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Artificial intelligence is everywhere in insurance right now.
But most agents are still asking the same question:

How do you actually use AI without losing trust, authenticity, or compliance?

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Craig Bender one of the most respected emerging leaders in the insurance industry to cut through the noise and talk about what actually works.

Craig isn’t just an award-winning agent.
He’s an operator and systems thinker who has built insurance divisions across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and now helps agents modernize their businesses using practical AI, smarter marketing systems, and real operational leverage.

This isn’t a hype-driven AI conversation.
It’s a grounded, execution-focused breakdown of where AI truly fits inside an insurance agency and where it doesn’t.

If you’re an insurance agent, agency owner, or leader trying to grow without sounding robotic, breaking compliance rules, or burning trust with clients, this episode delivers clarity you can actually use.

🎯 In This Episode, You’ll Learn
• Why AI is the biggest shift in insurance today and why many agents are using it wrong
• The difference between AI hype vs. real operational leverage
• Practical ways to use AI in insurance marketing without sounding generic
• What should be automated and what should never be automated
• How to protect trust, compliance, and human connection while scaling
• What emerging insurance leaders are doing differently with technology
• How to evaluate new tech tools without chasing shiny objects
• The skills insurance professionals will need over the next 5 years

🧠 Key Takeaway
AI doesn’t replace trust in insurance.
It exposes whether you actually have any.

The agents who win won’t be the most automated they’ll be the most intentional.

If you’ve been curious about AI but unsure how to apply it inside your agency day-to-day, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a real framework for moving forward.

📌 Connect with Craig Bender
👉 https://www.insureu2.club/

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

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While the insurance industry races toward digital funnels, automation, and AI…
in-person annuity education is quietly outperforming everything else.

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Roy Snarr, founder of AnnuityProducers.com and creator of the only national annuity-focused conference in the country.

Roy has spent decades helping agents grow through live seminars, face-to-face education, and relationship-driven retirement planning. And while much of the industry chased digital-only strategies, Roy doubled down on what builds trust fastest real human connection paired with clear education.

In this conversation, we unpack why confidence now beats clever marketing, how annuity education is evolving, and how agents can combine live seminars + YouTube + educational content to build authority without hype, pressure, or gimmicks.

If you sell annuities, work with retirees, or want to stand out as a trusted guide in a skeptical market, this episode is essential listening.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Why in-person annuity education is resurging in a digital-heavy world
✔️ The biggest annuity trends agents must understand right now
✔️ Common mistakes agents make when explaining annuities (and how to fix them)
✔️ How live seminars build confidence, clarity, and trust faster than ads
✔️ How to blend seminars, YouTube, and digital content into one authority system
✔️ Why education-first positioning converts better than product-first selling
✔️ Unexpected leadership and planning lessons from ranching and real life

🎯 Who This Episode Is For

✔️ Annuity agents
✔️ Life & retirement insurance agents
✔️ Advisors running seminars or thinking about starting
✔️ Agents tired of chasing leads and fighting price shoppers
✔️ Professionals focused on long-term, relationship-based growth

🧭 Key Takeaways for Insurance Agents

• Trust beats tactics in retirement planning
• In-person education creates certainty digital funnels can’t
• Clients buy clarity, not complexity
• Authority compounds when education leads the conversation
• The future belongs to agents who combine human connection + modern media

🔗 Connect with Roy Snarr
👉 https://roysnarr.com
👉 https://annuityproducers.com

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

Are you posting consistently, buying leads, running ads, going to trainings…
and somehow your insurance business still feels stuck?

You’re not lazy.
You’re not behind.
Your marketing is just upside down.

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, David and Elle Denning break down The Upside Down of Insurance Marketing that frustrating place where agents are doing all the “right” things, but nothing compounds.

You’ll learn how to stop renting attention and start building brand equity, so your marketing creates momentum instead of draining time, energy, and money.

If you’re a life insurance agent, health insurance agent, Medicare agent, or agency owner trying to grow with social media marketing, this episode will help you fix what’s silently holding you back.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode (Key Takeaways)
✔️ The 30-Day Gut Check to see if your marketing actually compounds
✔️ How to use leads without letting leads replace your brand
✔️ The simple rule: “If my face isn’t in it, it’s optional” (and why it works)
✔️ New leverage metrics to track: recognition, referrals, and referral quality
✔️ The Recognition Test question that instantly exposes fuzzy marketing
✔️ A weekly compounding rhythm: authority content, client story, relationship touchpoint
✔️ A Right-Side-Up Checklist you can execute immediately

🧭 Do This This Week: The Right-Side-Up Checklist
✔️ Post one face-forward selfie video
✔️ Clearly state who you help and what you help them do
✔️ Share one real client story (social proof)
✔️ Start one conversation with a referral partner (no pitch)
✔️ Stop one tactic that eats time but doesn’t compound

📢 Join the conversation!
Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing training inside the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group:
👉 https://jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with an agent who feels stuck this one might be the reset they need.

