Advanced sales and marketing executives of carriers and distributors, CMOs, sales officers and estate and business planning specialists with accountability for serving individual markets.
Highlights
Designed by top-tier advanced sales professionals, the Forum is your exclusive gateway to expert advice from industry leaders with specialized expertise in this dynamic segment of the financial services market. As the only event of its kind, it is fully dedicated to elevating the practice of advanced sales. Whether you're navigating the pressures of doing more with less or adapting to organizational change, the Forum delivers unmatched insights from peers and game-changing strategies from industry experts.
This year’s conference theme—Explore, Inquire, Innovate—embodies the mindset of forward-thinking professionals in the advanced sales space. It challenges attendees to push boundaries, ask the right questions, and embrace transformative strategies that drive success in an evolving financial landscape.
Through interactive sessions, expert-led discussions, and peer-to-peer collaboration, this conference is your opportunity to explore new horizons, inquire with intention, and innovate for lasting success.
Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, Western & Southern Financial Group
Katherine (“Kate”) Goldsmith currently serves as Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, for Western & Southern Financial Group and is a registered representative of W&S Brokerage Services, both headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining Western & Southern, Kate was Assistant Counsel for The Ohio National Life Insurance Company and its affiliated companies for 15+ years. Kate serves as Vice President and is on the Board of Directors of the Insurance Advertising Compliance Association (IAdCA) and is also a past President of the Association of Corporate Counsel Southwest Ohio (ACCSWO) chapter. She currently serves on LIMRA’s Advanced Sales Forum Committee.
Before becoming in-house counsel, Kate was in private practice as an associate with the Litigation Department of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, a Midwest law firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kate’s birthplace. Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later a law degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 securities licenses, and the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Special Needs Consultant professional designations from the American College of Financial Services. In addition, Kate has been active in various regulatory issues of concern to the insurance industry pursued by CEFLI, the ACLI, and LIMRA, among other industry groups. Kate has presented at national industry conferences hosted by CEFLI and IAdCA, as well as at national and local events for both consumers and agents sponsored by Western & Southern Financial Group and non-profit organizations. Kate has published numerous articles of interest for producers of Western & Southern Financial Group’s family of life companies and prides herself on being a problem solver.
At Finseca, we advocate for the financial security profession, develop and grow its leaders, and promote the noble and necessary work our members do to provide financial and retirement security for the individuals, families, and businesses they serve.
Alex leads the development of Finseca’s federal and state policy efforts to support the organization’s mission and strategy - managing policy setting working groups, develop policy solutions, analyze relevant marketplace, legislative, and regulatory developments to identify impacts on the profession and their clients.
Prior to joining Finseca, Alex spent over two decades working in the life insurance industry – Adv Markets and Compliance director at a life insurance agency, Adv. Case Design at a boutique financial planning shop specializing in wealth and business planning for family offices and businesses, and as an attorney in the Adv Markets team for a life insurance carrier.
Vice President, Head of Advanced Markets, Global Atlantic Financial Group
Thea started her career in financial services in 2011 with Bank of America. She joined Lincoln Financial Distributors in 2013 as part of their annuities team. She worked her way through the home office before joining the Advanced Sales team at Lincoln in 2016. Thea joined Global Atlantic as the VP of Advanced Markets in March 2023 and became Head of Advanced Markets at GA in October 2023.
Her focus is practical planning with annuities for clients with complex needs – translating the sometimes-confusing world of retirement insurance into something that financial professionals and their clients can feel confident in as they plan for the next phase of life. Ensuring that clients retire with dignity and without unwelcomed financial surprises is always her goal.
Thea holds a BA in Economics from Rutgers University and a Master of Finance from Penn State University. She holds Series 6 and 63, and Life and Health licenses.
Independent Consultant Adjunct Professor, The American College
Steve Parrish is Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at The American College of Financial Services. Parrish is an expert on retirement, estate, and business owner succession planning. He is a recognized industry authority, spokesperson and author serving as an ongoing contributor to Forbes.com, and is a contributing author to the 2025 e-textbook Retirement Plans and Retirement Planning. He was the 2023 winner of the Kenneth Black Jr. Journal Author Award and has written for the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, Journal of Financial Planning and Hastings Business Law Journal.
