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Stephen Howard

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Broker Words—June 2019

In Memoriam

Sad days indeed for the brokerage community, as we recently lost not one, but three of those great personalities that helped frame and expand brokerage from the beginning.

Paul Doyle passed away on Friday, March 22. He was born April 20, 1938, in Indianapolis, IN, and relocated to Pascagoula, MS, in 1960. After serving his country in the US Navy as a submariner, Doyle came into the life insurance industry as a salesman with Piedmont Southern in 1964 and was agent of the year in 1965. He embraced brokerage with his creation of Crisis Management Agency in 1971 working with Crown Life and Guardsman Life. He earned his CLU designation in 1972. Crisis Management Agency was one of the early members of the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA), joining in the early ‘80s and Doyle served on the board from 1994-1996. He Joined BRAMCO in 1994. He was very involved with NALU/NAIFA for over 40 years and went through the chairs. He was also a member of GAMA and MDRT.

Paul’s son P. J. Doyle shares that Paul truly loved what he did for a living. He was very proud of our industry. He retired in 2002 and became a charter boat Captain, a Master Naturalist with the Audubon Society, a volunteer with the Sheriff’s Flotilla, a member of the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the Gulf Coast Charter Boat Captains, the US Submarine Veterans, Inc., and the St. Vincent de Paul Society where he helped provide utilities and food to the needy.

P. J. shared two of Paul’s favorite sayings: “Do what’s expected of you and a little bit more,” and, “The successful people are the ones doing the things no one else wants to do.”

According to P. J., “Dad was a horrible golfer and didn’t realize that winning the ‘Best Dressed’ award at a golf tournament wasn’t a good thing! And he always proudly won that award.”

I knew Paul Doyle to be a marketer of great insight and integrity, and fondly remember several times when he took time to offer me words of encouragement and shared stories about the early days of insurance brokerage. Thank you Paul.[SPH]

John “Skeeter” Coleman passed away the evening of April 25. He served as managing director of Broker World from 2004-2011, using his unique ability to build and nurture relationships to promote and advance our brand, and drew from his limitless supply of friends in the BGA ranks to further strengthen the publication’s standing as the voice of the brokerage industry.

Skeeter began his career in 1971 as brokerage manager for Brokerage Services, Inc. in Lynchburg, VA, and in 1976 joined Lucy Dulin, Inc., an independent brokerage agency in Dallas, TX, where he served as vice president of marketing and, in 1982, purchased the agency which he then built into a national marketing organization—Dulin Coleman, Inc. In 1993 he sold the agency to Accordia, Inc., and continued to manage it as president of Accordia Personal Benefits of Texas, Inc., until 1994.

In 1994 Coleman joined the Allstate Financial organization as vice president of sales management for its subsidiary Lincoln Benefit Life, becoming senior vice president, strategic marketing, in 2000. He was named senior vice president, distribution, for Allstate Financial in 2000, a position he served in until 2003.

He had a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Mary’s University, Baltimore, MD, and did graduate work at the University of Virginia. He was an NASD Registered Principal, licensed in Series 6, 63, 26, 7 and 24, and held the CLTC designation. He was a past president of BRAMCO and the Risk Appraisal Forum, and served on the NAILBA board of directors.

In 2008 Skeeter was diagnosed with congestive heart failure while living in Costa Rica, underwent surgery to have an internal defibrillator placed and then received stem cell treatment to repair the damaged cells in his heart—a practise not yet approved in the U.S. Soon after his treatment he was feeling great, walking, and enjoying a wonderful quality of life. He eventually required a new heart and received a transplant in 2016. As soon as he was able he tracked down the donor’s family and spent precious time celebrating the donor’s life and soothing their loss with his incredible charm and gratitude.

John not only worked with the non-profit Help Hope Live to raise money to help finance uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation, but brought his story to the industry, speaking several times on stem cell treatment and his heart transplant at the Risk Appraisal Forum.

Bob Lombardo, Ash Brokerage of Southwest FL, one of Skeeter’s RAF buddies, said, “I know all who knew Skeeter will miss his quick wit and shenanigans. I will always remember his comedic persona, affectations of foreign accents, practical jokes and mostly his caring and warmth.”

Following on the theme of caring, Steve MacNamee, The MacNamee Group, had this to share, “Here is a bit of the Skeeter that some didn’t know…He and I were in a retail store in Mexico on a BRAMCO trip. He went outside for a minute and I watched through a window. He saw a dishevelled woman with three little kids walking by and Skeeter gave her all the pesos he had in his pocket. She cried and hugged him. When I asked him how much he gave her, he said, ‘Mac, I gave her all I had.’ Skeeter was a big softie.”

