The Next Step: Leaping to Adulthood

Episode 25: Moving Carriers, Meeting Agents-Megan Maps it All, Part 2

In this final of a two-part series you get to hear more from Megan Schofield about the four key types of insurance for people graduating college: life, property, auto, and commercial.  Key terms for life insurance are discussed and differentiated. When it comes to renters and homeowners policy, Megan explains the difference between liability, structural, and property. For auto insurance, Nikki and Megan discuss  insurance scores, liability, comprehensive, collision, and choosing deductibles. Commercial packages are touched on for those who are interested in entrepreneurship. They conclude that young adults should ask questions, review parents’ policies, and choose a transparent professional who fits their needs.

Episode 24: Moving Carriers, Meeting Agents-Megan Maps it All, Part

On the Next Step podcast, former student Megan Schofield (UNI ’08) describes her career path from communications/public relations to collegiate athletics, marketing leadership, to entrepreneur!  In this episode, Megan explains how to choose an insurer carrier and emphasizes agents’ role in guiding clients through claims, policy understanding, and switching agents or carriers when needed

Episode 23: Insurance Guy Steve Wraps it Up

In the final of a three-part series, Nikki and Steve discuss insurance and credit scores. The conversation emphasizes how inconvenient claims can be and shifts to liability coverage, urging listeners to know about their "three number" liability. Especially because medical costs can quickly exceed low limits. For final advice to young adults, they advise renter's insurance, talking to an agent, understanding chosen coverages, and selecting a reputable company.

Episode 22: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Beyond Terms

The second of a three-part series, the host and Insurance Guy Steve explore why insurance premiums and claim payouts change, noting that people often blame insurers without understanding broader factors. It describes how premiums are regionalized based on local risk and how insurers rely heavily on investment returns to meet solvency requirements. The discussion delves deeper into deductibles. Finally, it contrasts replacement cost versus actual cash value policies, showing how depreciation can greatly reduce roof claim payouts.

Episode 21: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Terms

Episode 21 of the Next Step podcast begins a three-part series on insurance basics with guest Steve, an “insurance guy” with nearly 20 years in the industry. The discussion explains why insurance feels like a “necessary evil” and traces its origins to ancient merchants spreading cargo risk, defining insurance as transferring risk to a larger pool. Key terms are clarified: premium, term, policy, claim/loss, and adjuster/adjustment. They stress the value of talking to an agent, gap insurance, rental/roadside coverage, and storm-related claims.