WebCE's Weekly Wrap-Up: September 12, 2025

What happens when two major law firms sue each other? How can you structure your team for peak performance? This week's top stories answer these questions and more.  

We dive deep into the world of insurance, where rising costs are alarming homebuyers and life insurance policy sales are hitting historic highs. We also turn a lens on professional growth, with new data on CPA’s increasing salaries and expert advice on achieving your goals no matter your career stage.  

In our top podcast, we break down the essentials of professional networking, and for a fun finish, we take you on a tour of a one-of-a-kind coffee shop inside Real Madrid's iconic stadium.

Let's get into it. 

Top News Stories of the Week

1. 75% of Buyers Are Concerned About Rising Homeowners Insurance Costs: Survey (Carrier Management) 

   
   

   “Nearly 75 percent of recent and prospective buyers believe that homeowners’ insurance could become unaffordable, according to a new Realtor.com survey.” 

   
   

2. Two High-Profile Personal Injury Law Firms Sue… Each Other (Insurance Journal) 

   
   

   “Two high-profile Boston-area personal injury law firms are going after each other over allegations of trade secret theft, breach of loyalty, conspiracy, unfair competition and more. One firm is accusing the other of stealing its business model that has been the key to its nationwide success. The other insists that it didn’t steal anything, and it would never do business the way the accuser does.” 

   
   

3. Q2 life insurance sales surge; policies sold hit quarterly record (InsuranceNewsNet) 

   
   

   “The number of policies sold rose 7% in the second quarter, which is the highest growth rate recorded in LIMRA’s quarterly survey since 1983. In the first six months of 2025, new annualized premium surpassed $8.4 billion, up 11% over the prior year. Policy count grew 4% year to date (YTD).” 

   
   

4. What Life Insurers Can Learn From P&C (Insurance Thought Leadership) 

   
   

   “Property & casualty (P&C) insurers, for example, have made impressive strides in digitizing and optimizing claims. Life insurance has been slower to modernize. This disparity has resulted in a significant innovation gap between life and P&C claims processing. It stems largely from fundamental differences in claim volume, complexity, and customer expectations. But as the gap grows, it becomes increasingly unsustainable in today's fast-moving, digitally driven world.” 

   
   

5. Concerned about federal vaccine policies, states are crafting their own (NPR) 

   
   

   “State leaders are going their own way in making vaccine policies this fall — which means your ability to get a COVID-19 shot may soon depend on where you live. New York has declared a "statewide disaster emergency" to preserve access to COVID vaccines. Massachusetts is making insurers pay for vaccines recommended by the state and not solely those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Mexico is taking steps to ensure that pharmacists can continue to give out vaccines.” 

   
   

6. CPA firm starting pay on the rise (Journal of Accountancy) 

   
   

   “The 2025 National Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Survey found that new hires with master’s degrees saw starting salaries increase roughly 17% to a median $67,750 from the previous survey in 2023. Salaries for those with bachelor’s degrees rose 11% to $60,834.” 

   
   

7. California Senate Backs Sweepstakes Casino Ban; Assembly Vote Next (Play USA) 

   
   

   “Many of these ‘sweepstakes’ operators are based offshore and function without proper oversight, avoiding requirements like consumer protections, responsible gaming safeguards, background checks, and tax compliance,” Assemblymaker Avelino Valencia, who introduced the bill in June, said. “We cannot look the other way while these platforms exploit legal grey areas.” 

   
   

8. 28 Real Estate Instagram Posts That Attract Clients (The Close) 

   
   

   Consistently coming up with new, polished social content that attracts clients isn't easy. To help, check out these 28 examples that go beyond likes and are "designed to help you start conversations, showcase your expertise, and connect with buyers and sellers."

   
   

9. Teams That Prioritize Either Learning or Performance Perform Better (Harvard Business Review) 

   
   

   “Trying to chase two hares at once often results in catching neither. Teams need clarity. When they’re given a focused direction—either to master or to deliver—they’re more likely to find meaning in their work, collaborate effectively, and achieve better results. Before your next strategy meeting or performance review cycle, ask: What kind of team are we trying to build? Then pick a lane. Your team’s performance may depend on it.” 

   
   

10. How Does Your Motivation Affect the Achievement of Goals? (Psychology Today) 

    
    

    “This research suggests that if you have a long-term goal you need to achieve, you should search for ways of achieving that goal that you also find fun to do. That way, you don’t have to find constant ways to convince yourself to do something you don’t really enjoy in order to achieve something that matters to you.” 

Top Podcast of the Week 

How to Build a Network (Part 1) 

Career Tools Podcast 

26 Minutes 

No matter your role or stage of career, you are in charge of managing your career. HR can only know so much, but taking charge of your career by building and maintaining a network opens doors and helps build “transition skills” into rewarding opportunities.  

One of the most important transition skills is building and maintaining your network. This podcast tackles three of the most important questions when building and maintaining a network:

• Why do I need a professional network? 

• Who should be in my professional network? 

• How do I maintain my professional network? 

Weekend Wind-Down

One Fast Company writer visits a prime new piece of real estate for a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks’s newest flagship store located in Real Madrid’s soccer stadium.

“The cool starts when you walk into the central atrium. Concrete columns—part of the old stadium’s brutalist bones—soar toward the ceilings. Custom fixtures and plants line the walls. There is a big metal-and-wood staircase flanked by a large suspended sculpture, created by Madrid artist Cristina Mejías: a flowing ribbon that, according to the company, is an abstract Starbucks Siren that echoes the stadium’s curves. It accentuates the impression of never-ending space ahead of you.”