While spreading the word about his passing to his friends in the RAF, one reply was almost universally offered: “He was one-in-a-million.”

Ever the devilish prankster, members of the Howard family were by no means immune to the Coleman unique wit. I can remember many times when either my mother or father held the phone to their ear, listening for a few moments with looks ranging from quizzical to guarded to outright indignant, before breaking into a crooked grin and proudly proclaiming, “You don’t fool me…this is Skeeter!”

Skeeter’s warmth and friendship will be both cherished and missed by too many to count, but his wit and mischievousness was perhaps best summed up by Bob Lombardo: “Watch out God!”[SPH]

True industry icon Irv Shaw, Shaw American Financial Corporation, Louisville, KY, passed away peacefully on April 12. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, served in the U.S. Navy on a variety of attack ships in the Pacific, and attended Brooklyn College.
After a brief but successful stint in the garment industry (where he met his fabulous wife and frequent insurance industry darling Happy), Shenandoah Life recruited him into their life insurance sales force. With his natural talent and great work ethic success came quickly and a progression of agency management jobs were his—first the Atlanta office for Shenandoah, then in 1961 the large State Mutual Life Louisville office and finally the Manhattan Life Louisville agency.

Frustrated by restraints imposed by the various home offices, by the mid-1960’s Irv began to think of managing an agency that was solely his own. His creativity led him to an innovative idea: The wholesaling of life insurance. At the time a complicated endeavor, as most innovation is, Irv devoted his marketing and sales brilliance to help bring seminal change to the life insurance industry and create an approach to better serve more American consumers—life insurance brokerage. In 1967, he founded the life insurance brokerage agency that later became Shaw American Financial Corporation.

During his career, Irv was involved in all sectors of his profession. He was a member of a variety of professional organizations, founded or co-founded many of them, and held every office on many of their boards. He created or helped create Life Inc., LifeMark, the Risk Appraisal Forum (RAF), the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA), and the Kentucky Association of Health Underwriters (KAHU). Every one of these organizations still serve the insurance industry today, and most life insurance products sold today are placed through a member of one of these organizations. Irv also held every office in the Kentucky Association of Life Underwriters (KALU), the Louisville Association of Life Underwriters (LALU), the Louisville General Agents and Managers Association (GAMA), and the Advanced Underwriters.

In 1990, he was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Medal of Honor by the Kentucky State Association of Life Underwriters. In 2002, he was awarded the Douglas Mooers Award for Excellence at NAILBA’s annual conference. The brokerage industry’s highest accolade, it honors excellence in brokerage, and is awarded to the individual most committed to furthering brokerage and independent life brokerage as a distribution system. In his 50s, Irv earned a number of professional designations and degrees: CLU, RHU, ChFC, REBC, and LUTCF. He was often teased by his peers and colleagues for the “alphabet soup” following his name on his business cards.

Irv was passionate about helping the community. Besides being the former mayor of the City of Moorland, KY, he held chairmanships in numerous volunteer, civic and charitable organizations including serving as president of The Temple Brotherhood, and as acting Scout Master for Louisville Troop 316. He enjoyed bringing joy to others, became a licensed officiant for weddings, and performed many ceremonies for family and friends, including for his son and daughter-in-law, Jon and Maria.

Irv was a family man and spent most of his spare time with his family. He loved both Louisville and Kentucky basketball, horse-racing (one of his consortium’s horses won the Indiana Derby in 2008), trips to New York to see Broadway Musicals, Actor’s Theater, learning about new technology, reading and traveling the world with his love, Happy.

I knew Irv Shaw to be one of the kindest, most enthusiastic and upbeat people I ever met in this business. Heartfelt in his friendship and unfailingly generous with his time, I remember many times he would take me aside to offer me an insight or two from his truly vast reservoir of industry knowledge, a kind word about my father and his contributions to the industry, or appreciation of my effort and encouragement to aid my continued development. Although he was one of a handful who truly shaped my passion for the industry and my development as a servant to the brokerage community, I missed his memorial service much to my shame. I remember he used to say, “Stephen, I’ll remember you in my will…” (which he, of course, meant simply to be a “shout out” after his passing—but the double meaning tickled him). I wonder if he did thusly “remember” me…I’ll certainly never forget him.[SPH]

Broker Words—May 2019

It is my distinct pleasure to congratulate good friend and underwriter extraordinaire Sharon Jenkins, FLMI, CLU, AALU, Legal & General America, who received the Billy Vogel Award from The Marketing Alliance (TMA) at their spring meeting. The Billy Vogel award, TMA’s highest honor, is presented to individuals in the financial services industry who distinguish themselves through their business acumen, sense of innovation and, above all, integrity. The award is named for William E. (Billy) Vogel, the late president of the W. S. Vogel Agency, Inc. who exemplified all of those qualities. Jenkins is only the 13th recipient of the prestigious honor.

