products or trademarks of their respective owners. |
Greetings!
Results of the July Pulse of the Agents Poll
We have published the Pulse of the Agent Polls for several years. However, no previous poll received the attention and response compared to the UFAA Legal Letters Poll published in the July issue of the Oklahoma Voice. An overwhelming majority of the responding readers agree with UFAA's action to send the letters below from UFAA Legal General Council to Farmers.
Thanks for your positive responses. We have left this July Pulse of the Agents Poll open below. Those of you that missed it last month can respond until the end of August. -ed
Do you agree with the content of the UFAA Legal letters sent to Farmers?
I only agree with the Termination letter 5%
I only agree with the Contract Payment letter 0%
I only agree with the Production Requirement letter 0%
I totally AGREE with all 3 letters 95%
I totally DISAGREE with all 3 letters. 0%
UFAA has directed its' legal council to inform Farmers of several problems in the way agents are treated. Members may want to copy these letters for referral in the event members are faced with the subjects shown below.
Letter #1 from UFAA to Farmers 
Modify AAA to Introduce Quotas Letter #2 from UFAA to Farmers Delayed Contract Value Payments
Letter #3 from UFAA to Farmers |
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Greetings! 1984 Agent Appointment Agreement
Key words that DO NOT appear in the 1984 Agent Appointment Agreement (AAA)Clicking the above link to the 1984 AAA, you can search the .PDF format file for key words that may be used as threats to your agency by DMs and others that just do not appear in print in
your 1984 AAA Contract: 
1. Production
2. Expectations
3. Results
4. Declining PIF
5. Growth
6. Conflict of Interest
7. Retention
8. Profitable9. Deteriorating
10. Required
And the words-
11. DISTRICT MANAGER
The most important words in your contract, likely unknown by DMs, are-
"Nothing contained herein is intended or shall be construed to create the relationship of employer and employee; rather, the Agent is an independent contractor for all purposes. The time to be expended by the Agent is solely within the Agent's discretion, and the persons to
be solicited and the area wherein solicitation shall be conducted is at the election of the Agent. The Agent shall, as an independent contractor, exercise sole right to determine the time, place and manner in which the objectives of this Agreement are carried out, provided only that the Agent conform to normal good business practices, and to all State and Federal laws governing the conduct of the Companies and their Agents."
The words "Good Business Practices" also used by DMs does appear in your contract but it may be defined by the 5 deadly sins listed in the contract that the companies will not tolerate such as, Embezzlement, Switching PIF, Abandonment, Felony conviction and Willful misrepresentation. Most, if not all, agents agree these sins are bad practices while some are illegal agent actions.*
Even the word District Manager does not appear in your contract. Does this give you the option to volunteer to assist the DMs district goals that only the DM is solely responsible for? Or, politely tell him to "Go Fish" elsewhere? * UFAA knows of agents that have fired their DMs. Some have even threatened arrest of the DM if they attempt to contact them personally at the agent's office. (trespassing).
You may search the 1984 AAA contract for other words that may be used in a derogatory fashion toward your agency to see if they appear. Let us know if you have received other threatening words that we may not be aware of. ufaa15editor@ufaa.com
*This article is not a legal representation of the 1984 AAA. It is only an observation and should not be used without review of legal council.
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 Greetings!
Insurance Agents Lose Job Security With Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling
Now with the clarity of the Supreme Court ruling, the floodgates for the mass firing of healthcare insurance agents are about to open.
Read more here Source: Forbes June 29, 2012 |
 Greetings!
Dear Okie Voice,
I was glad to see the J D Power Rankings of the insurance industry in the July Issue of the Oklahoma Voice. Thank you for printing that article.
As I reviewed the 7 ranked regions of the U.S.by J D Power, it was evident that Farmers and 21st Century were ranked below of most national companies, including the entire insurance industry average.
J D Powers ranks Insurance companies from 5 Golden Globes down to two. In some areas, regional companies are ranked with 5 globes,"A", the highest, but, these are not always national companies. They are not ranked with the majority of companies, who are ranked with 2 to 4 golden globes.
So, the rankings are similar to Farmers AGM rankings from A to D.
If 5 globes are an A ranking, B = 4 globes, C = 3 globes and D = 2 globes. All companies at the bottom of the 1,000 point rating scale are ranked with 2 globes, or a "D" rating. Such is the case with Farmers who markets with an agency force along with 21st Century that markets only direct insurance.
