TBA's Life Insurance Link Up

In this episode, we're thrilled to introduce Heather Sprague, our new Underwriting Consultant with LIBRA and a true game-changer for your life insurance business. Heather brings years of experience navigating the ins and outs of underwriting—and she's here to help you turn borderline cases into approved applications. Tune in to learn how Heather partners with advisors to strengthen submissions, avoid common pitfalls, and ultimately improve offer outcomes. Plus, she shares practical tips you can start using today to set your cases up for success. If you're looking to boost placement and protect more families, this is one you won't want to miss.

We all know that you can't time the market and when a client is entering the distribution phase of their retirement planning, this becomes an increased concern. In this episode, we take a deep dive into how utilizing an IUL allows your clients to strategically use the plan to fund their retirement.  Adding a life insurance solution not only offers death benefit protection but also options and flexibility within their portfolio to navigate market fluctuations. By understanding the impact of market cycles and how asset location can impact retirement income, your clients can plan for the unexpected. Indexed universal life insurance (IUL) provides powerful tools to help safeguard your clients' portfolios with a tax-advantaged solution.  Case Study discussed in the episode

Through its partnership with LIBRA Insurance Partners, TBA has access to resources that make securing offers for its advisors and their clients even easier. RGA – a reinsurer – is one of those resources that TBA leans out for specific impaired risk cases to secure an offer in just 24 hours. John Felton, President of TBA, sat down with Aaron Baack, RGA's Vice President of Underwriting, to discuss the unique opportunity this presents to advisors, how the process works, what impairments are most likely to get offers, and what carriers and eligibility face amounts and ages that are available through the program. For more information on how TBA and RGA can help you, contact TBA at info@tba.com or 865-588-9555.

As advisors prepare to take on a new year, chances are you are in the middle of planning out your goals and strategies. That's why we brought on Award-Winning Marketing Strategist, Tiffany Markarian, who is also the Managing Director of Advantus Marketing, LLC. Tiffany provides important insights on how advisors can avoid common missteps… and the not-so-common missteps…made during the sales and marketing process with clients and prospects. In addition, she provides tangible steps on the best approaches for developing meaningful relationships with clients. Also mentioned in the recording is a previous episode that Tiffany appeared in, entitled 3 Ways to Serve the Emotional Needs of Clients. Tiffany Markarian is an Award-Winning Marketing Strategist, Founder of Advantus Marketing, LLC, and an elite coach to wealth advisors and insurance professionals. She is a renowned industry author and speaker for numerous industry associations, including FPA, NAPFA, FSP, NAILBA, as well as financial institutions and broker/dealers. https://advantusmarketing.com/

Every December, we take the time to bring awareness to all the resources available for advisors at TBA and what advisors should be aware of and focus on as we move into a new year. John Felton hopped on to discuss the following:  Refresher on what TBA Awareness Month is 3 important resources TBA offers that advisors should be more aware of With the election results, and the New Year approaching, what advisors should focus on when speaking to clients

As we embark on the possibility of estate tax regulations changing at the end of 2025, which may or may not happen with the recent election results, we brought in an expert on all things estate planning – Brett Berg from Prudential. He is a trusted resource for TBA, and Zach Gosselin sat down with him to discuss the approach your clients should be taking to estate planning, where to seek information about providing flexibility within trusts, and the overall message you should be communicating with your clients: Plan Now, Gift Now, Insure Now.  For more information on estate planning and how to have effective conversations with your clients, you can reach out to TBA at anytime at TBA.com or 865-588-9555.  

We're closing out our Business Solutions Series with Principal's business solutions team - Mark Householder & Tom Bates. After bringing them in to discuss all things Key Person Coverage, we brought them back to discuss all things Buy-Sell Opportunities with Zach Gosselin: How common it is for buy sell agreements to be funded with life insurance The risks business owners face if they don't have a buy sell agreement What about agreements that aren't funded by life insurance How often should the agreements be reviewed Triggers for a review of buy sell agreements To access all the business solutions calculators and analysis tools mentioned in the episode, click here.

This September is the 20th Anniversary of Life Insurance Awareness Month! To celebrate, we brought our LIBRA Relationship Director – Michele Leeming – on the podcast to discuss the biggest changes that have happened in life insurance in the last few years, how to leverage awareness, take advantage of resources available, and what target markets that you should be considering more effectively to in the next year! For all the Life Insurance Awareness Month marketing pieces visit LifeHappens.org & for the Estate Planning Kit and other TBA resources mentioned visit TBA.com.

