Risk Management Advisors, Inc.

09/01/2026

When it comes to managing risk, businesses can easily fall into one of two extremes:

Transfer too much risk—or keep too much of it.

Neither approach is automatically the right answer.

If a business consistently transfers predictable, manageable losses, it may be worth asking whether that strategy is still creating value.

But taking on too much risk can create its own problems, including pressure on cash flow and greater financial volatility.

The goal is to find the right balance between what the business can responsibly manage and where outside protection still makes sense.

Our latest article, “How Smart Retention Balances Risk and Opportunity,” breaks down what that balance can look like.
→ Read the full article: https://www.riskmgmtadvisors.com/blog/how-smart-retention-balances-risk-and-opportunity

Learn how smart retention strategy helps businesses balance risk and opportunity in a captive program while improving control, capital use, and resilience.

08/28/2026

Some of the costs businesses insure against aren’t surprises at all.

They happen predictably year after year.

One example discussed in our latest video is the recurring cost of a specialty medication. If that expense is known and expected, the commercial insurer has to account for it when pricing coverage.

That creates an important question for the business:

Should every predictable expense automatically be transferred to the insurance market?

Or are there situations where evaluating a different approach could make sense?

Understanding the difference between predictable and unpredictable risk can lead to much better risk-management conversations.
→ Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GieRkhfJh50&t=1s

08/25/2026

The amount of risk a captive takes on has a direct impact on its financial health. When more risk is retained, more premium may also remain within the captive.

Over time, that can create opportunities to build reserves, accumulate surplus, and support the long-term strength of the program.

But increasing risk without considering the company’s ability to manage it can create problems of its own. The goal is not maximum retention. It is finding the level that makes sense for the business and the captive.

📲 Watch the full video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GieRkhfJh50

08/19/2026

Commercial insurance carriers are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do:

Protect their own balance sheets.

But as a business owner, your responsibility is to protect yours.

The deductible and retention options offered by the traditional insurance market are generally built around the carrier’s underwriting appetite, pricing models, guidelines, and current market conditions. Those options may work perfectly for your company. But they also may not reflect your actual financial position, claims history, cash flow, or appetite for risk.

That’s one reason some businesses explore captive insurance—to gain greater flexibility over how risk is retained and financed.

It’s not about abandoning traditional insurance.

It’s about making sure your risk strategy is being built around your business.

To learn more, watch our latest Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6FnWp65Igs

08/17/2026

At insurance renewal, businesses are often presented with a familiar choice:

Pick from the deductible options the commercial market provides.

But what if none of those options truly align with the company’s financial position or risk strategy?

A deductible that is too low can mean paying more to transfer losses the business may be capable of managing, while a deductible that is too high can leave risk sitting on the balance sheet without the appropriate planning or protection behind it.

Neither is ideal.

Our latest article looks at why commercial insurance retention options can sometimes be too limited—and how a captive can give businesses more flexibility to make retention a deliberate business decision instead of simply choosing the closest available option.

→ Read the full article now: https://www.riskmgmtadvisors.com/blog/why-commercial-insurance-retention-options-are-often-too-limited

Learn why commercial insurance retention options are often limited & how captive insurance can help you take a more strategic approach to retained risk.

08/15/2026

When businesses purchase commercial insurance, they’re choosing from options created by the insurance market.

But those options aren’t necessarily built around what is financially optimal for your individual business.

Commercial carriers make decisions based on their own underwriting appetite, pricing models, guidelines, and market conditions.

Your business has a different set of priorities.

That’s why it can be valuable to ask:
Are we simply accepting the risk options available to us—or have we built a strategy around what our business actually needs?

For some companies, exploring captive insurance can create more flexibility in how that question is answered.

→ Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6FnWp65Igs

08/14/2026

We’re proud to share a recent article by Jarid Beck on the principles that continue to shape our approach to captive management. In it, Jarid highlights the importance of innovation, insight, and impact in building captive strategies that are practical, disciplined, and aligned with clients’ broader business objectives.

Read the article here:
https://newton.media/captive-review-awards-usa-2026/risk-management-advisors-innovation-insight-and-impact-in-captive-management.html

08/13/2026

When it comes to captive insurance, more retention isn’t automatically better.

The real question is: How much risk can your business responsibly keep?

Some companies transfer losses they may be financially capable of managing themselves. Others retain too much risk in pursuit of lower insurance costs and leave the business exposed when a significant loss occurs.

Neither extreme is the goal.

A well-designed captive is about finding the right balance between the risk your company retains and the protection it continues to purchase.

Our latest article thoroughly explains what risk retention is, the common mistakes businesses make, and why precision matters.
→ Read the full article now:
http://www.riskmgmtadvisors.com/blog/what-is-risk-retention

Learn what captive risk retention is, how it works, & why retention strategy can improve control, cash flow, & long-term risk financing outcomes.

08/12/2026

Imagine saving approximately $29,000 a year on insurance—but accepting several million dollars in additional risk.

Would the savings be worth it?

Reducing insurance costs may sound attractive, but a single major claim could eliminate years of savings and create a much larger financial problem.

Effective risk management requires businesses to look beyond the annual premium and consider the potential consequences of the risk they are retaining.

The goal is not simply to spend less.

The goal is to make a decision the business can financially withstand.
→ Take our Captive Fit Quiz to explore your options: https://www.riskmgmtadvisors.com/captive-insurance-fit-assessment

08/10/2026

Retaining risk does not mean accepting every loss yourself.

It means carefully deciding which risks your business is financially and operationally equipped to manage.

The right amount of retention should be something the company can understand, fund, and control without jeopardizing its financial stability.

That is why effective risk management is not about taking the most risk or transferring all of it.

It is about finding the right balance.

→ Reach out to us to learn more about building a deliberate risk strategy: https://www.riskmgmtadvisors.com/contact-us