It becomes readily apparent, Farmers is a "D" class Company with or without an agency force. In my agent way of thinking, this points the fault finger at who? Okie Agent
.
Dear Okie, Excellent comparison on rankings. I changed your last sentence deleting who you thought the fault finger should be pointed at and presented it with a multiple selection in the Agents Poll below. Thanks for your input to the Oklahoma Voice. -ed
If you would like to review the companies ranked in the 7 regions of the U.S, you may click here. These are j.peg files and may take a moment to load on your computer. Farmers or 21st Century are not ranked in all regions. Farmers is not ranked in the Mid-Atlantic nor the Northeast regions.
Let us know your way of thinking in this Pulse of the Agents Poll
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What's wrong with this picture? First one to advise the editor at the Aug 2nd UFAA Mtg will get a free lunch.
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South Carolina Judge Allows Property Claims Representatives to Opt-in to Unpaid Overtime Wages Suit Against Farmers Insurance
CHARLESTON, S.C., July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Judge David C. Norton of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina granted the plaintiffs' motion for conditional certificationand to notify other potential plaintiffs of the opportunity to join in a lawsuit against Farmers Insurance
in MacGregor, et al. v. Farmers Insurance Exchange.
The plaintiff group, which includes property claims representatives in the Atlanta area, is suing Farmers for allegedly refusing to pay for all of their overtime work. Read more here |
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Oklahoma Agents Bite the Dust in 2012
Looks like another rough year with farmersagent email addresses returned marked non-existent addresses from these issues of the Oklahoma Voice.
February issue- 6
March issue- 0 -a first in 30 months.
April issue 3
May issue 2
June issue 4
July issue 5
August issue
Sept. issue
Oct issue
Nov issue
Dec Issue
Jan issue
Total for 2012- 20
*These figures may not match actual as it's based on returned email only.
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By Kim Komando 7/7/2012
10 Commandments for daily digital manners
It's a daily occurrence now. The girl on the treadmill next to you at the gym gets a call, and you're suddenly learning more than you ever wanted to know about last night's party.
That guy on the light rail playing Angry Birds Space at full volume apparently doesn 't know that mute buttons or headphones exist.
And then there are all those texting zombies on the sidewalk who seem to be on a collision course with you and your large latte! Are you guilty of using gadgets inconsiderately in public and "over-sharing" details of your private life?
Read more here
Oklahoma Voice has reprint rights. Copyright 1995-2012 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for her free e-mail newsletters.
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Ads are now hot links to websites
Support Our
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Please support and recommend our supporters.
Learn more about our advertisers as you or your clients may need their services in the future. Educate yourself so you can give your clients more detail about the services they offer.
 Ads are hot links to our advertisers websites. Click any ad.
ads rotated for 08/12 issue.
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Farmers kept busy with both catastrophes, public events and news releases
Foremost Launches Updated Auto Program in Illinois- another Farmers Branded State
Here is a listing from Yahoo News
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 A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Members of Farmers Insurance
Group.
Click picture for details. |
UFAA Adds Another Member Benefit.
Effective in August
Ladies & Gentlemen,
I am in the final stages of proofing the disability plan that will be offered to the entire agency force and their staff in August. The disability plan is an excellent plan at a very reasonable rate and we have worked hard to make sure the underwriting guidelines are liberal. Quite simply, I think you will be amazed at the coverages, the premium, the underwriting and the portability of the plan. You can take it with you, if you leave Farmers. The big news is that you don't have to give up your agency to collect through the outside carrier. This plan is being offered to the entire agency force. Details with be forthcoming in August. Tom Schrader, President
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Copper Wire Also Discovered in Oklahoma
After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year outside of New York City, New York scientists found traces of copper cable dating back 100 years. They came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago. Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, a Los Angeles, California archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet somewhere just outside Oceanside. Shortly after, a story in the LA Times read: "California archaeologists report a finding of 200 year old copper cable, have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers." One week later, a local newspaper in Cordell, Oklahoma reported the following: "After digging down about 30 feet deep in his pasture near the community of Rocky, OK, Bubba, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Bubba has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Oklahoma had already gone wireless". Just wanted you to know that Oklahoma is first in something.
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 Greetings!
