2019 Advanced Sales Forum Agenda

Sunday, August 4, 2019

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Registration Open

Monday, August 5, 2019

7:45 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Registration Open

7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. - Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Welcome

Nichole Crawford
Advanced Sales Manager and Counsel
Federated Life Insurance Company
Chair, LIMRA 2019 Advanced Sales Forum

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. -

General Session 1 - Making Sense of the Chaos: A Washington Update from AALU

With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Job Act in 2017 behind us, along with the 2018 mid-term elections, which changed the political calculus in DC, what is ahead for the next two years for our industry?   How might the actions and agenda in Washington impact your business? Attend this informative discussion on the intersection of politics and policy, delving into the tax and regulatory challenges and opportunities coming our way.  Always informative, insightful, and well-received, this session is not to be missed!

Chris Morton - Executive Vice President, Government Affairs & Business Strategy, Association for Advanced Life Underwriting

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Networking Break - Sponsored by Pacific Western Bank

Sponsored by Pacific Western Bank

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. -

General Session 2 - Digital Estate Planning

What happens to your emails, passwords, photos, and websites when you pass away? Honestly, it really depends on your level of planning. Most states now require you to do affirmative planning in order to pass on these assets to your heirs or to allow others to access the information. Failure to do such planning could leave your assets tied up forever in the cloud, unavailable to business partners or loved ones, causing tremendous hardship and financial damages.

Ernie Guerriero, CLU, ChFC, CEBS, CPCU, CPC, CMS, AIF, RICP, CPFA - Retirement Industry Professional

Jamie Hopkins, Esq., LLM, MBA, CFP®, RICP® - Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, Carson Wealth Management

11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Announcements

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch - Sponsored by Ashar Group

Sponsored by Ashar Group

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.:

1. Rewiring Retirement Planning: Supercharging Retirement Income Strategies

Michael R. Harris, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Senior Educational Advisor, Alliance for Lifetime Income;  Moderator & Presenter: Ernie Guerriero, CLU®, ChFC®, CEBS, CPCU®, CPC®, CMS, AIF®, RICP®, CPFA, Vice President, Marketing Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York

Retirement income planning can be like hitting a moving target in the wind. You need a goal, a path and a process for getting there. But many people don’t have any plan in place.  One issue is behavioral biases that hold clients back from better planning.  We will look at the three main philosophies of income planning, bucketing, flooring, and systematic withdrawal and how they can help achieve a more secure outcome for clients by dealing directly with behavioral biases like narrow framing and risk aversion. 

Jamie Hopkins, Esq., LLM, MBA, CFP®, RICP® - Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, Carson Wealth Management

2. Split Dollar Loan Regime in Light of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

David Hayward, CLU, ChFC, FLMI, ACS, Advanced Sales Specialist, National Life Insurance Company; Derek Welch, JD, CLU, CLTC, Senior Director, Nationwide Financial; Moderator: Monica Rhee, JD, LLM, Consultant, Pacific Life Insurance Company

With business income now being taxed at a lower rate than personal income, this makes employer sponsored split-dollar loans more attractive.  For example, owners of C-Corporations can elect to retain funds in the corporation, have them taxed at 21%, and then loan them out, rather than bonusing them out and paying taxes at higher individual tax rates.  This workshop will explore how:

  • To properly structure split dollar loans so that the insured can access the cash value in excess of the loan balance as a source of tax-free supplemental retirement income.
  • The employer can achieve cost recovery by being repaid from the death proceeds.

2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Networking Break - Sponsored by BEI

Sponsored by BEI

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.:

3. Planning for Stranger Things – Part Deux

STEPHEN ALLOY, JD, MBA, CLU, ChFC, Advanced Markets Attorney, Mutual of Omaha; ALEX KIM, JD, Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, AXA;    Moderator & Presenter: RICHARD E. KAIT, JD, LLM, CLU, ChFC, Second Vice President, Advanced Sales, Protective Life

This workshop is the sequel to the panelists’ 2017 discussion of planning for unusual assets, including digital property, pets, wine collections, fine art, firearms, intellectual property, and similar unusual planning needs. The presenters will explore how life insurance has been misused or abused in inappropriate or aggressive case designs. Some cases reflect poor design or lack of planning, while others point to illicit techniques—the murky world of fraudsters, offshore scams, and the like.  The speakers intend to provide the primary red flags for these “bleeding edge case” scenarios, and to suggest planning alternatives that would be acceptable in the underwriting process.

4. Beyond Buy/Sell Funding: Find the Hidden Opportunities

JOHN BROWN, JD, Founder, Business Enterprise Institute, Inc.

