From Risk-Based Capital to Legal Drafting: Real-World Applications Add Value to BU’s Insurance Management Degree for Alum Fischl (MET’25)

What motivated you to earn your master’s degree at this point? Why did you choose to fulfill your goal at Metropolitan College?
I chose BU MET to further my knowledge in finance and develop insights into how I could apply that to my current and future roles. BU offered a world-class institution and curriculum that would challenge me.

What do you find most fascinating about the discipline of insurance management? Do you have a particular focus within the broader field?
Insurance is the backbone of society and yet most people do not know a lot behind what is required of them, whether for a home or automobile. For something so important, we know so little.

My personal focus is on enterprise risk management and the ways risk-based capital is determined.

Congratulations on your high achievement in the Insurance Management program and your Award for Excellence in your studies! Looking back, what do you consider to be the main ingredients of your success?
Knowing from the start the amount of time that would be needed was important, as was ensuring my family was on board. As I studied alongside my daughter, she could see how hard work pays off.

As far as ingredients, what was most valuable was being diligent about work and not procrastinating like I normally do!

How were you able to successfully balance your studies with your commitments outside the classroom?
I scheduled time on weeknights and weekends for each class when they started. That ensured that after work or weekend events would not prevent me from getting homework done. If there were events, I would bring my laptop with me (as my daughter’s swim meets can be long) and made sure school was a priority.

Was your success in the program driven by a particular outcome—such as professional advancement, educational achievement, personal satisfaction, or something else?
The intended outcome was to graduate and learn something from every class. However, the personal satisfaction of working hard and achieving high marks would show my daughter that she can do it as well.

Is there a particular course or project that enhanced your experience in the Insurance Management program?
I’d have to say econometrics—while I am not in our finance area, the ability to model data is crucial. After taking the class, I felt I could sit in with our data scientists and understand their vocabulary as opposed to feeling lost. I have also been able to use my knowledge and start to create my own crude models.

While enterprise risk management was a focus of mine prior to starting the degree, being able to dive further into the study was terrific. My role is managing a large portfolio and a mentor of mine is our chief risk officer; so, this helped me dive deeper into a critical function of our industry.

Can you share any examples of skills, principles, or practices learned in the program that you were concurrently able to apply to your job?
I’ve created a logarithmic linear regressions to help determine which risks sales and underwriting should focus on to close the deal.

I’ve ensured that an executive summary or just the main point is boiled down to a succinct statement so the reader knows my position.

I’ve worked towards root causes and gotten past the basic question and tried to really understand what is driving the problem at hand.

I have had to create some legal documents and while a lawyer still has to review my work, understanding how to write a case brief has helped to ensure it passes review.

What’s next for you? If you are changing roles, moving on to a new career, or receiving any kind of promotion, we would love to hear about it. Would you say that your program helped prepare you for the next phase of your life/career/education?
All education is valuable and the skills I have mentioned will help enhance my work product. I’ve received no specific promotion due to this degree as yet; however, it provides the framework for taking on larger projects and advancing in my career. I have considered a doctorate degree and this would be a large milestone towards that end.

You were recognized by faculty and peers for your hard work and dedication to the Insurance Management program. What “words of advice” or encouragement have served as a guiding principle, or simply inspiration, for you? Any words of wisdom you would like to pass along to students starting in the program?
When I read the amount of time students would have to put in on a weekly basis, I scoffed as it seemed too high. After my first class or two, I realized that to get the marks I wanted that those timeframes were spot on. I was investing time and money into the degree and realized early on that this would take effort.

So, my advice is: let others know at work you are working on your degree, but not for recognition and glory. Show others that we all can be better stewards of our industry and encourage others to learn (whether through industry classes or graduate degrees), so those who feel they could never accomplish it and turn to you as inspiration.

Connect with Us