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

Most final expense agents are working harder than ever…
and still falling behind.

Low comp.
Inconsistent lead flow.
Outdated recruiting models.
Zero real systems.

So what actually works now?

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Douglas Massi, a veteran final expense agency owner and trainer who went from broke, in debt, and grinding alone to building a scalable, system-driven final expense agency alongside his wife.

Douglas has been in the trenches since the early days of final expense long before funnels, training libraries, or real support existed. Instead of protecting ideas, he shared them publicly… and helped raise the standard for the entire industry.

This conversation cuts through the hype to reveal what final expense agents truly need to win in today’s tighter, more competitive market and why appointment funnels, training systems, and transparency are no longer optional.

If you’re tired of MLM-style recruiting, low-comp confusion, and inconsistent production, this episode will reset how you think about growth in 2026 and beyond.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✔️ Why most final expense agents struggle and what’s actually missing
✔️ The 3-Legged Stool Method behind consistent top producers
✔️ How appointment funnels increased agent confidence, production, and retention
✔️ Why face-to-face systems still matter even in a digital-first world
✔️ The truth about MLM-style agencies, low comp structures, and outdated models
✔️ What final expense agents must implement now to stay relevant through 2026

🚀 Key Takeaways for Final Expense Agents
• Systems beat talent every time
• Appointment setting is becoming mandatory, not optional
• Training + leads + structure create long-term stability
• Agents deserve transparency, leverage, and realistic expectations
• Agencies that refuse to modernize will get left behind

🎯 Who This Episode Is For
• Final expense agents feeling stuck or burned out
• Producers questioning MLM-style agency models
• Agents who want consistent appointments and real systems
• Agency owners looking to scale without chaos or hype

🎓 Douglas Massi’s FREE Weekly Final Expense Sales Training (Mondays)
👉 https://unitedfinalexpenseservices.com/final-expense-telephone-sales/
📺 Douglas Massi on YouTube (Free Training Library)
👉 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kcfLLJJ2cZwIx0n8qaf6w

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

Most families are doing everything they were told to do…
save diligently, invest consistently, avoid risk and yet financial stress, confusion, and insecurity keep growing.

So what’s broken?

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Rebecca Irey, Founder & CEO of Blue Skye Financial, to unpack why traditional financial advice is failing modern families and what actually works instead.

Rebecca challenges outdated Wall Street thinking and explains why financial planning can no longer live in silos. Insurance, tax strategy, retirement planning, and legacy planning must work together as a living system, not a stack of disconnected products.

This is a must-listen for insurance agents and financial professionals who know the industry is shifting and want to stay relevant, trusted, and referral-driven in the next era of financial services.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✅ Why the traditional 401(k) + Wall Street + debt model is breaking down
✅ How insurance is evolving into a cash-flow, tax-efficiency, and living benefits strategy
✅ The role of holistic planning in building real generational wealth
✅ Why education-first conversations create deeper trust and longer client relationships
✅ Where AI and technology enhance financial education and where human trust still wins
✅ How advisors can move from fear-based selling to empowerment-based guidance
✅ What families should be teaching the next generation about money, independence, and legacy

🔑 Key Takeaways for Insurance Agents

Insurance is no longer just about protection.
It’s becoming a cornerstone of modern financial strategy.

Agents who understand integrated planning, living benefits, and client education will stand out in a world where families demand clarity, confidence, and long-term solutions not isolated products.

🌱 About Our Guest: Rebecca Irey

Rebecca Irey is the Founder and CEO of Blue Skye Financial, a virtual-first, holistic financial firm helping families move from financial dependence into true independence and generational wealth.

A mother of seven, lifelong learner, and challenger of conventional systems, Rebecca blends strategy, education, and heart to help families rethink everything they’ve been taught about money.

🌐 Learn More About Rebecca
👉 https://www.blueskyefinancial.com
📲 Connect with Blue Skye Financial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueskyefinancial
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueskyefinancial
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueskye_financial

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

If your 2026 marketing plan still includes “smiling and dialing,” it’s time for a major shift.