This workshop will:

  • Describe the roles and multiple opportunities of insurance and financial advisors in the design and implementation of an exit plan for business owners.
  • Explain how exit planning—
    • Uncoversmore than a dozen life insurance and investment advisory solutions for the owner and business—not counting buy-sell funding.
    • Ensures that the life insurance professional has a seat at the head of the exit planning table
  • Provides a new perspective on buy-sell agreements and funding

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Networking Break

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. -

General Session 3 - Build with an Understanding of Fiduciary and Best Interest Rules

This presentation will address the latest developments on fiduciary standards of conduct for financial professionals promulgated or under consideration by federal and state regulatory agencies.   We will delve into the standards of conduct and the best interest duties the regulatory agencies have developed and their potential impact to our industry, as well as discuss potential regulatory changes on the horizon.    

Bradford Campbell - Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Welcome Reception

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Registration Open

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. -

General Session 4 - Designing Plans - Pass-Through Entity Rules and New Rules re: Retirement Plans and Stretch IRAs

During the first 30 minutes learn what Advanced Sales attorneys and life insurance advisors need to know about how the Section 199A deduction for pass-through business entities affects choice of business entity.  Learn what is most important about Section 199A and how explain it to business owner clients in easy to understand terms.  Learn how Section 199A applies to life insurance agents and financial advisors and their practices, including how it applies to insurance and investment revenue streams in their practices.  This interactive session will also uncover the life insurance opportunities provided by Section 199A.

During the second half of this session Bob will review the new law governing retirement plans. The house of representatives passed legislation May 2019 that makes it easier to save for retirement. Learn about new ages for making IRA contributions and for taking RMDs, and changes to stretch IRA planning and more.

Robert Keebler, CPA/PFS, MST, AEP (Distinguished), CGMA - Partner, Keebler & Associates, LLP

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. - Networking Break - Sponsored by Pentera

Sponsored by Pentera

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.:

5. Annuity Pathways to Success

Caroline Elrod, JD, Retirement Strategies Consultant, Pacific Life Insurance Company; Christopher Price, JD, MLT, CLU, ChFC, CFS, AVP, Advanced Sales/Business Development-Variable Annuities, Lincoln Financial Group; David Vogel, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Senior Advanced Sales Specialist, Advanced Markets, Allianz Life Insurance Company of America; Moderator: Kevin M. Russ, CFP®, CLU®, Advanced Markets Consultant, Brighthouse Financial

This panel discussion will provide effective, proven advanced sales ideas to help generate sustainable retirement income using annuities.  Topics of discussion will also include creating multi-generational wealth, the future use of annuities in employer sponsored retirement plans and how annuities are used in trust and estate planning scenarios.

6. Partnering with Underwriting

John Jonassen, FALU, FLMI, ACS, Senior Vice President, Chief Underwriter, Security Mutual Life Insurance Company; Kelly Stone, CLU, ChFC, FLMI, CASL, FALU, FLHC, Vice President, Underwriting Operations, Protective Life Insurance Company; Jeff Winkelmann, CLU, ChFC, FLMI, FALU, FLH, CASL, Vice President of Underwriting and Risk Strategy, Deputy Chief Underwriter, AIG; Moderator and Presenter: Deidra H. Hubenak, JD, CPA, PFS, Vice President, Advanced Sales, AIG;

Come hear a panel of Underwriting Department leaders from three major carriers tell us what they wish every member of Advanced Sales knew about partnering with Underwriters in this “not to miss” workshop.  Learn how to “think like an Underwriter” and what you can do to streamline the Underwriting process.

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Networking Break

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. -

General Session 5 - What’s Hot, What’s Not

Learn the practical aspects of split dollar administration, for old style plans, including how section 409A and Notice 2007-34 apply to employment-related split dollar, and how taxation of equity works for pre-2005 and post-2005 premiums paid under those plans. Also, learn how to plan and administer post-final Regulation loan regime plans. Also covered: estate planning updates on developments related to grantor trust income taxation, non-grantor trust income taxation, and state income taxation of trusts. Learn about ING trusts, asset swaps, and IRC section 67(e) for calculating AGI for a trust.

 

Lawrence Brody, J.D., LL.M. - Partner, Bryan Cave LLP

Thomas F. Commito, J.D., LL.M., CLU, ChFC, AEP - Director, Sales Concepts, Lincoln Financial Distributors

11:30 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. - Announcements

11:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. -

General Session 6 - Financial Planning for Women

Whether it is attracting them to be an advisor or client, women today provide a huge opportunity for insurers, yet there is a struggle to understand how to reach them and motivate them to act. Penn Mutual is pursuing that opportunity by building a consumer facing brand, myWorth, which provides education, tools, and resources for women. In this session, you will discover the pitfalls and keys to success in building an internal innovation lab to drive transformation and create sustainable sources of growth within a 171 year old insurance company.

