As business continuity plans - and life in general - have been upended across the country and the world, we discuss some of the implications of the coronavirus on the life insurance industry with noted thought leaders Jena Kennedy and Scott Rhinehart from LexisNexis. A fascinating examination of what we're all facing - and how to potentially get through this in better shape than we entered.

In this episode, we welcome back Tom Scales, head of the life and annuity practice at Celent. Tom shares his thoughts on life insurance technology for the decade past, the current landscape, and the decade ahead. Tom has his finger on the pulse of the industry like few others, and is always a fascinating interview!

Jim Sorebo, SVP of Sales at Highland Capital Brokerage and well-known industry evangelist and advocate, joins us on an inspirational episode of the Pipecast. From his incredibly successful career to personal challenges and triumphs, Jim addresses what's happening in our industry head on with passion and solutions. What a great way to kick off a brand new season!

In this episode, we welcome Jeff Shaw, the Executive Director of the Life Insurers Council. Jeff has an extraordinary perspective on the current state of the life and annuity industry. Working with a core group of smaller insurers, Jeff is always seeking ways to help them improve their ability to achieve higher profitability, predictability, and scalability. Jeff touches on a wide range of topics, including the challenges around innovation, investment, and manufacturing. With the industry changing more rapidly than ever, what can companies large or small do in the short term to accommodate customers' evolving needs and spending habits?

We welcome Jena Kennedy, the Director of Vertical Market Strategy for Life Insurance at LexisNexis, for a broad and entertaining discussion on security and authentication in the life insurance industry today. What's at stake for insurance companies, and what can they do to ensure the balance of usability and safety? How can consumers navigate the complexities surrounding the protection of their information? What can and should financial professionals do to help their customers and companies without preventing sales? All of these topics and more are on the table.

We welcome Gregg Poston, the Managing Director of Licensing and Field Technology at OneAmerica, for a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion on the life insurance industry today. Gregg's deep knowledge and understanding of the market, the economic environment, and the successes and challenges of running a life insurance practice in 2019 make for an entertaining look into the industry we love.

Our latest Pipecast takes a look at the current state of the industry from the perspective of two leaders of Life and Annuity Masters – Tim Whitmore (CMO and CFO) and Tom Vick (Director of Annuities). The two discuss their backgrounds, how the industry has evolved over that time, the key areas where success is most apparent, and areas for improvement. It's an interesting and deep look at the world of insurance and annuity distribution in 2019.

At iPipeline's 2019 Connections conference, we spoke with a series of industry thought leaders and difference makers. From insurance innovation to sales, running businesses to motivating people, our Pipecast participants run the spectrum of talent and impact.

In order of appearance:

Elliott Wallace, VP & GM of Life Insurance, Lexis Nexis Linda Ding, Director of Strategic Marketing, Laserfiche Morley Ivers, President, Workplace By OS33 Chris Ewing, President and CEO, One Inc. Kevin Baer, Founder, Baer Coaching Cameron Greenlaw, COO, LifeBuilders

Leticia Santiago, Director of Operations at Life and Annuity Masters and Toni Golden, President and CEO of The Toni Group, join host Rich Grisham to discuss their involvement in WEFI (Women Empowering Financial Independence). This group's goal, simply put, is to reach out to individuals to let them know who they are and that resources are available to help them be successful. They support and educate both newly licensed and seasoned veterans, focusing on empowerment and education. It's a wonderful story and we're delighted to bring it to you directly from the people that are making it happen!

Tom Scales - Head of Americas Life, Annuity, and Health for Celent - joins host Rich Grisham to take a look at the big trends of the life insurance industry as we look back at 2018 and forward to 2019. From technology to product, distribution to end consumers, Mr. Scales has his finger on the pulse of our industry like few others.