Senior Economic Advisor, Fort Washington Investment Advisors (part of the Western & Southern Financial Group)
Nick Sargen is an international economist turned global money manager. He has been involved in international financial markets since the early 1970s, when he began his career at the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He subsequently worked on Wall Street for 25 years, holding senior positions with Morgan Guaranty Trust (VP- International Economics Department), Salomon Brothers Inc. (Director of Bond Market Research), Prudential Insurance (CIO for Global Fixed Income Advisors) and J.P. Morgan Private Bank (Chief Investment Strategist). In 2003 he became Chief Investment Officer for the Western & Southern Financial Group and its affiliate, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. Nick subsequently served as Chief Economist from 2014 until 2019. He currently is an economic consultant to Fort Washington.
Sargen has written extensively on international financial markets. He has authored three books: Global Shocks, Investing in the Trump Era, and JPMorgan’s Fall and Revival. Sargen is also a regular contributor to THEHILL and forbes.com. He appeared frequently on business television programs throughout his career on Wall Street and was a regular panelist on Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week. He was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. and PhD in Economics from Stanford University. He is also affiliated with the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
As the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 nears its expiration this year, Congress and the Trump administration have been busy crafting legislation to extend key provisions and advance other tax priorities. This session will explore what’s currently on the table, the potential obstacles ahead, and the implications for advisors and their clients.
But it’s not all about taxes — we’ll also cover the latest regulatory updates, policy developments, and political trends shaping the industry and the broader financial services landscape.
Join us for an informative and timely discussion that will help you navigate the critical developments emerging from Washington, D.C.
Speaker: Alex Kim, JD, Vice President, Public Policy, Finseca
Connelly punishes redemption agreements funded by life insurance. Huffman increases risks that a buy-sell agreement will not be respected. Escape this double-whammy by using a life insurance LLC to hold the buy-sell life insurance funding a cross-purchase. The lawyer who obtained the private-letter ruling on that arrangement will explain:
How a life insurance LLC works
Fairness issues involving older controlling owners and younger minority owners
How to avoid income tax traps when migrating to a life insurance LLC
Speaker: Steve Gorin, JD, CPA, CGMA, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP
11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Announcement — Debbie Miner, JD, CFP, CLU, ChFC, RICP, Vice President, National Sales Consulting, Delaware Life Marketing
With $465 million of business owner wealth transitioning every day, business owners are facing pressure to make critical planning decisions—yet many lack clarity about their most valuable asset: their business. In this session, we will explore how advisors can bridge this knowledge gap, simplify the complexities of business valuations, and deliver actionable insights that align the business with the owner’s broader financial goals. Learn how advisors can engage with business owners in a meaningful, business-centric way and become a trusted partner in their journey toward growth, transition, or exit.
It is often assumed by high-net-worth clients or their financial professionals that they can “afford” to self-fund long-term care — but that doesn’t make it a good idea. This session will go over many advantages of using LTC coverage in the financial strategies for the wealthy. Business owners are also a top candidate for LTC planning as they are eligible for premium tax deductions without the usual hinderance individual taxpayers are subject to. Please join us to explore these sales opportunities.
Bonus plans are a popular insurance-based employee benefit, partly because they normally provide the employer an immediate tax deduction, and partly because they are “simple.” However, things aren’t always as simple as they seem. A possible downside of bonus plans is that they don’t provide strong stipulations, which means the employee can quit at any time and walk away with the policy. Having restrictions on the policy or embedded in the plan might make it more likely the employee will stick around, but doing so might complicate the tax treatment. What’s more, even the most basic plan invokes ERISA concerns. To explore these issues, join this discussion of the income and ERISA effects of bonus plans, with particular focus on different types of restricted bonus options.