Jenkins earned a BA in business administration from Hofstra University before starting her insurance industry career at the Equitable in 1978. In 1980 she joined William Penn as a life underwriter, learning and growing by working with mentor Otto Maracello. Recognized achievement preceded each move in the underwriting hierarchy, and she was named senior vice president and chief underwriter for William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York in 2006. Since 2008 Jenkins has headed up the underwriting departments for Banner Life and William Penn, leading the underwriting philosophy, practices, policies and procedures, and leveraging technology in the evolution of both automated and system-assisted underwriting processes.

In her current role Jenkins is responsible for delivering technical excellence, value-added services, predictive analytics and risk engineering to increase Legal & General America’s presence in the market and support achievement of profit and growth objectives. She directs the Medical Director team and provides technical support on all underwriting matters including advice and counsel on complex risk profiles and financial underwriting, ensures underwriters comply with corporate and regulatory guidelines, and represents the company in risk-related litigation.

Jenkins recognizes the importance of keeping current with emerging medical practices and innovative underwriting techniques, maintaining active membership in numerous professional underwriting associations and traveling extensively to represent LGA at industry conferences and BGA meetings where she is often a featured speaker.

TMA President and CEO Tim Klusas described Jenkins: “This year’s recipient is recognized for their business acumen, their innovative resourcefulness, and the integrity essential to help them help you. She is a visionary and passionate life insurance professional, committed to underwriting responsively, thoughtfully and skillfully.” In his speech Klusas relayed the anecdote from a colleague of Sharon’s who relates her dedication to a time when they were stuck in an elevator one night after work and used the time to spread out the informals she was going to take home that night and reviewed them until help arrived.

While my “business acumen” as it relates to underwriting denies me the opportunity to expand further on her wealth of accomplishments, expertise and resourcefulness, I know Sharon to be extremely well respected in the underwriting field and in the brokerage community overall. She is also one of the most genuine and appreciative people I’ve met in this business and I’m proud to call her my friend. Congratulations Sharon, on an honor well deserved for a remarkable career in excellent service to the brokerage community. [SPH]

Broker Words—April 2019

Through some “hiccup” in the divine order of the universe I’ve been invited to participate on a “media relations” panel at an upcoming conference, ostensibly tasked with delving into the miasma of eroding consumer confidence and trust in our industry. At least that’s my take on the service duty unbidden laid at my feet.

The meeting is predominantly LTCI-centric, though I think the disconnect with the not-yet-buying public regarding stand-alone LTCI is fairly well understood within our industry as evidenced by the morose wailings of the masses (perhaps a misleading term?) of LTCI specialists in the producer and wholesaler ranks defending current products against the pricing sins of the past—albeit more or less innocently perpetrated due to miscalculations of future morbidity—and the occasionally cantankerous rantings of a certain beloved Broker World columnist asserting that, with now 20+ years of empirical claims data, today’s sales of LTCI are much less likely to force policyholders into pet stores for meal planning due to unspeakably large rate increases. The basilisk in the room being the unknown of future advances in medical science that might prolong lives still in need of care to, at present, unfathomable duration. And that doesn’t even address the issue of Ted Williams’ frozen head.

What do “we all” “know” about public disdain for LTCI? That many think it unnecessary because The Government (Sound the Trumpets!) will take care of them? Or that it’s extremely unlikely that the need for long term care would be unfairly foisted upon them due to their righteous position as the true center of the universe? And for consumers who had actually whimsically considered it, that “use it or lose it” is particularly and perhaps uniquely immoral in the case of LTCI (versus their homeowners and automobile coverage)? And that the ubiquitous “they” all had their premiums steadily increase by leaps and bounds until at some point fixed incomes forced them to abandon their coverage altogether in their ordained years of potential need?

Add to the above our industry’s failings of the past and the present: “Back in the day” truly well-meaning sellers intimated or outright advocated that lifetime benefit and the maximum inflation protection available were the vastly preferred if not logically mandated course of action if at all fiscally possible. And perhaps most eligible for our self-flagellation—a large percentage of potential buyers had never been asked about purchasing LTCI. Why? Why is that still accurate today, when the vast majority of people have had either direct exposure to the long term care need within their own families or are intimately aware of the struggles of someone else dear to them?