Couples Can Boost Their Social Security Checks? Strategies that can increase your retirement income By Andrea Coombes | MarketWatch - Mon, Jul 2, 2012
This is interesting read for those facing normal or early retirement- ed SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)- You'd think claiming Social Security would be a simple retirement decision-you retire and you start your benefits. But there are certain complex strategies that can help pad a married couple's retirement savings with tens of thousands of dollars of additional income. Don't make your claiming decision lightly, said Joe Elsasser, an Omaha, Neb., certified financial planner and creator of Social Security Timing, a software program for pre-retirees and advisers to run scenarios to assess strategies. "It's a decision that's going to impact you for your entire life, and it's a decision that's going to make up a substantial portion of your income," he said. Specific strategies can help maximize savings, but couples also need to avoid a common mistake. "Almost everyone thinks of it as their own earnings record, their own benefit, as opposed to integrating what they receive," Elsasser said.
Read more here |
Greetings!
UFAA Membership Benefits
- Our Quarterly magazine, The Voice, is published with you, the agents, in mind. We regularly address issues, report on current events, and provide the agency force with a chance to freely express their opinions
- Our past legal endeavors now allow you to have that PC on your desk
- Our nationwide activities opposing agent-owned ACA bank accounts led to the management company creating a company-owned ACA-saving you money
- Our efforts on the national level, in conjunction with the CEAA, effectively eliminated the 15.3% SECA tax on your contract value
- Constant questions from our membership nationwide led to our introduction of a UFAA sponsored E&O program
- Membership gives you access to our extensive legal library and our archive of Farmers historical documents
- We introduced the "Original" E&O Deductible Recovery Program to help you earn more money from outside business without the worry of a large deductible
- Our outside legal opinion of the HMA agreement was designed to assist you in making decisions about your future
- Our efforts on the national level defeated legislation designed to change the IRS definition of independent contractors - a change that would have adversely affected our livelihoods
- Pro-agent legislation has been introduced in many states - and passed in several - that benefits all exclusive agents
- UFAA Technology Services, a subsidiary of UFAA, will assist members with computer hardware and software questions and problems, recommend computer programs to assist members in operating their offices and recommend hardware configurations
- As a member of UFAA you can log onto the member's only section of our Internet Website, www.ufaa.com, for the most up to date information available to the Agency Force.
- Members have access to affordable website development and free email
- We are actively involved in both national and state legislative efforts that are favorable to our interests
- Members enjoy the benefit of our Agent Referral Program for clients needing coverage at a vacation home or for that college student out of state
- Legal referral and assistance is also available to our membership
- 25% of your membership dues returns back to your local chapter
- UFAA holds a National Convention every year for its membership to gather, meet and socialize with old acquaintances and make new friends along with offering compelling and informative discussions and presentations to attendees
- UFAA members also have access to discounted continuing education
As always, we are always working on offering more
and more benefits to our membership.
Watch for the New UFAA Disability Plan to debut in August.
Join UFAA Today
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918-663-5848
Fire, Water, Storm Damage & Other Perils Full Service Mitigation and Reconstruction 10344-B East 58th St Tulsa, OK 74146
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Check out the UFAA Chapter 15 Home Page with more Farmers, industry news, lots of member benefit information, newsletter archives and breaking news too late or too large to publish above.
 -- The Articles below are on our Home Page link this month
Okla. Company Comparison Rate Charts- Auto: 02/12 Home: 06/12
Farmers Oklahoma Rate and form Filings- Farmers hikes fire rates by $18.5 Million
========================================================================== Quick reference Advertiser listing in this issue you can print or download for your office referral 
===================== Okla Ins Dept: Change of address or name more than thirty (30) days after the change occurred shall be $50.
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Did you know? As a member of UFAA you get:
1 hour of tech support a month
1 Free @ufaa.com email address
1 Free web page with your domain name
Call us today Toll Free, Primary # 1-866-441-8018 Alex Conger - UFAA Tech | | Click here to access the Oklahoma Membership app. |
Have you missed past issues of the Okla. Voice? If you missed past issues, you can access them and other article headlines on our Chapter 15 Home Page Link above.
Have you joined UFAA?
We just can't make it much easier. Just mouse the Join UFAA logo to obtain the a membership application. Fill it out and attached a check and mail or use the bank card option and fax it to 1-314-631-7963. United we stand. Divided we fall.
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