Discover how a clear sense of purpose can transform professional effectiveness, resilience, and impact. This workshop introduces a framework for identifying and activating meaningful goals, with practical tools participants can apply immediately in research, clinical, or academic settings. Attendees will leave able to distinguish productive versus draining purpose drives, align daily work with long-term values, and enhance motivation and well-being — skills that improve performance, reduce burnout risk, and strengthen leadership across disciplines.

Speakers: Jordan Grumet, M.D. — Author/Podcaster, Earn & Invest

Today’s executives are more mobile, better compensated, and more skeptical than ever. In this session, we’ll move beyond theory and into real-world design of executive benefit programs that drive retention, reward performance, and align with corporate objectives. We’ll compare and contrast 162 bonus plans, split dollar, traditional nonqualified deferred compensation, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights, and other tools — highlighting when each works, when it doesn’t, and why. Through detailed case studies, attendees will see how sophisticated employers are blending these strategies to solve real compensation challenges.

Speakers: Kathleen Bilderback, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), AEP, Counsel, Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C.

Speakers: Kate Goldsmith, Esq., J.D., CLU, ChFC, RICP, ChSNC — Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets

Annuity products are evolving faster than the rules that govern them, creating new challenges for advisors and advanced planners. Our panel will explore emerging product trends, regulatory pitfalls, and practical ways to build and maintain expertise in this fast‑changing environment — with insights shaped by a range of real‑world experience levels.

Speakers: Christopher Price, Director, Advanced Planning, Prudential Distributors; Natalia D. Keene, Advanced Sales Consultant, Lincoln Financial; Gary Pence, Director, Advanced Markets, Corebridge Financial; Ryan C. Bertrand, Vice President and Managing Director, Transamerica

Living in a state with its own estate tax means planning beyond federal rules. State exemptions are often much lower, portability may not apply, and taxes are due quickly, creating liquidity pressure. For clients who do not want to move, effective planning focuses on asset location, trust strategies, lifetime gifting, and insurance for liquidity—balancing estate tax reduction with income tax consequences and family goals.

Speaker: Patrick Olearcek, Head of Advanced Sales, MassMutual Financial Group; Michele B. Collins, Director, Advanced Sales, MassMutual

Charitable giving can be a powerful planning tool, creating value for donors, the organizations they support, and financial advisors. This session explores key charitable strategies — including bundling, charitable life insurance, charitable gift annuities (CGAs), charitable remainder unitrusts (CRUTs), and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) —and clarifies when each may be most effective. Through practical case studies, participants will learn how to strategically donate assets such as cash, stock, real estate, and even farm equipment to support clients’ financial and philanthropic goals.

Speakers: Jay Kautt — Vice President of Advanced Market Sales, Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company; Ben Boline, Charitable Solutions Consultant, Thrivent Charitable; Ron Lutes, Senior Advice Services Consultant, Thrivent Financial

Business owners face interconnected challenges, whether from taxes, liquidity, employee compensation, succession uncertainty, or personal retirement gaps. This session examines these persistent issues and maps them to life insurance and annuity solutions that advanced sales professionals can support. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to position the solutions to these challenges strategically, adapt to changing dynamics, and deliver greater value for these complex cases. Participants will leave with practical ideas to elevate their advanced sales support and steer impactful advisor conversations.

Speakers: Jordan Skog, VP, Life Advanced Markets, Allianz Life; Desiree Day, Head of Case Consultants, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

With large 401(k) balances and a dizzying array of options, retirees want to lock in lifetime income, and they need professional help. This session focuses on the opportunities that abound for tax-smart lifetime income (particularly, but not exclusively, with annuities) and adds cautionary tales about the mistakes that can be made. This includes new considerations such as:

• The growth in lifetime income annuities
• Alternatives such as CITs, deferred contingent annuities, and reverse mortgages
• And how to navigate retirement income within the tax minefield of the Secure Act(s)

Speakers: Steve Parrish, Professor of Practice and Scholar in Residence, The American College of Financial Services

The policy environment impacting the financial security profession is moving fast — across taxes, retirement, and regulation — and it’s getting harder to separate real impact from political noise in an election year. With major decisions unfolding in Washington, understanding what’s ahead is key to advisors supporting families and businesses.

In this session, Jen Fox, VP of Federal and Political Affairs at Finseca, will walk through what to expect with upcoming legislation, which developments matter most to the profession, and where Finseca is actively advocating on your behalf. She’ll offer a clear-eyed look at the risks and opportunities ahead — and practical insight into how financial security professionals can stay informed, anticipate change, and navigate what’s next with confidence. Jen will preview how the 2026 elections could reshape financial security policy, and what it all means for your practice.

