Randy graduated from Tarleton State University in 1993 with a B.S in Education. He worked as an agent for Texas Farm Bureau and then entered into the adjusting field. In 2002, Randy began his independent career with our sister company,  Catastrophe Specialist, Inc., and quickly became a core adjuster.

In 2006, he founded his own independent adjusting company and developed a full line of educational licensing and CE courses approved through the Texas Department of Insurance, targeted to the adjusting community. Randy returned to CSI in 2009 as an adjuster and has played an integral role in the development of their adjuster base. In April of 2013, CSI hired Randy as our Field Services Coordinator. His role encompasses marketing, development and training of new and seasoned adjusters, along with the coordination of catastrophe services in the field. In January of 2014, the American Adjuster Academy, which was founded by Randy Allgood, was unveiled as a comprehensive training venue for new as well as experienced adjusters, restoration technicians and roofers.

The classroom, as well as online formats, serve the needs of people from all over the United States. All of the training courses were developed with the purpose of training field ready adjusters that are competent in the field of adjusting. Randy’s combined experience in the adjusting field, construction and educational systems give him a complete understanding of what teaching methods are required to constructively develop new talent.

Randy can be reached by calling our office at (855) 327-7893 or by email at randya@catcsi.com.

 

Why You Should Consider Becoming An Adjuster?

The process is quick!

The training and licensing process can be achieved quickly.  Did you know that you can become a certified claims adjuster in as little as 3 days. Online and classroom pre-licensing courses, which are highly sought after in Texas, can help you complete your required training and help you obtain your license in less than a week.  The courses are designed to provide the information needed and it can be challenging to some, but anyone who decides they are committed to passing the final exam, can do so.

The income potential is substantial…and uncapped!

Each year, independent claims adjusters make what some make in a year, but in very short periods of time working catastrophic insurance claims.  After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, thousands of independent adjusters working the impacted areas were closing on average 2-3 claims per day…which equates to $800, $900 to upwards of $1200 per day.  The potential to earn well in excess of $100,000 yearly as an independent adjuster is a reality.  Most adjusters will earn majority, if not all, of this income in just three to six months out of the year.

Imagine working half of every year for double what the average person makes for working a full year?

Say adios to your boss!

No more early am, 1 hour plus commutes to the office.  No more 8-5, time clock.  No more designated “lunch break”.  You take ownership of your time, your work space, and your efforts.  You determine what time you will work, what time you will call it a day, and more importantly, how much money you will make!  And the best part is, you get to help those affected begin to rebuild their lives and make a nice living building yours in the process!

Why We Are Different From the Other Adjuster Schools?

American Adjuster Academy is owned by a nationally recognized independent adjusting firm with more than 100 years of combined experience in the industry.  We have certified instructors on staff with the Texas Education Agency that have many years of actual field adjusting experience.

Our staff combines talents from all areas of the insurance claims world.  We have a strong network of independent adjusters from all over the country that are typically just phone call away for assistance.

Why Train With Us?

Care, compassion, interested in the students success, ability to help the student develop relationships within the industry.  Having your adjuster license is a great place to start, but what an adjuster experiences on their first deployment can be eye-opening and certainly overwhelming.  We are committed to providing you the training needed to overcome these obstacles by providing a “let’s see how this might apply in the real world” approach in all of our training.  From licensing to training, to coaching and mentoring — we not only want to help you achieve your goal of becoming a claims adjuster, we want you to be the very best at claims adjusting.

We are not just a training school, we are in the actual business of handling claims. 

 

Ready to get started?  Click here to review the licensing requirements needed to become a claims adjuster.

 

A common area of confusion to new and aspiring adjusters is the method or mechanism by which independent adjusters are paid. Rather than a traditional employee position with a monthly salary, independent adjusters handling both catastrophic and regular daily claims are compensated as independent contractors on an entirely different basis. Occasionally, insurance adjuster’s will work on a daily rate or stipend but in the vast majority of cases they are remunerated per closed claim file based upon a fee schedule.  So…what is a fee schedule and how does it work?

A fee schedule in independent insurance adjusting is a system of accounting whereby insurance companies pay out the adjuster’s “fee” based upon a graduated “schedule” of the final claim settlement amount. The adjuster fee that is paid is then split between the adjusting firm and the individual independent adjuster who handled the claim.

Thus, one might hear in the course of industry parlance reference to 60% or 70% fee percentages. This refers to the percentage amount that the individual insurance adjuster makes from the fee schedule amount. The remaining 30 to 40%, as stated above, then goes to the adjusting firm that oversees the adjuster.

It is industry standard for adjusting firms to pay between 55 and 70% of the adjuster fee to the adjuster in the field. Anything less would be considered unusually low and anything higher may be too good to be true!

