How a review works.
Walk through the markup workflow that drives every policy out of this office. Five steps, two deliverables, no sales call. Most clients are surprised by step three.
What happens between your dec page and ours.
Every account gets the same five-step pass. Same for a personal renters policy as a commercial program — the pen is the same color, the questions are the same.
· You send
Your current dec page.
PDF, photo, screenshot, whichever's easiest. We don't need login to your portal. We don't ask for SSNs. The dec page (the front sheet of the policy showing limits, premium, named insured, forms attached) is enough to start.
· incoming · dec_page.pdf~ 2 min0101
· You send
Your current dec page.
PDF, photo, screenshot, whichever's easiest. We don't need login to your portal. We don't ask for SSNs. The dec page (the front sheet of the policy showing limits, premium, named insured, forms attached) is enough to start.
· incoming · dec_page.pdf~ 2 min- 02
· We read
We read it line by line. With a pen.
Nick, Hunter, or George sits down with the document, paper, not screen, and marks it up. Sub-limits flagged. Endorsements that earned their keep ticked off. Gaps named in the margin. Nothing automated; we don't run it through software.
· work in progress · 30-60 min~ 30-60 min02
· We read
We read it line by line. With a pen.
Nick, Hunter, or George sits down with the document, paper, not screen, and marks it up. Sub-limits flagged. Endorsements that earned their keep ticked off. Gaps named in the margin. Nothing automated; we don't run it through software.
· work in progress · 30-60 min~ 30-60 min · We ask
Five to ten questions back.
This is the surprise. We always need more context: do you sub work to other contractors? Are there unscheduled items above $5K? Did you renovate? Has anyone in the household had a violation? The questions are the deliverable as much as the markup is.
· outgoing · 7 questions · plain email~ 1 business day0303
· We ask
Five to ten questions back.
This is the surprise. We always need more context: do you sub work to other contractors? Are there unscheduled items above $5K? Did you renovate? Has anyone in the household had a violation? The questions are the deliverable as much as the markup is.
· outgoing · 7 questions · plain email~ 1 business day- 04
· We write back
You get the marked-up copy + a 1-page summary.
Two documents. First: the original dec page, scanned with our margin notes intact. Second: a one-page plain-English summary, what you have, what's missing, what we'd change at next renewal. That's it. That's the review.
· outgoing · markup.pdf + summary.pdf~ 3-5 business days04
· We write back
You get the marked-up copy + a 1-page summary.
Two documents. First: the original dec page, scanned with our margin notes intact. Second: a one-page plain-English summary, what you have, what's missing, what we'd change at next renewal. That's it. That's the review.
· outgoing · markup.pdf + summary.pdf~ 3-5 business days · We talk (optional)
Forty minutes, if you want it.
In our office, on the phone, or by video. We walk you through what we found, you ask whatever you want, and we leave you with a decision tree, keep what you have, fix specific items, or let us re-quote the package. No pressure either way; some clients walk out with a marked-up copy and never come back. That's fine.
· booking · weekday mornings~ 40 min0505
· We talk (optional)
Forty minutes, if you want it.
In our office, on the phone, or by video. We walk you through what we found, you ask whatever you want, and we leave you with a decision tree, keep what you have, fix specific items, or let us re-quote the package. No pressure either way; some clients walk out with a marked-up copy and never come back. That's fine.
· booking · weekday mornings~ 40 min
What lands in your inbox at step four.
Two PDFs, attached to one email, sent by the broker who read your policy. Nothing else.
· Deliverable 1 of 2
Your dec page, marked up.
The original document, scanned with our handwritten margin notes. Sub-limits circled, gaps named, endorsements rated. The pen is real.
HARTFORD CASUALTY · DS-04
SAMPLE COMMERCIAL · GL
· Deliverable 2 of 2
The one-page summary.
Plain English, signed by the broker who read it. Three sections, one page. You should be able to act on it without calling us back.
POLICYNEST KC · POLICY REVIEW SUMMARY
What you have
Travelers GL · $1M/$2M · 7 endorsements · BI period 12 mo · annual premium $4,820.
What's working
Premium is fair. Property at replacement-cost. Hired/non-owned auto attached. Three of seven endorsements earn their keep.
What we'd change
· Drop CG 22 94 sub-exclusion (bad for your trade)
· Bump rented-premises from $100K to $300K
· Add cyber sub-policy ((call for current pricing) range)
. Nick · service@policynestkc.com
The clock, two ways.
· Personal lines / SMB
one to three policies · most common
| day 0 | You upload the dec page | 2 min |
| day 0 | Auto-acknowledged by Nick | < 1 hr |
| day 1 | We read it · clarifying questions back | ~ 30 min |
| day 2 | You answer (usually 2-line email) | 5 min |
| day 4 | Marked-up PDF + summary land | , |
| day 4+ | 40-min call (optional) | 40 min |
Total · ~ 4 business days · ~ 1 hr of your time
· High-value / commercial program
four+ policies stacked · annual review
| week 0 | Intake · we collect every dec + endorsement | 20 min |
| week 1 | We read the stack · cross-reference | ~ 4 hrs |
| week 1 | Carrier outreach for clarifications | , |
| week 2 | Markup + portfolio summary delivered | , |
| week 2 | 90-min portfolio review meeting | 90 min |
| week 3+ | Renewal recommendations land at next due date | as needed |
Total · ~ 2 business weeks · ~ 2 hrs of your time
Six honest answers.
- 01
What does this cost?
The first read is free. There's no fee for the markup, the summary, or the conversation, full stop. We make money only if you eventually move the policy to us, and our commission is built into the carrier premium (which is the same whether we earn it or another broker does).
- 02
What if we already have a broker we like?
Send us the dec page anyway. Plenty of people do this; a meaningful share of our reviews end with us telling them their current broker did fine. We'll tell you if there are gaps. We won't be insulted if you stay where you are.
- 03
Will you call my current carrier or broker?
Not unless you ask us to. The dec page tells us everything we need to do the read. If you want us to take over. That's a 1-page broker-of-record letter you sign, but that's a step you initiate, not us.
- 04
What if you find something bad? Are you obligated to tell my carrier?
No. We're a broker, not the underwriter. We have zero relationship with the carrier on your policy unless you make us one. Anything we find is between us and you.
- 05
Do I have to send the whole policy or just the dec page?
Just the dec page to start. If we need the full forms (endorsement copies, the contract itself), we'll ask in step three. About 40% of reviews need them; 60% don't.
- 06
Can I get this if I'm not in Kansas City?
We're licensed in MO and KS only. If you're outside those states, we can still review the dec page, but we can't bind a policy for you. Sometimes that's still useful (a second opinion costs nothing); sometimes you should call a broker in your state.
Ready when you are.
Send the dec page. We read it within one business day. The first response always comes from a person whose name is on this site — not a queue, not a chatbot, not an intern.