Speakers: Daniel Finn, JD, CLU, CFP, Advanced Solutions Director, Principal Financial Group; David Hayward, CLU, ChFC, FLMI, Sr. Advanced Sales Specialist, National Life
Producer Perspectives: Growth and Partnership in Advanced Sales
Join us for a dynamic panel discussion with top producers as they share their journey of mastering advanced sales concepts and the real-world impact on their business growth. Hear how these professionals continue to leverage partnerships with advanced sales teams to elevate their strategies, close complex cases, and provide greater value to clients. From powerful tools and tailored resources to expert consultation, discover what they find most effective in their collaboration — and how you can apply the same insights to scale your own success.
Speakers: Michael Gisonda , Chief Executive Officer, The Bridge Group; Paul Harris, Author and Founder, P H Financial Advisors
Moderator: Ann Hagerty, JD, RICP, Director of Advanced Sales, Individual Solutions, Securian
This session is an up-to-date discussion of current tax proposals and laws. From the TCJA to the SECURE Acts, we’ve had the annual dance of interpreting new tax law, and now we have a new set of steps to learn. Explore the latest with income, gift, and estate taxes; inquire where they are taking us; and together let’s innovate on how to handle these challenges.
Speaker: Steve Parrish, Professor of Practice and Scholar in Residence, The American College of Financial Services
The traditional fixed withdrawal approach to creating retirement income from investments often focuses on a single failure rate metric to evaluate retirement income choices. This session instead explores the range of retirement lifestyle visualizations using different fixed and variable spending strategies. You’ll review insights on how lucky and unlucky investment returns affect spending over time using:
A fixed approach such as the 4% rule
Constrained variable spending methods such as a cap and floor strategy
Unconstrained variable spending such as required minimum distributions
A new approach that constrains annual lifestyle adjustments but remains unconstrained over time
A flexible approach that substitutes lifetime income from annuities for bonds
We’ll see how flexibility impacts potential spending throughout retirement and why failure rates provide limited insight into income risk. Visualizations show how capital market expectations have a surprisingly strong impact on retirement lifestyles, and using historical instead of projected assets returns can create the risk of significant late-life adjustments.
Speaker: Michael Finke, Ph.D., CFP, Professor of Wealth Management and Frank M. Engle Chair of Economic Security, The American College of Financial Services
In this interactive encore session, we’ll break into smaller groups to explore the different ways advanced sales teams manage their practices, including:
Keeping current in a fast-paced market
Training and development
Incorporating technology (e.g., AI)
Measuring success
Maintaining a competitive edge
Come to this session ready to share what makes you successful in your role and how we can improve and navigate the advanced sales landscape.
Speakers:
Katherine Goldsmith, JD, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, RICP (in progress), AVP, Advanced Markets, Western & Southern Financial Group; Thea Marasa-Scafidi, MFin, CFS, CES, VP, Head of Advanced Markets, Global Atlantic Financial Company
How does your company help advisors/agents who want to specialize in special needs planning? How do they become educated on this complex topic? How should an advisor prepare for a meeting about special needs planning? What are the most important questions to ask parents/caregivers? What are the best resources to help special needs clients? How do advisors and clients best work with attorneys who specialize in special needs planning? Join this session for the answers to these questions and more.
Speakers: Katherine Goldsmith, JD, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, Assistant Vice President, Advanced Markets, Western & Southern Financial Group; Kelly Piacenti, ChSNC, Head of Special Care, MassMutual
Moderator/Presenter: David G. Baldwin, JD, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Director of Advanced Strategies, RiverSource Insurance
In 2025, clients will be affected by higher benefit costs due to inflation adjustments, the impact of the Social Security Fairness Act for millions of public-sector workers, and concerns regarding solvency of the Social Security program. Learn how to help your advisors address their clients’ questions about this crucial source of retirement income and, using the Social Security 360 Analyzer tool, consider several alternatives that will help them decide the optimum time to claim their benefits within the context of their overall retirement income plan.
Speaker: Roberta Eckert, RICP, CRPC, CLTC, Vice President, Nationwide Retirement Institute, Nationwide Financial
Estate planning is about more than just taxes. It includes maximizing qualified plan assets, using life insurance in a balanced portfolio, equalizing an uneven distribution, providing survivorship needs in a blended family, and so much more. Advanced planners help families by combining the correct technique with product. Join us as we discuss solutions that use life insurance in the estate plan beyond exemptions, deduction, and brackets.