Was it that evolving product pricing for insisted upon maximum duration/maximum inflation protection continued to polarize the realm of logical prospects? Was it (is it) the fear that tightened underwriting might yield declines that might damage relationships that, to that point, had basked in the very real glow of a mutually beneficial planning partnership? And speaking of Partnership, had our own hubris regarding optimal coverage misdirected well-intentioned legislators inclined to pursue an industry-involved solution to help mitigate the long term care risk within their states until the very solution intended to help those not at the pinnacle of affluence became, of necessity, expensive enough that state Partnership Plan purveyors became perversely akin to the Maytag repairman?

There is a crisis looming. The Boomer bubble faces a predicted acute shortage of licensed service staff to meet the need, and the logical assumption is that private-payor clients are most likely to receive a better quality of care. Our industry’s inability to attract new talent en masse to bolster an aging insurance sales force, combined with the reluctance of seasoned planning professionals to advocate LTCI to address the very real possibility of clients needing long term care services in the not-distant-enough future, needs to be more than merely lamentable, as it extrapolates to a drastic increase in the underserved even if we are astute enough to come up with more widely affordable LTCI products. Our industry’s “ideal” solutions for mitigating this long term care risk have become increasingly untenable for many except those paradoxically most likely to be able to financially absorb self-insuring the risk.

The truth is that the first and foremost goal of long term care planning needs to be maintaining private-payor status in the case of facility care for as long as possible, and with as little impact as possible on both the estate of the patient and the pocketbooks of the adult children. Another truth is that the vast majority of LTCI claims are between two and four years, and that, when price is an issue, having something, anything, in place supersedes inflation protection. Another regrettable fact is that there are countless families the industry passed by who are struggling with home and facility care choices without LTCI today, when it’s too late to obtain coverage, and, if you can dedicate time to finding them and helping them maximize assets for the purpose of providing care, not only will you do them a great service but you should find a willing pool of prospects who not only can likely qualify for LTCI but will have motivation to buy.

In the national media today there aren’t enough “Attaboys” in recorded history to drown out a single gleefully trumpeted, audience grabbing, class warfare cuddling “Oh S***” when it involves the insurance industry. Apparently the relief experienced by (and to their peers willingly related through word of mouth) a bereaved spouse or, in this case, a reluctant but relieved adult child whose facility-bound parent had purchased LTCI and its attendant impact on quality of care, isn’t en vogue with the Kardashians and thus is almost universally ignored despite it’s unmistakable poingancy.

Awkward segue back to my interpreted purpose for the panel discussion…What can the LTCI industry (and the industry as a whole) do to combat media bias against our products, purveyors and practices? Increase the audience of the right-minded. Among the electorate of bereaved spouses, increase the number of those who’ve felt the lessening of their burden via the timely-delivered insurance beneficiary check. Increase the number of at-home, related caregivers whose burdens are lessened by outside consummate professionals regularly attending to the needs of the afflicted and granting time for other household duties, errands, or simply the opportunity to take a guilt-free deep breath. Among those visiting loved ones in care facilities, increase the number who can at least be somewhat assured that they were able to place their parent in a better than average “new normal” with empathetic, energetic and well equipped staff.

Quite simply the more you sell, the more beneficiaries swell the ranks of the grateful and vocal. Recognize that those less affluent can strike incredibly effective blows among their peers. Social media, combined with the internet, is increasingly eroding the sway of the national media in many matters, although those sources are certainly brimming with their own demons and troglodytes. But the high esteem in which your family, friends and followers hold you can frequently thwart those set on negative disruption. Positive “word of mouth” among the already e-trusted has an exponentially increased potential to influence the attitudes of the inherently well meaning and convert them to advocates (and prospects) in our collective “new normal.”

Until carriers modify their national messages, as some have, back to the “insurance companies are here to help all” messages, there is little our industry can do via commercial appeals to effect change—at least in Prime Time. But, in my town, local news outlets are both much more affordable and much more likely to embrace a positive message about the services you are able to offer. I’ve even seen good friend Chris Carothers on local Vegas news segments.

Whether it be life insurance or LTCI, one by one, voice by voice, keystroke by keystroke, hashtag by hashtag, peer group by peer group, Facebook friend group by Facebook friend group, handshake with cheap-suit-wearing news anchor to handshake with cheap-suit-wearing news anchor, we need to strive to bloom a public perception that can hopefully one day reduce the national media naysayers to the point where they are either desperately clinging to a Springer-like pandering to those stubbornly devoted to ignorance or choose to morph their approach into honestly and earnestly trying to help the people they reach.