We've brought the expert on all things long-term care (LTC) back for the third and final episode in our LTC series. Kevin Riley joins us to answer all the questions about the true cost of long-term care:  What's the cost of your client's doing nothing about their LTC coverage? What do clients need to be considering beyond cost? What are some common objections to coverage and how can advisors overcome them? What three key parts should every LTC plan have? How many years should clients plan for? Click here for the LinkedIn profile of Adria Thompson that Kevin mentioned in the episode. Reach out to TBA at info@tba.com or 865-588-9555 for more information on LTC and how it can protect your clients.

When talking to your clients about long-term care are you focusing too much on the technical aspects of your client's LTC options, instead of how it serves them? Kevin Riley, Regional Director at OneAmerica, has been helping advisors focus on what's important to clients when it comes to access and control. This episode covers the following: Clients' biggest concerns about LTC coverage What & how to communicate about access and control The one requirement all LTC plans should have   To listen to the first episode in this series, click here. If you would like some LTC outreach materials, or to know the LTC options available through TBA, reach out to Kathryn Kinnane at kkinnane@tba.com.

Did you know that most Americans are taking advantage of life insurance offered through their employer? There is a new guaranteed life insurance offering for business owners to offer their employees with payroll deductions. Katie Landers, Life Marketing Director with Cincinnati Life, talks about what the Worksite program is, what businesses qualify, and what the benefits of your employees opting in are.  For more information on Worksite, click here. You can contact Katie at katie_landers@cinfin.com or reach out to TBA and we're happy to help as well at info@tba.com.

We're continuing our Business Solutions Series with Principal's business solutions team - Mark Householder & Tom Bates. After bringing them in to discuss all things Guaranteed Issue Term for Groups, we brought them back to discuss all things Key Person with Zach Gosselin: The biggest mistake financial professionals make in the market How to quantify a key person need The ideal key person prospect Reason to consider permanent life for key person coverage To access all the business solutions calculators and analysis tools mentioned in the episode, click here.

The chances are high that at some point your client will need long-term care, but having the conversation about it requires a different approach than a life insurance proposal. Kevin Riley, Regional Director at OneAmerica, has been helping advisors have effective conversations about LTC for years, and now he's willing to share some of those secrets with our listeners. This episode covers the following: Client objections and how to overcome them How to start the LTC conversation Common Advisor mistakes during these discussions Quick moniker reference to use as a reminder during these conversations If you would like some LTC outreach materials, or to know the LTC options available through TBA, reach out to Kathryn Kinnane at kkinnane@tba.com.

Disability Income is crucial for many professionals, but one industry where it isn't a hard sell because they are educated about it's importance from the beginning is any medical field. We brought in our resident DI expert - Kathryn Kinnane - to talk DI, how to best approach medical professionals, what's needed for the most accurate quotes, and how much coverage they would need.  DI Quote Request Form If you're in need of DI assistance, reach out to Kathryn Kinnane at kkinnane@tba.com or 865-588-9555.

When it comes to business solutions - specifically guaranteed issue insurance for groups - the options can feel daunting. That's why we brought in two experts from Principal's business solutions team - Mark Householder & Tom Bates - to talk all things guaranteed issue term for groups. They joined our own John Felton to discuss the following questions: What is the ideal company/group for this product? Does this use level term, Annually Renewable Term, or are there options for each client? What type of financial professionals can find success with this product? Who handles the plan and policy administration and billing? Is there a cost? Can additional insureds be added to an existing group Could you discuss some of the more important qualifications for a group to qualify for guaranteed issue? Product Overview GI Inquiry Form Sample Quote Bonding Piece

Our in-house impaired risk specialist sat down to provide insights on what underwriting can look like for clients with heart issues that include: Heart attack history Heart murmurs Pace Makers High Blood Pressure & more In this episode, she touches on what conditions receive more favorable underwriting or are typically declined. She also provides important questions you should be asking your clients with heart issues.

A new year brings new opportunities for life insurance advisors. What trends can you expect this year when it comes to life insurance? Michele Leeming, Relationship Director with LIBRA, discusses what advisors can expect when it comes to the types of products and coverages clients will be seeking and the future of underwriting. For assistance with a life insurance case email info@tba.com

'Tis the season for giving, and that's why we have our vice president, Zach Gosselin, walk us through if your client can provide a charitable gift with life insurance, what the different options are, if there are tax implications, and what - if any - drawbacks there are to using life insurance for charitable giving.

Every December we celebrate TBA Awareness Month! John Felton sits down with Morgan Mynatt to talk about how TBA Awareness Month came to be, what three things advisors are most unaware of about TBA, and what is the #1 thing advisors should be more aware of when it comes to TBA and how they support advisors. If you have any questions about TBA or how TBA.com works, email info@tba.com. 

