Living Your Life on Call as a Catastrophic Hail Claim Adjuster

(This is a chapter from Chris Stanley’s Amazon Best Seller, Hail Adjuster’s Playbook, Get a copy on Kindle, or a free copy of the Audiobook)

Being prepared for a catastrophic deployed is more complex than a checklist of what to pack, although I will can give you that, I must impress upon you the importance of living your life like you are on call. This sounds simple, but it invades every aspect of your life and if you are caught unprepared it can really put stress on your career, your family, and you.

Once you are officially on a company’s roster you need to face the reality that they will call and that you need to be prepared for that call. Each person and family is different and there are different considerations for you and your family that I would never think of, but I’m going to try and help you start processing what you need to have prepared in your life.

Correct Family Expectations

Do your spouse and kids understand what it means if you receive a call and opportunity to pursue this career? It’s hard to imagine before you receive your first call, but within 24 hours your entire world, schedule, and finances could be upside down. Your daughter’s ballet recital, the cub scout meeting, that church meeting you were supposed to lead, are all being left behind.

Will the reality that you may be gone weeks or possibly months come as a surprise to your loved ones, friends, and people that depend on you? I’ve been a catastrophic adjuster for over 5 years and my parents and siblings are finally starting to accept that my wife and I cannot commit to visit for most of the year. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

Phrases like, “Lord willing” or “If I’m not deployed” need to appear in your discussion any time you are making plans.

Expect the call and make sure your loved ones have a correct expectation about this opportunity.

Storm Fund

I highly encourage you to have a $2000 storm fund. This sound like a lot, but this is the minimum I would recommend you have available at the start of a storm season. Once deployed, expenses pile up in a hurry while waiting two or three weeks for that amazing first paycheck.

You can plan on hotels being around sixty dollars a night and if you are waiting 21 days for your first paycheck, hotel alone will be over $1200. This doesn’t factor in gas, food, and other random expenses that pop up during a deployment.

Many people use credit cards as their storm fund and this is an option. I personally try to avoid going in debt, but the storm could be what turns your financial state around. Whether you cash flow it or use a credit card, make sure you have at least $2000 available to you when deployed.

Kid, Lawn, and Pet Care

Well in advance of any deployment, have the services you may need to use while you are deployed vetted and lined up. You don’t want to have to figure out who is going to mow your lawn on a deployment. Your wife doesn’t want to have to figure out who is going to watch the kids after school. Fido is not going to take care of himself and I’m guessing you don’t want Fido all alone in the hotel all day.

Having these types of services lined up in advance will lower your stress level and allow you to focus on being an A-list adjuster.

Pre-Packed Cat Bag

If you have ever spoken to a special operations soldier, they carry a bag in their car all the time. If they receive a call, they may have to drop what they are doing and fly across the world to fight for our freedom. Being a catastrophic adjuster may be a little less noble, but the preparation needs to be similar.

Having your cat bag pre-packed will alleviate much of your stress once you receive the call for deployment. It is also a great exercise in faith. I can hear the doubters now…

“Do you REALLY believe you will be deployed?”

Yup, that’s why my bags are packed. It may be impossible to have everything packed in advance, but certain items like work clothes, a spare toothbrush, office supplies, printer, etc. should all be pre-packed so you aren’t trying to find everything in a hurry. Packing in a hurry is a good way to forget… everything.

I keep a running list of items you need to think about packing at HailAdjustersPlaybook.com. Feel free to use that to make sure you are ready for deployment.

(This is a chapter from Chris Stanley’s Amazon Best Seller, Hail Adjuster’s Playbook, Get a copy on Kindle, or a free copy of the Audiobook)