Protecting Your Portfolio: Expert Strategies for Risk, Claims, and Coverage with Alex Glickman

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we sit down with Alex Glickman, the Global Real Estate & Hospitality Practice Leader at Gallagher and one of the most trusted experts in real estate insurance and risk management. With more than 40 years in the industry, Alex has navigated every market cycle, natural disaster, and underwriting shift, giving her unmatched insight into how investors can protect their portfolios in today's environment. We dive deep into how climate events, rising insurance premiums, and increased claim activity are transforming the way lenders and carriers evaluate real estate deals. Alex explains the key insurance policies every real estate investor must understand, how risk is priced, and the major blind spots investors often overlook like pollution liability, tenant-related losses, builder's risk coverage, and professional liability. If you want to learn how insurance truly impacts your deal analysis, cash flow, lender requirements, and long-term portfolio strategy, this episode delivers a masterclass in real estate risk mitigation and asset protection from one of the brightest minds in the industry. Key Talking Points of the Episode 00:00 Introduction 01:15 How Alex accidentally entered insurance after not getting into Harvard Law 02:01 Building a career in a "stodgy" industry and redefining real estate risk 03:00 What drives Gallagher's innovative insurance products 03:52 How storms, wildfires, and extreme weather affect investor insurance strategies 05:37 Why floods are now being reported on every real estate deal 06:38 How insurance actually protects people during their worst moments 07:31 Lender requirements vs. investor needs—why these often clash 08:04 Why real estate insurance is not one-size-fits-all 09:18 Leading a global practice and the importance of learning international norms 11:53 Taking a stand: the career-defining moment that changed Alex's life 13:52 The must-have insurance policies every real estate investor should understand 15:05 Pollution liability: the most overlooked risk in multifamily & SFR 16:25 Insurance needs for fix-and-flips, new construction, and ground-up projects 17:06 Landlord policies vs. tenant policies—who covers what? 18:20 Can landlords create revenue streams from tenant insurance? 19:45 Liability risks investors must understand (injuries, explosions, pet issues, more) 22:26 One-word motto for investors: "One more step." 23:12 How AI and tech are transforming real estate insurance 24:40 Predictive modeling, storm path forecasting, and real-time risk analytics 25:18 Why cheap insurance can destroy your investment 26:55 What's next for Gallagher and Alex's mission to reshape the industry Quotables "Insurance is not monolithic. Real estate is not monolithic. You need someone who understands your asset type." "One more step. If you take one more step than everybody else every day, you will be successful." "I don't fear bullies. That moment changed my life—and I've never looked back." Links RCN Capital https://www.rcncapital.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/rcn_capital/ [email protected] REI INK https://rei-ink.com/