And seek out Life Happens—www.lifehappens.org. They have materials that can help.[SPH]

Broker Words—March 2019

In Memoriam

Our Nation has lost a hero, and our industry must say farewell to an icon and one of its founders. It saddens me both personally and professionally to have to relay the passing of George Williams the morning of February 2.

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George was a three-sport athlete in high school, involved in baseball, basketball and track. He graduated from Southern Law College and went to work for Shelby County Bar Associates as a licensed attorney.

George not only held the highest physical athletic score while he was in the Army Air Corps, but First Lieutenant George Williams was a fighter pilot with his squadron in World War II, a duty he proudly displayed by often wearing his WWII Veteran baseball cap.

In the early 1960s, George and his partner, Jack Gillespie, founded one of the earliest life brokerage general agencies, Executive Underwriters, in Memphis. George was an original charter member and past president of the Society of Underwriting Brokers (SUB Centers). He served graciously as secretary, public relations officer and executive director for SUB Centers for over 20 years. He was also one of the founders of The Marketing Alliance and served as a member of the board of directors. He was the 2012 recipient of TMA’s highest honor, The Billy Vogel Award, bestowed upon individuals in the financial services industry who distinguish themselves through their business acumen, innovation and—above all—integrity.

George’s service wasn’t limited to his country and his industry. He was a YMCA member and supporter for over 25 years. He was a former member of the Board of Directors of Happy Acres Children’s Home. He was a driver for the American Cancer Society, providing transportation to those in the Memphis area for medical appointments, church, adult education, and Meals-on-Wheels. He was a past President of the Men’s Club for Christian Brothers High School, where he also coached baseball and basketball for fourth and fifth graders.

Art Jetter, Art Jetter & Company, remembers, “People who knew George describe him as a good friend, they loved him, he was a fine gentleman, brilliant yet selfless. There was never a negative word said about George.”

Jack Dewald, Agency Services, one of George’s best friends and his self-described “wheel man” when he was in Memphis, said, “He was one of my all time favorite people, a true gentleman, and a role model to many. I am lucky to have known him and spent so much time over the years with him. I, and many others, often commented that George was the quintessential ‘Southern Gentleman.’ It told him years ago he should teach a ‘How To Be A Gentleman’ class to young men at his church.”

As he aged, George still wanted to attend SubCenters, NAILBA and TMA meetings, so Jack would pick him up and fly with him. He recounts one of his favorite stories: “On the very last trip we took we flew home from a TMA meeting and he was wearing his WWII Veteran cap. I noticed him talking to the flight attendant quite a bit. As we taxied up to the gate in Memphis, the flight attendant made an announcement: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have a real American Hero on board with us tonight, a WWII veteran and pilot, Mr. George Williams, age 92, seated in seat 7C.’ Everyone on the plane clapped enthusiastically. After we deplaned George turned to in all seriousness and asked, ‘Jack, I wonder how that nice lady knew that I was in WWII?’”

I had the good fortune to talk with George many times at TMA meetings and at NAILBA. He was always eager to share his experience in the business with me, offering truly decades of priceless insight into the foundations and principles that formed our great industry. Even more precious, he always voiced his great admiration for my father and recounted fond memories of times they had shared together. His memories truly filled my heart with gladness every time we found a few moments to talk. He is honestly one of the men who formed and helped solidify my understanding of and passion for this business.

In notifying me of George’s passing, dear friend Ray Philips, Brokers Source, Ltd., said simply, “Steve, we lost an all-time great.” Amen. I couldn’t agree more.

Broker Words—February 2019

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I have had the distinct honor and privilege of serving on the NAILBA Charitable Foundation board for the past six years. Due to some sort of bureaucratic nonsense my formal service to that wonderful organization has been heartlessly guillotined, though some modicum of solace was achieved through sneaking a mole onto the board—my marital Mata Hari and Broker World CFO, Hope Howard. Rigorous honesty demands that I voice my anticipation that future board meetings will run much more smoothly and productively in my absence.

The mission statement of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation reads as follows:
The NAILBA Charitable Foundation is the philanthropic arm of NAILBA (the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies). Since 2002, Foundation grants have helped charitable organizations in the communities in which NAILBA members and their corporate partners live and work, and ultimately achieve its mission of making dreams come true for those less fortunate.

The mission of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation is to encourage volunteerism among NAILBA members and provide grant funds to worthy charitable organizations that serve to enhance the quality of life for those less fortunate, with a special emphasis on children. Every charitable organization applying for grant funding must be sponsored by a NAILBA member agency, exhibitor, sponsor, or advertiser.