Speakers: Jen Fox, VP of Federal and Political Affairs, Finseca

Gen X Is About to Control the Capital: Are You Positioned to Advise Them? Gen X is entering its most powerful wealth window in history: peak income, peak inheritances, and peak business liquidity. Trillions are shifting quietly into the hands of investors who often feel overlooked, misunderstood, and under-advised. While the industry focuses on aging boomers and future millennials, Gen X is accumulating and deploying capital right now. The advisors who understand this shift will own the next 20 years of growth.

Speakers: Jeannie Underwood, SVP, Head of Global Atlantic Consulting, Global Atlantic Financial Group

There are over 700 life insurance companies in the United States. If each were to average eight different product offerings, consumers would have over 5,600 products to choose from.  What makes one product better than another? How can one product be great for one client but not very good for another? This session will explore the different types of life insurance products (term, whole life, UL, IUL, VUL, and hybrids) and the way they can be customized for different sales scenarios.

Speakers: David Hayward, Sr. Advanced Sales Specialist, National Life Group; Sam Barton, Advanced Sales Consultant, MassMutual Strategic Distributors; Todd Baker, Division Vice President, RiverSource Life Insurance Company

In this session, we’ll explore how annuities are built alongside an expert in the field, breaking down the key components that shape these products. We’ll examine core building blocks such as product design, risk management, and performance features, while also discussing how evolving market demands influence innovation. Additionally, we’ll highlight how the industry is driving toward long-term success through strategic development, improved client outcomes, and adapting to changing economic and regulatory landscapes.

Speakers: Thea Marasa‑Scafidi, VP, Head of Advanced Markets, Global Atlantic Financial Group; Jacklynn Blossom, VP, Product Design, KKR

This interactive, peer‑led session is designed for advanced markets professionals looking to share ideas, tools, and best practices with others who truly understand the role.

Moderated by Thea Marasa‑Scafidi and Ana Canelos, participants will break into small groups to discuss real‑world practice management topics that impact advanced markets teams, including:

• Staying current in a rapidly evolving market
• Training and developing advanced sales talent
• Incorporating technology and AI into daily workflows
• Measuring impact and success
• Maintaining a competitive edge

Each table will collaborate and share insights, tools, and approaches that are working today, followed by a broader group discussion to capture takeaways.

Come prepared to contribute, learn from peers, and walk away with practical ideas you can apply immediately.

Speakers: Thea Marasa‑Scafidi, Head of Advanced Markets, Global Atlantic Financial Company; Ana Medinaceli Canelos, Advanced Marketing Director, John Hancock

Often we focus on the fancy, but sometimes we need to focus on the “other stuff” to help clients and advisors. In this workshop, we will focus on rules and practices for 1035s of annuity, life, and long-term care products — including what is allowed, potential tax issues, differences between processes, and timing of the exchange. We will also highlight a few possible “gotcha” ownership/beneficiary scenarios.

Speakers: Dan Finn, Advanced Solutions Director, Principal Financial Group; Valerie Grombchevsky, Vice President, Advanced Sales, Corebridge Financial

This interactive session will showcase how advanced markets professionals are leveraging core technologies — eMoney, Salesforce, and data analytics tools — in their day‑to‑day roles to enhance advisor support, insight generation, and decision‑making. Through brief demonstrations and live audience polling, participants will see practical applications of each tool and how technology enables more efficient, informed advanced markets engagement.

Speakers: Jeanmarie Holm, Corporate Vice President, New York Life; Kevin Russ, Head of Advanced Markets Group, Brighthouse Financial; Joel Liu, Head of Advanced Sales, MMSD, MassMutual

Trust planning has evolved far beyond tax minimization. This advanced session explores today’s most critical trust design and administration issues, including jurisdiction and situs selection, multi‑trustee structures, state income and estate tax considerations, decanting flexibility, and ILIT trustee challenges. We will also examine recent trust planning trends reshaping advisor recommendations, such as increased emphasis on flexibility, governance, and income tax outcomes. Attendees will gain practical insights to better support advisors navigating complex trust decisions and aligning trust structures with modern planning objectives.

Speakers: Kurt Kauffman, Advanced Sales Consultant, Lincoln Financial

AI hype is everywhere, but what's actually true? What should life insurance professionals do about it? This workshop cuts through six common AI myths, from "you need perfect data" to "AI will replace your team," and replaces them with practical fundamentals. Attendees will leave with a clear-eyed view of what AI can (and can't) do today, concrete security guardrails to protect their organizations, and a prioritized action plan they can start executing Monday morning.

Speakers: Nicholas Bowman, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Xcela, Inc 

Market volatility exacerbated by war, AI investment boom continuing, tariffs weighing on business confidence, private credit worrying investors, inflation remaining stubbornly above-target, job growth slowing to a crawl, and a new Fed Chair may be about to introduce another variable into the outlook for interest rates.  What is happening on the macroeconomic front that could help investors make sense of markets?  These and other matters will be discussed.

Speakers: Richard J. Litchfield, Sr. Vice President & Sr. Portfolio Manager, Maple Capital Management