Remember, insurance adjuster’s are paid as 1099 independent contractors without taxes taken out by the employer so sufficient monies should be set aside for payment of taxes either quarterly or at the end of the year. A good, reliable accountant is indispensable for the well-adjusted claims adjuster.

Independent catastrophic claims adjusting or “cat” adjusting is an exciting, lucrative, and relatively unknown occupational niche in the insurance industry. When disaster strikes, cat adjusters or “storm troopers” answer the call to assist insurance policyholders in recovering from their losses. The work is challenging, personally fulfilling and can be surprisingly profitable. Follow these 4 steps to become a licensed, trained, ready-to-deploy cat adjuster:

#1: Obtain Your Adjuster License It is highly recommended that you obtain an adjuster license as a first step in this career. Obtaining a license demonstrates to hiring companies that you are a legitimate applicant, that you know the basics of claims practice and policy, and that you are legally certified to handle claims in the state you are licensed in. As a general rule, it is best to first obtain a license in the state of your residence. Many states, however, do not require a license to operate as an adjuster. Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are but a few examples. In this case it is suggested that you obtain either a Texas adjuster license or Florida adjuster license. Both licenses are very well respected and highly reciprocal – meaning you can obtain other states licenses with them without having to take that state’s exam or required coursework. Texas and Florida adjuster pre-licensing courses, which satisfy all requirements for obtaining their respective state licenses, are available in either a classroom or online setting. Course tuition will average $300 for online and $500 for classroom. After the course has been completed and you have submitted your application to the regulating authority, you can expect to be a licensed adjuster in just a few weeks.

#2: Obtain Critical Adjuster Training For those making career transitions from the residential or commercial contracting industries, supplemental training may prove unnecessary. But for those who have little previous experience with construction, loss analysis, estimating software, and standard methods of repair, it is tremendously helpful to undertake some practical training. Probably the most important training a newly licensed adjuster should consider is Xactimate training. Used by roughly 75% of independent adjusters, Xactimate is the most popular estimating program today. Others, like MSB IntegriClaim, have their place, and may be preferred by particular insurance carriers. Still, Xactimate is accepted by more carriers than any other and is the best place to begin learning software estimatics. Courses, ranging from 1 to 5 days ($400 to $1,200) may be taken and courses taught by actual claims adjusters ought to be preferred over those taught by programmers.

#3: Find a Job Becoming an adjuster doesn’t make sense unless there is work to do. While ultimately there is no silver bullet (outside the handy personal contact) for finding work, understanding the employment landscape will go a long way towards helping you land a job.

Understanding Demand  The bottom line is that the demand for independent adjusters fluctuates greatly and depends on the frequency and severity of catastrophic weather events. In 2005 and 2006, in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, finding work as a cat adjuster was almost as simple as raising your hand. 2007, however, saw surprisingly clement weather and did not produce many claims. Adjusting companies consequently could afford to be far pickier in their hiring process. 3 to 5 year experience requirements became common and job prospects were bleak for new cat adjusters.  The 2008 storm season was quite active with Hurricanes Bertha, Gustav, and massive Ike making landfall.  Claims poured in from the immediately impacted coast to as far north as Cincinnati and beyond in some cases (Ike).  While not comparable to the historical 2005 season, 2008 created many opportunities for new adjusters to prove themselves in the field.  Ultimately, because demand is weather driven, timing is crucial in finding work as an independent adjuster.

Who do I Work For? It isn’t always correctly understood who cat adjusters work for. Lets clear this up. Technically, and for tax purposes, an independent adjuster is an independent contractor that works for oneself. Work is typically obtained, however, through adjusting firms that in turn contract with insurance companies to handle claims. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, insurance companies didn’t have nearly enough adjusters on staff to handle the massive influx of claims. Acme insurance company, as a theoretical, would then give out 10,000 claims to be handled by Pinnacle adjusting firm. Pinnacle adjusting firm in turn hires individual independent adjusters in sufficient numbers to handle the 10,000 claims. Those adjusters who work efficiently and with little oversight (babysitting) get the most claims from Pinnacle. So, if you are looking for a job as a cat adjuster, you should be looking towards getting on with adjusting firm.

Where do I Look for a Job? There are several useful adjusting firm directories and social networks that keep you apprised of adjuster job listings. Adjusting firms maintain deployment rosters of qualified adjusters who are eligible for being put to work in the event of a catastrophe. A new independent adjuster should aspire to join as many rosters as possible. The ultimate goal is to have a steady stream of invitations to work which can be accepted or declined at your discretion. Remember, you are your own boss!

#4: Maintain Your Good Standing Staying on top of Continuing Education (CE) requirements keeps you in compliance with your adjuster license and also gives you a legitimate opportunity to advance your knowledge base and skills as an adjuster. CE opportunities abound in both online and classroom form. Failure to maintain CE compliance can result in very steep penalties and forfeiture of your license. Considering the ease by which most states’ CE is kept this should be easily avoided.