Let me start by stating I am a national life insurance broker and not a computer guy, an IT guy or a web guy. I just want my computer to work and get frustrated when it doesn’t work.  I made the mistake of updating, which was automatic by the way, from Internet Explorer 9 to Internet Explorer 10. Here is where the problems begin, several carriers which built websites back in 1990 and have never seen the need to upgrade because they worked then, why not now? They have all kinds of compatibility issues from unreadable text to not opening period. This is supposedly due to “bugs in the Aero Interface” whatever the hell that means. It means not being able to see new business production reports, underwriting cases or commissions statements for my team. It even effected my ability to post in some of my LinkedIn groups. This is not an option for me. I tried dealing with the insurance carriers who are all “working on it” which is code for “don’t hold your breath.” Most life insurance brokers know moving forward on technology for an insurance company is like turning a battleship in a bathtub, not very fast. I understand not all insurance companies have outdated technology, but I find it is more than a few that do.

So, the solution for now seems to be to undo your Internet Explorer 10 update. After researching the issue, here is what I came up with as a solution. If you are not sure which addition you have follow these steps. Open your Internet Explorer browser click on “help” in your upper right toolbar. Then click on “About Internet Explorer” and your version will pop up. If you are Internet Explorer 9 or lower, stay there. I also found out this only works for Windows 7 or earlier versions if you have Windows 8 you will have to wait on the battleship to turn, sorry.

It is really not hard to undo this Internet Explorer 10 update. First go to your “start up” button and in the search box type in “Programs and Features”. Then click on “view installed updates” in the left box. Then go back to the screen on the right and click on “uninstall updates” and scroll down under Microsoft updates and select “Internet Explorer 10” and then “Uninstall”. This will take a few minutes and you will need to restart your computer. After the reboot, you will automatically be restored to Internet Explorer 9 and you are back in business. Now if I could just figure out how to put one of my toolbars back, life would be good again. Oh well, at least it all works again.

I am not sure how long these issues will take to resolve, but if I can save this headache for another life insurance broker or agent, I felt it was my duty to help. Good luck and happy surfing my fellow insurance agents!

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” ―Albert Einstein

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Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger and team leader with over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.