In a time when competition for grant money is fierce, the NAILBA Charitable Foundation is dedicated to providing funds to small, well-run charities in your community that may not otherwise have access to additional funding. Visit our GRANTS page (www.nailbacharitablefoundation.org/grants) for complete details on how to help a charity in your community receive a grant from the NAILBA Foundation.

To further the Foundations core intentions, grant funds must be requested to be applied to a particular initiative within the charitable organizations submitting applications and may not be simply allocated to the applicant’s general operating fund. Through the generosity of NAILBA members and corporate partners in the past year, the NAILBA Charitable Foundation was able to award $225,000 to charities local to NAILBA member agencies, carrier partners and vendors. Congratulations to these organizations and their sponsors, and thank you to Foundation contributors! Announced during a dedicated general session at NAILBA’s annual meeting in November, the following charities received funds for the 2018 grant cycle:

  • Wounded Warriors Family Support (Col. J. William Felton III Grant Winner) $45,000—Omaha, NE (Sponsored by Art Jetter, Art Jetter & Company)
  • Caruso Family Charities $25,000—Lakewood, CO (Sponsored by John McWilliams, Colorado Brokerage Group)
  • Mauzy Foundation $21,389—Alamo, CA (Sponsored by Jeff Mooers, H. D. Mooers & Co.)
  • Rainbows for Kids $20,000—St. Louis, MO (Sponsored by The Marketing Alliance)
  • Reset Mentoring $16,000—Leander, TX (Sponsored by Parks LaMarche, CPS Integrated Marketing & Insurance Services)
  • Caring for Kids $15,000—St. Louis, MO (Sponsored by The Marketing Alliance)
  • Downtown Ministries $11,908—Athens, GA (Sponsored by Chad Milner, The Milner Agency)
  • Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments $10,000—St. Louis, MO (Sponsored by The Marketing Alliance)
  • Lotus House $10,000—Miami, FL (Sponsored by Robin Landers, Landers-Stein & Associates)
  • Promises 2 Kids $10,000—San Diego, CA (Sponsored by Steve Sublett, CBIZ Life Insurance Solutions)
  • Salina AM Chapter of AMBUCS $10,000—Salina, KS (Sponsored by Dex Umekubo, Producer’s XL)
  • Warming House Youth Center $10,000—Wilmette, IL (Sponsored by Steven J. Brown, Brown, Brown & Gomberg)
  • Jester & Pharley Phund $6,000—Palos Verdes Estates, CA (Sponsored by Lynne Rosenberg Kidd, Innovative Solutions Insurance Services)
  • Jamie’s Dream Team $6,000—McKeesport, PA (Sponsored by Ryan Moad, Underwriters Brokerage Services)
  • Children’s Cancer Network $5,000—Chandler, AZ (Sponsored by Dave Chittenden, The Chittendens)

Since 2002, the NAILBA Foundation has raised and contributed over $3 million to more than 200 deserving charities and community organizations nationwide. Fantastic work from the NAILBA community which exemplifies the caring and service to others that is, in my mind, a moral tenet of our industry as a whole. For more information about the NAILBA Charitable Foundation and to make a contribution or review past grant recipients, please visit www.nailbacharitablefoundation.org. [SPH]

Broker Words—January 2019

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Heartfelt congratulations to dear friend Tom Petersen, Vice President of Petersen International Underwriters, honored as the 2018 recipient of the W. Harold Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award by the association board and members of the International DI Society (IDIS) at their annual conference. Tom is the 14th recipient—his recently-retired father being the first recipient and the award’s namesake. The DI industry and IDIS’s most prestigious award was created to honor an individual who has demonstrated dedication to the field of expertise in disability insurance, exhibits leadership in his or her professional life and, most important, has made a distinctive contribution to the disability insurance industry while practicing their profession with the highest ethical standards attainable.

Tom began his insurance career in 1986, specializing in the outside sales and marketing of supplemental, high-limit and international disability insurance products for the multi-generational firm Petersen International, which he has helped grow into the largest American personal accident Coverholder for Lloyd’s of London. Petersen International Underwriters specializes in unique disability, life and health insurance platforms for high-net-worth individuals, small businesses and large corporations.

Tom has taken on an even more crucial role in the industry over the past 12 years, working to expand the market for disability insurance by promoting and overseeing regulatory changes in 11 states that now allow excess DI to be written through the surplus lines market where it was previously prohibited. Working closely with industry trade groups, producer groups, lobbyists and state legislators, he has led the drafting of the required changes to existing regulations in each of those 11 states, opening the disability market for individuals and groups previously denied access to these insurance product lines.

