Marianne Bonner headshot

Marianne Bonner

CPCU, ARM
Expertise: Commercial Insurance, Business Insurance, Insurance Underwriting, Insurance Policies, Property-Casual Insurance
Title: Small business insurance writer
Education: University of Delaware, Oklahoma City University
Location: San Francisco Bay area

Highlights

  • Has covered small business insurance for The Balance since 2013, writing about topics from commercial insurance to policies and underwriting
  • Worked 30 years in the property-casualty insurance industry, including as an analyst and underwriter 
  • Holds numerous professional designations, including the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) 
  • Extensive knowledge of commercial insurance coverages and policy forms

Experience

Marianne Bonner covers a variety of small business insurance topics for The Balance for nearly a decade, from commercial insurance to policies and underwriting. A designated Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Marianne worked for 30 years in the property-casual insurance industry, including as an analyst and underwriter.

Marianne began her insurance career as a casualty underwriter at the Continental Insurance Company. She went on to work for Maryland Casualty, Safeco, and Continental International. After 13 years in commercial underwriting, Marianne joined Marsh USA, a large insurance brokerage. At Marsh she served as a coverage analyst and vice president.

Since 2010, Marianne has worked as a freelance writer and insurance consultant. Along with The Balance, she has written many articles for The Risk Report, a subscription publication distributed by the International Risk Management Institute. Marianne has been the business insurance expert for The Balance (and prior to that, About.com) since 2013.

Education

Marianne has a bachelor's degree in dietitics from the University of Delaware and a master's degree in business administration from Oklahoma City University.

About The Balance

The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.