Here are a couple of favorites from the week.  Both happen to be tied to Amazon and both pretty perfectly show the future of personal insurance.

1. So every 2-3 months I neeed a new pair of running shoes.  Now I know the kinds I am willing to buy and I know my size(think baseline of coverage)  I also know that I am not too particular about color or which of the two I choose(think commodity and company branding).  What I do know is what they should cost.  Sadly, I would like to support Zappos but they do not have what I need.  I then would not mind Amazon since I have prime and that can keep the price down.  There are a few other running specific stores I like but they do not have my size(underwriting).  So I go back to a company I have used before, Kelly’s running Wharehouse.  They make it easy, they cover everything I am looking for, free shipping as well.   This is just one of many smaller companies who have figured out how to compete.
2. This right here flies complete in the face of the entire insurance industry, except me  🙂

Greetings from Amazon.com.
You saved $2.15 with Amazon.com’s Pre-order Price Guarantee!
The price of the item(s) decreased after you ordered them, and we gave you the lowest price.
The following title(s) decreased in price:
Crazy Sexy Juice: 100+ Simple Juice, Smoothie & Nut Milk Recipes to Supercharge Your Health
              Price on order date: $19.88
        Price charged at shipping: $19.88
 Lowest price before release date: $17.73
            Amount to be refunded: $2.15 (+ $0.18 tax)
                         Quantity: 1
                    Total Savings: $2.15

$2.15 is your total savings under our Pre-order Price Guarantee.
You will automatically receive a refund of $2.33, which includes $0.18 on tax paid.  You will receive an additional e-mail when this refund is processed.

That right there is a very basic note that was in my email.  That right there pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with the personal insurance marketplace.  It’s about me the customer.  It’s not about you the company.  It’s about giving a little back to keep getting a little for a longer amount of time.  

Safe to say this is where I am and where I am heading all at once.  On the surface it looks like a philosophy driven approach, it is.  But at the same time it is backed by a lot math.  Math does not lie.  Commercials do.  Statistics do.  Companies trying to sell do.  But a philosophy backed company driven by math and data does not.

Thanks for listening.  Just another piece of the puzzle.