Introduced by his lovely wife Anita at a special awards luncheon, Tom was treated to thunderous applause by a legion of friends and respected peers as IDIS President Greg Nelson presented the award.

I am delighted to add my voice to those many who owe Tom Petersen a debt of gratitude for his tireless work to promote and expand the disability income market. Congratulations dear friend, and thank you for a job exceptionally well done! [SPH]

Broker Words—December 2018

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In Memoriam

Our industry has lost a giant and I a good friend. It is my sad duty and honor to memorialize Ronald D. Verzone, former president of United Underwriters, Inc., Exeter, NH.

Ron was a co-founder and the first chairman of The Marketing Alliance, Inc., one of the industry’s most successful BGA marketing groups, and served as president of the study group SubCenters, Inc. He served on the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA) and as its Chairman in 1993. Ron was selected for the group’s most prestigious honor, the Douglas Mooers Award of Excellence, in 2012.

Ron was a member of AALU, the national and local Association of Life Underwriters, the General Agents and Managers Association, Boston Estate Planning Council, and the International and New Hampshire Association of Financial Planners.

Ron had a degree in Medical Technology from the University of Texas and a BA from the University of Hartford. He was a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Insurance Consultant, a Certified Long Term Care Professional, a Licensed Investment Advisor forLife and Health, and a Registered Investment Advisor. He was a frequent international speaker on insurance issues, ranging from impaired risk to legislation and estate planning, and wrote for many well-known publications. He authored a manual called Guide to Underwriting the Impaired Risk, which has been distributed internationally, and served as a consultant for the Massachusetts Insurance Department.

“Ron was a visionary in so many ways. He gave selflessly to his industry and to his peers. NAILBA will always benefit from Ron’s time in leadership. His foresight in co-founding and serving as TMA’s first Board Chair helped TMA become the highly successful organization it is today,” relates close friend Jack Dewald, Agency Services, Memphis, TN. “I am personally better for my time spent with Ron Verzone. You always knew where you stood with Ron—the more he liked you, the harder he was on you. He must have really loved me! I will miss my friend and mentor.”

Kathy Carlson, Ron’s partner at United Underwriters and BSI, said, “I am forever grateful to Ron for all he taught me. His dedication and contributions to the industry will always live on. “

Perhaps Verzone’s closest friend, Ron Hagelman, IceFloe Consulting, remembers, “Ron Verzone was an enigma. He was instrumental in transforming this industry by creating the strength and leverage of our IMO dominated distribution reality today. Publicly, to the companies, he was seen as a combination of Emiliano Zapata and Robin Hood. His friends understood the fierce dedication of his mission, his love of wholesale brokerage, the fairness and freedom of choice he helped deliver to the American consumer, and that just under the surface of that sometimes gruff exterior was a kindness and caring spirit that strengthened all who truly knew him. To me personally he was my fishing brother for over 25 years. We owned Bay houses together and spent every available weekend arguing endlessly about which of our favorite fishing spots we would move to next to catch our elusive red fish opponents. I have lost more than a friend. The debt this industry owes one of its best guerrilla fighters cannot be measured and his legacy shall remain a blessing for us all.”

Ron was a complex person. I discovered from other friends that he served in the United States Army, was, for a time, the financial manager for Alice Cooper, and loved his race horses and his dogs. To me he was both an enthusiastic humorist and a stern mentor. He loved a good joke and laughed freely, yet showed little tolerance for misinformation or perceived ignorance. But his passion for the industry bound him to take the time to compassionately “set me straight” on occasion. I learned a great deal about the brokerage industry from Ron Verzone. He was a warm and treasured friend to those not fooled by his sometimes gruff exterior. I add my prayers to those of many in our industry fortunate enough to call Ron friend.

Broker Words—November 2018

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My sincere apologies to my friend Jack Schmitz who was kind enough to contribute to the October DI Forum. Through my carelessness in the proofing stage I inadvertently incorrectly published his company name. The company Jack has worked hard to develop into a premier brokerage service provider for producers is DI & LTC Insurance Services. I encourage you to reach out to Jack to discuss any disability insurance questions or needs you or your clients may have. Jack can be reached at DI & LTC Insurance Services, 4302 Redwood Highway, #400, San Rafael CA 94903. Telephone: 800-924-2294. Email: [email protected].[SPH]

The mission of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation is to encourage volunteerism among NAILBA members and provide grant funds to worthy charitable organizations that serve to enhance the quality of life for those less fortunate, with a special emphasis on children. Every charitable organization applying for grant funding must be sponsored by a NAILBA member agency. To donate or view lists of grant recipients, or to read about some of the previous grant recipients and how donations are put into action, visit www.nailbacharitablefoundation.org.