Ande Frazier, CFP®, CLU, ChFC, RICP, BFA, ChSNC, CDFA® - Partner, Clocktower Wealth Management

1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Networking Break

1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.:

7. Advanced Sales: Indispensable Company Asset of the Future

Stephen E. Alloy, JD, MBA, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, Advanced Markets Attorney, Mutual of Omaha; Deidra W. Hubenak, JD, CPA, VP, Advanced Sales, AIG; Moderator: Jeanmarie Holm, JD, CVP, Advanced Planning Group, New York Life

Do you want to know what other Advanced Sales departments are doing to ensure that their team is considered indispensable to the future success of their company? Can you imagine your senior leadership knowing that without you and your team, they would not have the same level of success?  Come to this workshop prepared to share your successes and challenges.  You will learn ways to prove the value of your team, using metrics and technology; how to effectively message your mission statement and align that with the branding of your team and how to communicate that effectively across your organization. Come to engage in a lively discussion of how we can adapt to serve the agents of the future and more.

8. Leveraging Technology to Improve Advanced Sales

TOM ANDERSON, JD, CFP, Senior Director, Advanced Planning, Northwestern Mutual; RICHARD E. KAIT, JD, LLM, CLU, ChFC, Second Vice President, Advanced Sales, Protective Life;  Moderator & Presenter: Wendell Stallings, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Advanced Market Sales Director, Ameritas

While technology continues to transform overall society, life insurance companies have generally been slow to adopt cutting-edge computer technology into their operations.  This slowness affects advanced sales departments, which must often compete for dollars to fund technology initiatives.  Despite these challenges, advanced sales departments are using technology in new ways to deliver results.

This session will explore how advanced sales departments are currently leveraging technology to serve advisors and centers of influence. Moreover, the session will describe strategies to obtain dollars for technology projects.

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Networking Break

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. -

General Session 7 - Designing and Executing Engaging Training: Best Practices in Adult Learning

As Advanced Sales specialists, you are often called upon to deliver “training” to your advisors, distribution partners, or co-workers.  How do you turn an event into a learning forum? How do you craft a session where learning will happen, vs. simply hearing good information that could be of value, if applied? Hear from one of the industry’s leaders in advisor and management learning & development and come away with techniques to increase your value and that of your department.

Joey Davenport - President, Hoopis Performance Network

4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Networking Break

4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. -

General Session 8 - Advanced Sales Department Company Practices – Structured for Success…

A successful advance sales department needs “good bones.” How does your company’s structure and practices compare to your peers? What services are you providing that give you a competitive advantage? What services can you add to be the company of choice for these sophisticated cases? How is your turnover? Are you providing the technology and training to keep your key staff? Attend this session to hear the results of our 2019 Advanced Sales Department Company Practices survey. And get the perspective from a company active in this market.

Jeffrey Hollander, J.D. - Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, MassMutual Financial Network

Karen R. Terry, FLMI - Assistant Vice President, Insurance Product Research, LIMRA and LOMA

5:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Refreshment Break/Exhibitor Drawing

6:00 p.m. - Dinner on your own

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Registration Open

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. -

General Session 9 - Every Touchpoint Matters – Maximizing Effective Communications

Mobile, custom, fast and easy. That's what it takes to meet the demands of today's digital consumer. That's why in this fast-moving talk, Dr. Debra Jasper, founder and CEO of Mindset Digital, will show us how to break through the noise and capture the attention of today’s hyper-distracted clients and colleagues. She’ll also cover not just what's now, but what's next -- including AI, charming chatbots, emotion analytics and more. 

Debra Jasper, Ph.D. - Founder and CEO, Mindset Digital

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Networking Break

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Grand Prize Drawing

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. -

General Session 10 - Architects of the Future – Confronting Issues and Seizing Opportunities for Client and Advisor Success

 

 

As architects of the future, Advanced Sales has to weave its way through ever evolving tax law changes, imposed increased regulations and protect their company and clients from bold, unique concepts that could cause risk to all concerned.  In this session, you will hear how companies are designing ways for their producers and clients to be successful.

Eric Eklund - Senior Advanced Markets Consultant, M Financial Group

Ernie Guerriero, CLU, ChFC, CEBS, CPCU, CPC, CMS, AIF, RICP, CPFA - Retirement Industry Professional

Deidra W. Hubenak, J.D., CPA - Vice President, Advanced Markets, AIG Financial Distributors

Steve Nieno - Senior Director of Advanced Strategies, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Wrap Up & Adjournment