Over 11%, or more than 37 million Americans, have diabetes, and that number continues to climb. With the increasing number of those affected by this, we brought in our impaired risk specialist Jennifer Stanifer, to discuss all things diabetic underwriting. From what information you need from your clients, to what the best carriers are for the most favorable ratings. Contact Jennifer at jstanifer@tba.com or 865-588-9555 for a life insurance quote. Also, access the diabetes underwriting questionnaire here: https://www.tba.com/quotes-and-underwriting/impaired-risk-questionnaires/

Long-term care is likely one of the few topics clients come to their advisors about. With November being LTC Awareness Month, we brought on OneAmerica's Kevin Riley, Regional Account Director, to provide perspective on why this coverage is so crucial, the cost of self-funding long-term care, and how to get started in the market if you're an advisor who hasn't branched into it yet. The reality is the cost of care is not getting smaller, and regardless of financial standing, all clients need long-term care coverage. For a hybrid LTC quote, you can contact Kathryn Kinnane at kkinnane@tba.com or 865-588-9555. Cost of Care Calculator: https://www.oneamerica.com/caresolutionscalculator/index.html

With the potential for the current estate tax cuts to sunset in January 2026, it has created more awareness around the importance of estate planning for many Americans. Zach Gosselin, who works closely with our advisors and our estate planning attorney partners, answers some common questions about this topic to help you - as advisors - provide the best solutions for your clients: What are the changes that are supposed to happen to estate taxes? Are their parameters for a client that make them the best fit for estate planning? What role does life insurance play in the estate planning process? How does an advisor get started with estate planning for their clients? If you have questions about estate planning for your clients, you can contact Zach Gosselin at zgosselin@tba.com or 865-588-9555.

Many associate life insurance with death benefit, but what many fail to see is all the other possibilities available through life insurance - including helping fund retirement. John Felton discusses the various living benefits available through life insurance, when an advisor should recommend the options that involve retirement funding, and how to get started.  For more information on how TBA supports advisors in the life insurance space visit www.TBA.com.

The Life Insurance industry took a more prevalent role in clients' lives largely due to the pandemic, but is that still the case? Michele Leeming, LIBRA's Relationship Director, discusses the current state of the industry, what products clients are purchasing, how the industry has changed in the last year, and how to overcome some of the barriers that advisors face when having conversations about life insurance.  Resources mentioned in the episode: Meeting the Emotional Needs of Clients Request Support Form

Term conversions have been mentioned several times on the podcast, but we thought it was important to touch on some of the most commonly asked questions and misconceptions about providing this service to your clients. This episode covers: Do you have to be the original writing advisor on a policy to convert it? What is the easiest way to determine if a policy is or should be converted? Next steps when a policy is deemed convertible Can you earn commissions on conversion?

You've heard policy review mentioned many times in our episodes, but John and Zach take this opportunity to focus solely on policy review and: Why it matters How to offer it When it makes sense What policies should be reviewed For access to the free policy review kit, visit: https://www.tba.com/policy-review/

When it comes to effectively engaging clients – it can be a challenge in any industry. However, the pandemic has created a new filter in the life insurance industry of what clients are looking for in their advisor, and that is, “who is really there for them?” Tiffany Markarian, the founder of Advantus Marketing, LLC, sits down with TBA's Morgan Mynatt to dive into what an emotional need is, how to serve those emotional needs of clients, and most importantly actionable steps advisors can take. Taking this information and implementing it will improve overall conversations and even the solutions that you as advisors can provide to your clients. Tiffany Markarian is an Award-Winning Marketing Strategist, Founder of Advantus Marketing, LLC, and an elite coach to wealth advisors and insurance professionals. She's a frequent industry author and speaker, including FPA, NAPFA, FSP, NAILBA, and numerous broker/dealers. advantusmarketing.com

We are approached consistently by advisors about what questions they should be asking their business owner clients when it comes to succession planning in order to mitigate risk and provide comprehensive solutions. John and Zach sit down to discuss 5 questions you should be asking your business owner clients in order to do just that, as well as solutions that make the most sense based on their answers. Visit tba.com for more approach letters, tools to provide better numbers for your clients, and more.

John Felton sits down with Dr. Robert Frank, Medical Director for LIBRA Insurance Partners, to get Dr. Frank's expertise and insight on the following when it comes to impaired risk cases in life insurance: How does Dr. Frank help advisors like you and brokerages like TBA in the impaired risk space Recurring impaired risk ailments that are worth challenging a carrier on for a better rating The #1 mistake advisors or insureds make when it comes to medical underwriting when applying for insurance What piece of advice Dr. Frank would give to advisors when they encounter impaired risk cases For impaired risk questionnaires, to schedule a time to speak to TBA's impaired risk specialist, or to get you in contact with Dr. Frank: https://www.tba.com/quotes-and-underwriting/impaired-risk-questionnaires/ This is a re-release of a 2022 episode.