On this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, David & Elle Denning reveal the modern marketing playbook for agents who want better leads, higher-quality conversations, and less burnout without chasing people who were never a fit.

We break down the 4-step framework that’s producing results in 2026, plus a 5-day reset you can implement immediately. From social media and short-form video to community-driven referrals and conversation-first sales, this episode shows how agents are getting inbound DMs, stronger leads, and more production all without cold calls.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ Why cold calling worked until it didn’t and what replaces it in 2026
✅ The 4-step modern marketing framework: Visibility → Relevance → Personalization → Community
✅ How to pick the right platform and why Facebook still dominates for most agents
✅ Content that converts stop posting generic insurance content and start attracting right-fit leads
✅ Creating inbound referral spaces groups, comments, and DMs that naturally spark conversations
✅ A 5-day “Goodbye to Smiling & Dialing” plan you can run this week
✅ The biggest mistakes agents make that silently kill momentum and what to do instead

🚀 Why This Matters for Insurance Agents

Agents who adapt to 2026 marketing don’t just get leads they build authority, trust, and long-term relationships that scale their business without burnout. This episode is a practical blueprint for agents ready to leave cold calling behind for good.

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

Instant issue insurance is no longer a “nice to have.”
It’s the new expectation.

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Jeremiah Tacker, Regional Vice President at Transamerica, to unpack how carriers are simplifying underwriting, accelerating applications, and helping agents place more business with less friction.

Jeremiah brings a rare, full-spectrum perspective. He started in the Transamerica mailroom, became a producer, built and ran an agency, and now leads at the carrier level. That journey gives him a grounded, agent-first view of what actually matters in today’s market.

We break down why instant issue is becoming the industry standard, how simplified underwriting impacts placement and persistency, and what agents should expect next as carrier technology continues to evolve.

If you want to write more business faster, reduce stalled applications, and stay competitive as consumer expectations shift, this is a must-listen.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
🔹 Why instant issue insurance is becoming the default for modern agents
🔹 How simplified underwriting and e-signatures increase speed and placement
🔹 What agents still misunderstand about instant issue products
🔹 How Transamerica’s Express tools reduce friction in submissions
🔹 How carrier technology directly impacts agent production and stress levels
🔹 What agents should expect from carriers in the next phase of innovation
🔹 How to future-proof your agency as underwriting continues to evolve

🎙️ Guest Spotlight: Jeremiah Tacker
• Regional Vice President at Transamerica
• Started in the mailroom → producer → agency owner → carrier leadership
• Strong advocate for speed, simplicity, and agent-first digital efficiency
• Leading rollout of instant issue products and Express workflows
• Former college baseball player with a competitive, disciplined leadership style
• Can juggle… which might be the most accurate metaphor for agency life


📘 Transamerica FE Express Toolkit
👉 https://www.transamerica.com/financial-pro/insurance/FE-express-toolkit
📘 Transamerica FFIUL Express
👉 https://www.transamerica.com/ffiul2-express
📞 Connect with Jeremiah Tacker
Phone: 319-721-4212
Email: [email protected]

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

What happens when transparency, AI, and consumer advocacy collide with annuities?

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Jeremiah Konger, Founder & CEO of Annuity Association and co-host of the I Love Annuities Podcast.

Jeremiah is one of the fastest-rising voices in the annuity space and for good reason. His company ranked #294 on the Inc. 5000 and #21 in Financial Services, but what truly sets him apart is how he’s scaling: with ethics, clarity, and consumer-first education at the center.

We unpack how AI, digital shopping, and video-first education are reshaping annuity distribution, why Peak 65 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for insurance agents, and how modern advisors can win trust in an industry that desperately needs transparency.

If you want to stay relevant, compliant, and ahead of where annuities are going, this is a must-listen.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
🔹 Why digital annuity shopping is accelerating faster than most agents expect
🔹 How AI is transforming annuity suitability, personalization, and workflows
🔹 What Peak 65 means for retirement income planning over the next decade
🔹 How transparency and consumer advocacy improve trust and retention
🔹 Why video-first education outperforms traditional annuity sales conversations
🔹 What agents should stop doing immediately when explaining annuities

🚀 Key Takeaways for Insurance Agents
✔ The annuity industry is shifting from sales-driven to education-driven
✔ AI won’t replace advisors but it will replace inefficient ones
✔ Consumers want clarity, comparison, and control
✔ Transparency is becoming a competitive advantage, not a liability
✔ The next decade of annuities belongs to advisors who modernize now

📌 Connect with Jeremiah Konger:
👉 https://annuityassociation.com
👉 https://nesteasyannuities.com
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahkonger/

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

What does it really take to build a massive team without gimmicks, pressure tactics, or burnout?

