Moral Obligations:
Upholding Integrity in Practice
Table of Contents
| Our Debt | 1 | 
| Defining Morality | 1 | 
| Staying on the Path | 1 | 
| What Are Moral Obligations? | 2 | 
| Legal Issues | 3 | 
| Legal Obligation | 4 | 
| Professional Ethics | 5 | 
| State-Mandated Ethics | 6 | 
| Principles Versus Rules | 7 | 
| Meeting Educational Requirements | 8 | 
| Preventing Public Harm | 10 | 
| Integrity | 11 | 
| Objectivity | 11 | 
| Competence | 11 | 
| Example | 12 | 
| Fairness | 13 | 
| Confidentiality | 13 | 
| Professionalism | 13 | 
| Diligence | 13 | 
| Misrepresentation and Misconduct | 13 | 
| The Fiduciary Duty of an Insurance Agent | 14 | 
| Legal Foundations of Fiduciary Duty in Insurance | 14 | 
| Key Elements of an Insurance Agent’s Fiduciary Duty | 14 | 
| Loyalty | 14 | 
| Disclosure | 15 | 
| Diligence and Competence | 15 | 
| Confidentiality | 15 | 
| Proper Handling of Funds | 15 | 
| Avoiding Conflicts of Interest | 15 | 
| Key Elements from IAIS Guidance | 15 | 
| Fiduciary Duty in Practice | 16 | 
| Fiduciary Duties and Ethical Standards | 16 | 
| Fiduciary Duty in the Age of Technology | 17 | 
| Ethics & Risk Control | 17 | 
| Agent Liability | 18 | 
| Company Insolvencies | 18 | 
| Third Party Liability | 18 | 
| Hidden Costs of Litigation | 19 | 
| Documenting Procedures for Self-Protection | 20 | 
| Imposed by Law: Promise of Good Faith | 21 | 
| Professionally Moral | 21 | 
| Morality Made Simple | 22 | 
| Honesty – A Moral & Legal Obligation | 22 | 
| Policy Replacement | 23 | 
| Gallup Survey | 24 | 
| Corporate Ethics | 26 | 
| Conducting Business – A Moral Concern | 27 | 
| Enron Relied on Appropriate Accounting | 28 | 
| A Personal Choice | 29 | 
| The Exceptional Man | 30 | 
| “My Dog Ate My Homework.” | 30 | 
| Taking the Moral Path | 31 | 
| Individual Moral Development | 32 | 
| Integrating Morality Into Our Lives | 33 | 
| Developing A Work Ethic | 33 | 
| Acting in the Best Interest of the Majority | 33 | 
| Expanding Our Moral View | 34 | 
| Acknowledging the Needs of Others | 34 | 
| Listening Our Way to Success | 35 | 
| Fulfilling Our Obligation to the Client | 36 | 
| Making Our Own Moral Choices | 36 | 
| Progressively Moral | 37 | 
| Can You Teach An Old Dog New Tricks? | 38 | 
| Philosophic Morality | 39 | 
| Policy Presentations | 40 | 
| Insurance Applications | 40 | 
| Representing the Companies With Honesty | 42 | 
| The First Step is Awareness | 42 | 
| Comparing Company Practices | 42 | 
| Comparing Losses and Gains | 43 | 
| Public Trust | 43 | 
| Know the Products | 43 | 
| Acknowledging Our Moral Obligations | 44 | 
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