In this episode, Vice President of Welcome Funds, Dan Ohman and TBA's John Felton discuss the basics of life settlements, the tax implications, the overall process, and the sweet spot policies that make the most sense for pursuing a life settlement. TBA admittedly had shied away from the Life Settlements business when it first came on the insurance scene in the 90s, but now with more regulations in place, TBA welcomes the ability to assist advisors and their clients when it makes sense.

It's a question we hear time and time again: "Do I recommend buy-sell or key person for this business owner client?" In this episode, John Felton and Zach Gosselin break it down: The key differences between key person vs buy-sell What scenarios each solution makes the most sense in The tax implications for the business or beneficiaries For more information on how to provide the best risk management solutions for your business owner clients, click here.  

Steven Sitton, a leading insurance producer at the biggest independent insurance agency in Tennessee - TIS Insurance Services, sits down to discuss what life insurance solutions make the most sense in the current economic market. Beyond personal solutions and how he approaches that wife clients, he also discusses the realities for business owners and protection for them as well.  Resources mentioned in the podcast: Policy Review Term Conversion Hybrid LTC  

The 2023 LIMRA/Life Happens Life Insurance Barometer Study has just been released. TBA's Marketing Manager, Morgan Mynatt, highlights the three surprising new target markets for life insurance that are highlighted in the study & most importantly how to reach them.  The Life Insurance Barometer Study SalesLink Information Schedule Demo

What are the top market trends we're seeing in the life insurance space right now? Zach Gosselin and John Felton sit down to highlight the top 4 and why you should be pursuing these planning solutions for your clients. In addition, they share some free resources available to you through carriers and TBA that will help you effectively illustrate the importance of these coverages, as well as what target market they make the most sense for.  For more information on anything mentioned in the episode, or links to the resources mentioned, email info@tba.com. 

What if business owners were the owners of their own policies and could fund them to build cash as they thought appropriate? That's what Mutual of Omaha calls the Living Benefit Buy-Sell because it is designed to produce living benefits in addition to providing a death benefit. TBA's John Felton sat down with Mutual of Omaha's Stephen Alloy to discuss this agreement structure, what, if any, are the taxable events in the long run, and when this makes the most sense for a business owner. For more information on the Living Benefit Buy-Sell, see the supporting materials below: Living Benefit Buy-Sell Brochure Living Benefit Buy-Sell Video This is for informational purposes only.  Recommendations for financial product or financial strategies must be suitable for the individual based on their circumstances. Mutual of Omaha does not give tax advice.

When it comes to mirrored loans, what are some of the opportunities? Zach Gosselin sat down with Prudential's Chuck Perrault to discuss what to do when your client's policy has a loan last year. We've seen an uptick in requests for loan rescue this year, so we are rereleasing this episode. The following questions get answered in this episode: How does a policy end up with an outstanding loan? What are the major implications a policyholder needs to understand if they currently have a loan existing in a permanent life insurance policy?  What are the client's options? When an advisor is conducting a policy review and uncovers a policy with a loan, what are some of the most common situations you see where the policy can be repositioned into a new product for better long-term performance? What makes Prudential uniquely able to help your clients in this situation?

What financial regrets do you want to help your clients avoid? Zach Gosselin & John Felton sit down to discuss the top 5 financial regrets of Americans over 50 featured in this recent Barron's article and how to help your clients avoid them in the future. For life insurance assistance: click here. For Long Term Care solutions: click here. For all other questions or advanced planning assistance visit TBA.com

Cancer doesn't mean a decline - most of the time. TBA's Impaired Risk specialist, Jennifer Stanifer, provides insights into which cancers are easily underwritten and which ones present more of a challenge. She also discusses which stages of cancer provide more favorable ratings from life insurance carriers.  For the cancer questionnaire, to see all of TBA's impaired risk resources, and to schedule a time to discuss a cancer case with Jennifer: https://www.tba.com/quotes-and-underwriting/impaired-risk-questionnaires/

When it comes to long-term care, most people know (or should) that medicaid is not a viable option, which leaves many assuming that self-funding this large expense is the best option. However, TBA's Kathryn Kinnane sits down with Morgan Mynatt to discuss 3 major risks associated with this strategy and how insurance and financial advisors can present a better solution for their clients through hybrid long-term care and asset-based long-term care solutions. For a long-term care quote, you can reach Kathryn at 865-588-9555 or kkinnane@tba.com. 