In this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast, we sit down with Brian Carruthers, one of the most respected team builders and leadership trainers in the world.

Brian built a 400,000+ person organization across multiple countries, authored bestselling books on recruiting and mindset, and became a go-to trainer inside LegalShield by doing the exact opposite of what most people expect.

No hype.
No convincing.
No complicated systems.

Instead, Brian explains why sorting beats selling, how simple duplication always wins, and how insurance agents can apply these same principles to build scalable teams, improve retention, and create leveraged income that doesn’t depend on constant hustle.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

🔹 How Brian Carruthers built one of the largest teams in network marketing history
🔹 Why sorting instead of convincing creates faster growth with less resistance
🔹 Recruiting language patterns that feel natural not salesy
🔹 How to design simple, duplicable systems your team will actually follow
🔹 Why LegalShield pairs naturally with insurance conversations
🔹 How to position LegalShield as a trusted advisor value-add, not “another product”
🔹 The mindset and daily habits required to build a business that grows with or without you

🛡 Why This Matters for Insurance Agents

Insurance protects assets.
LegalShield protects decisions.

Brian breaks down how top agents seamlessly integrate LegalShield into conversations around:
→ Estate planning
→ Living wills & durable power of attorney
→ Contracts & legal consultations
→ Identity protection & long-term client care
→ When positioned correctly, it deepens trust, strengthens relationships, and increases referrals without adding pressure or complexity.

📘 Learn more about Brian Carruthers:
👉 https://briancarruthers.com
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BRIANCARRUTHERS
📱 Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / X: @RealBrianCarruthers

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group

Send us a text

The Meta lead market is breaking and most final expense agents aren’t ready for what comes next.

In an industry flooded with noise, guru marketing, and inflated promises, this episode of The Modern Insurance Agent Podcast cuts straight to reality.
We sit down with Brandon Novick, a behind-the-scenes operator who quietly built one of the most effective in-house final expense telesales lead engines in the country without personal branding, social media fame, or flashy screenshots.

Brandon has trained 600+ agents, scaled teams to $500,000+ per month in FE production, and built a multimillion-dollar lead platform from scratch by focusing on discipline, systems, and execution not hype.

This is a raw, honest conversation about:

- Why Meta oversaturation collapsed the FE lead market
- What disciplined agents are doing instead
- Why chasing “top producers” is one of the most expensive mistakes agencies make

And what it actually takes to survive and win in the next era of insurance sales

No fluff.
No inflated dashboards.
Just real systems, real culture, and real work.

🧠 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

📉 Why Meta Broke the FE Lead Market
How oversaturation, bad incentives, and shortcuts destroyed ROI and what smart agents are doing now.

🏗️ How to Build In-House Leads That Scale
A practical look at creating internal lead generation systems without vendor dependency.

🧠 Why “Top Producers” Can Kill Your Culture
The hidden cost of recruiting talent without character and how it sabotages teams.

🤠 The End of the Wild West Era
What tightening markets mean for health and final expense agents moving forward.

🤖 How AI & Overseas VAs Are Reshaping Telesales
What’s working, what’s not, and how lean teams are staying competitive.

💪 What Real Work Ethic Looks Like Now
Why shortcuts are disappearing and what separates survivors from quitters.

🎭 Scaling Without Becoming a Public Personality
How Brandon grew massive production without building a personal brand.

🔄 Mindset Shifts for a Tightening Market
The mental and operational changes required to stay profitable long-term.

🎯 WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR

✔️ Final Expense agents running telesales
✔️ Health & FE agents struggling with lead quality
✔️ Agency owners building internal systems
✔️ Producers tired of hype, gurus, and fake numbers
✔️ Agents who want stability, not shortcuts

📞 Connect with Brandon Novick:
👉 https://blackrockins.com/contact-us

Connect with Us:

🔗Download the resources & access the full podcast library – jumpstartgonow.com/podcast

Join the Movement of Modern Insurance Agents!

Ready to become the agent clients trust and refer to their friends? Start by building your personal brand, using social media effectively, and prioritizing relationships over transactions. Let’s change the way people see insurance one client at a time! 🚀

📢 Join the discussion! Connect with like-minded agents and get exclusive marketing tips in the Marketing for Insurance Agents Facebook Group. jumpstartgonow.com/join-group