TOP 10 CHALLENGES OF ADJUSTERS WHEN TRAVELING

Shellie
Jan 23, 2017
6 min read

Being away from home. Get Skype before you leave so that you can visit with your family face to face. It really does help. Adjusters are in the break room and in the front of the building making faces and talking baby talk to their grandkids every single day. Skype is a free service, and it makes traveling a lot easier when you can at least smile face-to-face with your family. They are the reason you are working this hard.

Not knowing how long you will be gone. Sometimes adjusters are told they will be needed 6 months to a year and end up in a city a relatively short time before being released. It is tempting to get an apartment, split the cost, sign a lease, then BAM – you are released and stuck with months of bills, and you have lost money. Be wise with your choices and find flexible accommodations. Make sure there is someone at home to pick up the mail, bills are set up on auto pay, and even if given a 30 day deployment, pack dutifully for every season. Adjusters may take a deployment in July and either had to send home for winter wardrobe or buy a completely new one. Save money and plan ahead – pack smart – and bring at least one large plastic container with winter or summer gear.
It is very difficult to have enough money for that first deployment each year. Normally an adjuster has burned through their savings by the time catastrophe seasons rolls around again, or if it is their first deployment, adjusters start out flat broke and aren’t sure how to make it to that first paycheck. Save up one month’s expenses before heading out. Be prepared for whatever expenses may come. A furnished room in Indiana may be $600 per month but in Georgia, it would cost $2100 or more. The Adjuster365 network will help with these problems as it grows and as corporate and shared housing become available through the Adjuster365 network. This will allow adjusters to pay weekly the first 2 weeks until they get their first paycheck. This has already been implemented in the 4 Atlanta locations. When staying in many states there is a discount on the taxes after the first month. That is several extra hundred the first month, and if you leave 5 days early, you still have to pay for the entire month to get the discount. Adjuster365 will help you get the best deal – understanding – and lower rates from day one. Keep in mind the flexibility furnished housing will offer with no long-term leases and more flexible minimum stays. This will help with those initial capital investments.
Pack your best attitude. Life is not perfect. Attitudes affect everyone. We have all had funerals we have missed, loved ones we would rather be with, people in our family who put pressure on us because they don’t understand why we disappear for months at a time. Family does not understand why after being on a phone for 10-12 hours and adjuster does not want to get off work and stay on the phone for 2 hours. Attitudes are obvious. It is obvious if someone is miserable, grumpy, or would rather be anywhere else in the world. Don’t be that person. Keep focused and know that the best remedy for the blues is to stay busy. Focus on helping as many people as you can every day, and the blessing of assisting others will lift you up as well. Audible has books on tape that are inspirational, financial, real estate, and other educational programs as well as fiction books to lift your spirits and help you focus while you drive, exercise, or are running errands. Change your mind by changing your mindset.
Health Issues. How do I stay healthy working 6-7 days per week for 10 or more hours per day? Health issues – weight gain – circulation problems – are a big concern with adjusters. There are signs up in most office buildings now warning to get up and walk at least once per hour to avoid blood clots. Movement is very important. Motivation to actually move is even more important. When that one adjusters talks about the great work out they had last night, the overweight and exhausted adjuster eating a donut in the break room normally responds, “I am just too tired and exhausted at the end of the day to even think about going to the gym. I don’t know how you do it.” There is the problem right there, and no one wants to hear it or believe it, but you WILL feel better after working 10-12 hours per day if you go to the gym. Numerous adjusters self medicate at night with alcohol or sleeping pills. That is a terrifying trend. It would be so much more beneficial and increase the quality of your sleep and your energy level daily if you will spend that time either right before or right after work at the gym. Accountability and encouragement are also a big priority. Find a friend to join the gym with you, but do not rely on them going to determine your success. Go to the gym for yourself. After the first 2 weeks, do not give yourself an excuse to quit. Keep going, and it will benefit every area of your life.
The wrong clique. Once you are in the industry, you understand how everyone worries about how many “clicks” they get per day or tasks. We are not talking about those types of clicks right now. Be open and friendly to everyone. You will naturally be drawn to one person more than another, but do not let that hinder your success. Be positive and encouraging. Encourage is to give courage. Give courage to all of those around you, and this will benefit your career. It is a huge challenge to sit next to someone who rarely works, gossips about others, and bad mouths the company or independent firm with which you are deployed. This should be a big warning sign to head the other way. It may seem staff does not hear or notice those who are spending more time at someone else’s cubicles than their own, but be assured, when it comes to cutting day – they are the first to go, and they will not have a clue why. Attitudes are contagious, and it is a huge challenge to keep a good one when surrounded by negativity. Be the source of inspiration and encouragement, and that will help everyone do a better job.
Financial Planning. The majority of insurance adjusters make over $100,000 per year and are flat broke. One of the goals of this website is to provide ways for business professionals to meet their financial goals through better money management. One tip that has saved thousands of adjusters money each year is to form a S-Corp or LLC. Speak with your accountant regarding the strategic benefits of those business options. Taxes, accounting, insurance, and retirement are all heavy concerns and big challenges for adjusters. We are independents – not employees. These are legitimate concerns because adjusters do not get group or company rates. If we pay for insurance through our company and then are not deployed for 3-6 months, you must pay Cobra rates until deployed again. Research will be done and helpful advice to come on how adjusters can overcome these challenges.
Where am I going to stay? Catastrophe workers can literally be deployed anywhere in the country where there is a flood, tornado, hail storm, fire, oil spill, train wreck, gas leak, chemical spill, earthquake. There are usually only 48-72 hours to arrive onsite ready to work. Sometimes there is a lack of housing due to the natural disaster. It is not unusual to pay up to $2400 or more per month for a hotel or extended stay when chasing a catastrophe when there is no time to research housing options. Corporate and shared housing will ultimately provide answers to these issues once the network is completely established.
This may not seem like such a big deal and if not, the challenge of finding quarters, waiting your turn, being exhausted, and not having enough washers and dryers in the hotel has not come home to roost – yet. Finding local places where there is laundry service is a must for many adjusters. There is rarely enough time to take 3 or more hours to get laundry done when in the field. Febreeze and Lysol are not the answer either. Ask around for the best laundry services, and in the future, those will be an addition to local recommendations on this site.
How does an adjuster keep up with travel expenses? A one-gallon zip-lock bag of receipts is not the answer. There are expense tracker apps that will actually calculate what is a legitimate travel expense and if the IRS will allow the deduction. I recommend researching those apps and programs. Being organized will help tremendously when preparing taxes and the amount of deductions you receive at the end of a long year.