What is the #1 marketing mistake that most advisors make? Morgan Mynatt, Marketing Manager for TBA, reveals what it is and the three steps you can take to avoid it. As mentioned in the episode, if you are needing free marketing materials to get started or to see how TBA can take the marketing burden off your hands, reach out to Morgan directly at mmynatt@tba.com. 

November is LTC Awareness Month, so we brought in our resident long-term care expert - Kathryn Kinnane - to sit down with John and discuss: The difference between traditional LTC & hybrid LTC products Some quick stats to get the conversation started with your clients When to have the LTC conversation with clients How to know what options are available To request a long-term care quote, email kkinnane@tba.com or call her at 865-282-4920. 

In the theme of October, we're giving you four tricks to improve your clients' offers on life insurance and speed up the life insurance process altogether. Although we try to provide as many tips to help you throughout the year, these are actually four opportunities we haven't discussed before. So what are the four tricks? You'll just have to listen to find out, and at the end - let us know if you think they're tricks or actually treats. 

In this preview of the free Advisor's Life Insurance Playbook - Zach and Morgan sit down to discuss the empty nester target market. In addition to providing parameters of this group, they also discuss: Why it's important to market reviews to this group What solutions make the most sense How to approach this target market All the information mentioned, as well as the fact finder, solution maps, and more, are available for free at tba.com/playbook 

Michele Leeming, Relationship Director with LIBRA Insurance Partners, sat down with Morgan to discuss Life Insurance Awareness Month, easy ways to continue the conversation year-round, and how advisors can finish the year strong in the life insurance space. For the digital platforms & marketing pieces mentioned in the episode, visit TBA.com. LIBRA Insurance Partners is TBA's marketing organization partner: librainsurancepartners.com

Zach Gosselin reviews three of our most recent case studies to provide you with inspiration for creative solutions to your client's most complex risk management issues. For more case studies, click here: https://www.tba.com/learning-center/

The faster the better is the way the world operates now, and the life insurance space is finally catching up. John Felton discusses the three fastest ways to write term business, and what parameters make each one the right choice for your clients: - Vive - SwiftTerm - 1 Page App For more information on these processes and products, email info@tba.com or call 865-588-9555.

You've heard us discuss policy review many times on this podcast, but advisors are still missing out on the opportunities available by offering this to their clients. John and Zach join Morgan to discuss recent cases where policy review could've saved a policy, opportunities that are available, when to offer a policy review, and most importantly how to get started. For all resources mentioned in the episode: https://www.tba.com/policy-review/

When it comes to mirrored loans, what are some of the new opportunities? Zach Gosselin sits down with Prudential's Chuck Perrault to discuss what to do when your client's policy has a loan: The following questions get answered in this episode: How does a policy end up with an outstanding loan? What are the major implications a policyholder needs to understand if they currently have a loan existing in a permanent life insurance policy?  What are the client's options? When an advisor is conducting a policy review and uncovers a policy with a loan, what are some of the most common situations you see where the policy can be repositioned into a new product for better long-term performance? What makes Prudential uniquely able to help your clients in this situation?

John Felton sits down with Dr. Robert Frank, Medical Director for LIBRA Insurance Partners, to get Dr. Frank's expertise and insight on the following when it comes to impaired risk cases in life insurance: How does Dr. Frank help advisors like you and brokerages like TBA in the impaired risk space Recurring impaired risk ailments that are worth challenging a carrier on for a better rating The #1 mistake advisors or insureds make when it comes to medical underwriting when applying for insurance What piece of advice Dr. Frank would give to advisors when they encounter impaired risk cases For impaired risk questionnaires, to schedule a time to speak to TBA's impaired risk specialist, or to get you in contact with Dr. Frank, email jstanifer@tba.com.  

As you strategize on how to end the second half of the year strong, John Felton and Zach Gosselin sit down to provide five solutions and opportunities to grow your life insurance business this year.  Items mentioned in the episode: 1 Page App: tba.com/forms/1-page-multi-carrier-app/ Impaired Risk: www.tba.com/quotes-and-underwriting/impaired-risk-questionnaires/ Mobile App: www.tba.com/mobile-app/ Playbook: www.tba.com/playbook/

May is Disability Insurance (DI) Awareness Month, so we brought in our in-house DI specialist, Kathryn Kinnane. She breaks down the basics of DI, what is the ideal target market for it, and how to identify clients that need the coverage. To request your own DI quote: https://www.tba.com/quotes-and-underwriting/