Speaker: Jordan Skog, J.D., CLU, ChFC, CFP, Director, Advanced Markets, Allianz Life Financial Services, LLC
Moderator & Presenter: Amy Bryant, JD, CLU, Director, Advanced Sales, Penn Mutual
This interactive panel session will provide an overview of the rules surrounding IRA beneficiaries under The SECURE Act, with a particular focus on key changes in the final regulations. We will delve into the complex world of trusts as IRA beneficiaries, successor beneficiaries, and more through real-world case studies and examples. Additionally, we will discuss current industry trends related to facilitating inherited IRAs, particularly how insurers are adapting to beneficiary strategies and options under the new regulations.
Speakers: Steve Chmelka, CRC, Senior Retirement Strategies Consultant, Retirement Strategies Group, Pacific Life; Ann Hagerty, JD, RICP, Director of Advanced Sales, Individual Solutions, Securian; Gary Pence, ChFC, CLU, Director, Advanced Markets, Corebridge Financial
The Trump 2.0 era is off to a tumultuous start due to increased uncertainty following the largest hike in tariffs in a century. The session will discuss the significance of the global trade war and how it might play out. People in their middle ages may ride out the storm, but the environment is challenging for those in or near retirement. The session will conclude with several options for them to consider.
The only demographic in the U.S. with an increasing rate of divorce is the over 50 crowd. Learn how a gray divorce can disrupt the best financial plan. Be able to avoid five common pitfalls when dividing assets and be the trusted advisor your divorcing clients need.
Special tax considerations when selling the marital home
How to value and divide a retirement plan
Insurance concerns for divorcing clients
Speaker: Carol Lee Roberts, CDFA, CeFT, President, Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts
This workshop is designed for financial planners seeking to elevate their approach with Millennial clients. Participants will gain insight into the values, behaviors, and expectations shaping this generation’s financial decisions. Learn advanced planning techniques, communication strategies, and tech-enabled tools to build long-term trust and deliver tailored, impactful advice. Attendees will leave with actionable frameworks to better serve a new generation of clients and enhance the growth and relevance of their practice.
Speaker: Desiree Day, JD, Head of Case Consultants, Business Resource Center, Guardian Life
10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Final Comments & Adjourn
Registration
Early Registration Fee (before July 15): Member: $1,700 Nonmember: $2,900
Standard Registration Fee (after cutoff date July 15): Member: $1,900 Nonmember: $3,100
Cancellation Policy In the event that a scheduled meeting or event is cancelled by LIMRA for any reason, LIMRA shall refund any conference registration fees that have been paid by the registrant. Under no circumstances, however, shall LIMRA be liable to the registrant for any other expenses including, but not limited to, airfare and hotel expenses incurred by the registrant.
Registrant Cancellation Policy All cancellations must be received by LL Global in writing. Email customer.service@limra.com. Cancellations received before July 21, 2025 will be refunded, less a $75 processing fee. Cancellations received between July 21, 2025 to August 4, 2025 will be refunded, less a $375 processing and administrative fee. No refunds will be issued after August 4, 2025.
Make your reservations by July 15, 2025 by following the reservations link, or by calling the reservations phone number and mention the LIMRA Advanced Sales Conference in order to receive the group rate of $169.00 single/double (plus applicable sales taxes). Requests after July 15, 2025 will be accepted on the basis of space availability. The group guest room rate will be offered three days prior and three days after the meeting dates subject to availability and must be booked by calling the hotel.
Please note that hotel rates will go up after the cut-off date or when the meeting room block sells out, whichever comes first. Make your reservations early to be able to take advantage of our discounted rates.
If you receive any unsolicited or suspicious emails or phone calls about a hotel booking in conjunction with this meeting, our advice is to delete the email immediately. In the case of a phone call, never give out your credit card information. Our designated conference hotels will not call you unless you contact them first.
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