Having dabbled in card magic when he was younger, Tony Cañas, co-founder and chief motivational officer of Insurance Nerds, picked it back up more seriously last year. “I just like putting a smile on people’s faces and it goes well with my top hat,” he says.
Insurtech blogger performs card magic while networking at industry events
By Christopher W. Cook
You may have seen him at a conference or industry event; he stands out in his bright red jacket and black top hat, toting a case with multiple packs of playing cards. A magician at heart—and a pretty decent one, too, having seen him perform—Tony Cañas lives up to being a namesake of the company he co-founded—an “insurance nerd.”
Born in Costa Rica, Cañas, co-founder and chief motivational officer at Insurance Nerds, moved to the United States in 2002. He attended Iowa State University, receiving his Bachelor of Science in management information systems in 2006 and his Master of Business Administration degree in 2011.
When the economy collapsed in 2009, “I got downsized by my job in transportation in Des Moines, Iowa, and fell into the Express Claims Call Center at Farm Bureau of Iowa,” Cañas says.
He would proceed to learn the industry over the next several years by working in various roles—claims, underwriting, finance and sales—at four different carriers. During the latter of these years, he co-founded Insurance Nerds.
“Insurance Nerds is a blog about insurance careers and technology with over 1,000 articles; we also have the largest podcast in the insurtech space with almost 500 episodes,” Cañas says. “It’s a great online community, a publisher of insurance books, and much more.
Education and involvement
When it comes to continuous learning, Cañas strongly believes in earning designations; after all, he has 10 of them: Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Insurance (AINS), Associate in Claims (AIC), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Associate in Reinsurance (ARe), Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance (ASLI), Associate in Personal Insurance (API), Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), Associate in Marine Insurance Management (AMIM), and Associate in Commercial Underwriting (AU).
“Early in my career, the way I thought of it was that—especially if the company was willing to pay for them—it’s an absolute no brainer to get them,” Cañas says. “They make me more valuable, and I can take them with me. All I needed to do was the studying.
“Learn all you can from your current job and invest all you can in your insurance education and your network. Once you get past the entry level, you’ll find a ton of amazing opportunities in an incredibly stable industry that is all about the great mission of helping people get back on their feet.”
—Tony Cañas
Co-founder and Chief Motivational Officer
Insurance Nerds
“My advice is if you’re on the P-C carrier side, the best thing you can do for your career is to get the CPCU. It also makes sense to get one smaller designation for your specific area or the area you want to work in. I call it the CPCU-plus-one strategy.
“If you’re on the agency/brokerage side, the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) might be your best bet. If you’re in professional lines, I’d also look at the Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU) designation. If you’re in life insurance, look into the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).”
Equally important is getting involved with industry organizations. “I’m very active with the CPCU Society as a big promoter of the designation and a staple at every year’s In2Risk and In2Leadership conferences,” Cañas says. “I’m also on the board of Insure Equality, an awesome new nonprofit focused on insurance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), especially on using accountability to move us from performative DEI to real DEI.”
Through his involvement in insurance groups and attendance at industry conferences, Cañas has expanded his network on LinkedIn to over 25,000 connections and credits many people—especially those he’s engaged with through his CPCU Society involvement—with teaching him about insurance and helping him along the way in his career.
For his achievements in the industry, Cañas received a RISE (Rising Insurance Star Executives) award in 2018. “What makes me the proudest though is when I get messages from people who tell me that Insurance Nerds’ content has helped them grow in their career, or when someone says that a career chat with me through ChatWithTony.com made a difference for them,” Cañas says.
Advice and adventure
For those who are new to the insurance industry, Cañas advises sticking with it. “Insurance is an absolutely incredible career, but unfortunately many of the entry level jobs are crappy,” he says. “Learn all you can from your current job and invest all you can in your insurance education and your network. Once you get past the entry level, you’ll find a ton of amazing opportunities in an incredibly stable industry that is all about the great mission of helping people get back on their feet.”
When he isn’t doing “insurance stuff,” Cañas has his magic. “I did a little bit back when I was seven or eight years old and picked it back up much more seriously about six months ago,” he says. “I just like putting a smile on people’s faces and it goes well with my top hat.
“I mostly perform at insurance and insurtech conferences while walking around meeting people. Once a year I do perform in Vegas on the street—on the Sunday before Insurtech Connect. Last year was the first time I did that, and I’ll keep doing that in future years.”
Cañas is also an avid traveler. “My girlfriend is a passionate traveler and has brought me to 70 countries,” he says. “She has visited 118 and now holds the Guinness World Record for most countries visited in a year while using a wheelchair. Check out her blog at WheelsTravelstheWorld.com or her Instagram: @WheelsTravels.
Some of Cañas’s favorite destinations have included South Africa for its amazing safaris, the uniqueness of Iceland and Greenland, and the beauty of the three Scandinavian countries and Denmark. “Argentina is also incredible. It’s beautiful, the food is delicious, and it’s very cheap,” he concludes.