One political “hand” would have you believe that they and their sycophants are the only socially concerned coven in this country and would prove it by mandating all forms of labyrinthian bureaucratic safe havens for their like-minded cronies at taxpayer expense. It reminds me of the time I was forced to return a large sum of advertising revenue justly earned to a state enacting a nefarious “Preferences” legislation that mandated “All Vendors” (Yeah, right! I didn’t see where the electric company or the telephone company were similarly served) to return all monies earned in the past year from a health insurance company that had been seized by the state—ostensibly to provide a fund to help policyholders who found themselves devoid of coverage. The particularly galling problem being that the official documents listed the first eight, by priority, payees from the fund—all attorney firms. Any remaining funds (almost laughable now with the passage of time) would be evenly distributed to claiming policyholders. I hope each enjoyed their state government-mandated Big Mac. But I digress.

Most Americans are right-handed. Likewise, most of the representatives of the insurance industry I encounter, including those met through NAILBA, seem to favor that hand. (For purposes of this column I am excluding those wonderful lefties that donate as well—let’s not cloud the issue with the facts.) My, until now, obscure point is that the NAILBA Charitable foundation has, since 2002, distributed literally millions of dollars of charitable grants to worthy charitable organizations that serve to enhance the quality of life for those less fortunate, with a special emphasis on children. That’s the charitable arm of an organization serving an industry often demonized by the liberal media and left-leaning politicians as monolithic and heartless. Don’t even get me started on checks to the disabled or widows and their children.

And, unlike their bureaucratic counterparts, the Foundation administrative costs that come out of the donation pool are infinitesimal—the vast majority of all funds going directly to charities in need. Due to the generosity of NAILBA members and corporate partners, in 2018 the NAILBA Charitable Foundation was able to award $225,000 to these local charities:

  • Wounded Warriors Family Support, Felton Grant Award Winner, $45,000, Omaha, NE, (Sponsored by Art Jetter, Art Jetter & Company).
  • Caruso Family Charities, $25,000, Lakewood, CO, (John McWilliams, Colorado Brokerage Group).
  • Mauzy Foundation, $21,389, Alamo, CA, (Jeff Mooers, H. D. Mooers & Co.).
  • Rainbows for Kids, $20,000, St. Louis, MO, (The Marketing Alliance).
  • Reset Mentoring, $16,000, Leander, TX, (Parks LaMarche, CPS Integrated Marketing & Insurance Services).
  • Caring for Kids, $15,000, St. Louis, MO, (The Marketing Alliance).
  • Downtown Ministries, $11,908, Athens, GA, (Chad Milner, The Milner Agency).
  • Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments, $10,000, St. Louis, MO, (The Marketing Alliance).
  • Lotus House, $10,000, Miami, FL, (Robin Landers, Landers-Stein & Associates).
  • Promises 2 Kids, $10,000, San Diego, CA, (Steve Sublett, CBIZ Life Insurance Solutions).
  • Salina AM Chapter of AMBUCS, $10,000, Salina, KS, (Dex Umekubo, Producer’s XL).
  • Warming House Youth Center, $10,000, Wilmette, IL, (Steven J. Brown, Brown, Brown & Gomberg).
  • Jester & Pharley Phund, $6,000, Palos Verdes Estates, CA, (Lynne Rosenberg Kidd, Innovative Solutions Insurance Services).
  • Jamie’s Dream Team, $6,000, McKeesport, PA, (Ryan Moad, Underwriters Brokerage Services).
  • Children’s Cancer Network, $5,000, Chandler, AZ, (Dave Chittenden, The Chittendens).

It has been my great honor and privilege to serve on the Foundation board for the past six years, an opportunity that, due to some type of confounded legaleze, is due to officially expire at the end of this year. I want to add my voice to those in the NAILBA family and, I hope, the entire industry, in saying to my fellow donors and volunteers, “Thank you, for a job very well done.”[SPH]

Broker Words—October 2018

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I’m composing this month’s soliloquy (belatedly) from perhaps the most beautiful city in the country. God I love New Orleans. Here initially as a guest of the wonderful folks at Pan American Life and Mutual Trust, my wife Hope and I (by the grace of God I haven’t been Hopeless for more than a few days in almost 12 years!) are eagerly anticipating an extended weekend which I sincerely fear may catapult me finally into the self-esteem purgatory of adjustable-waist britches. Although the unenlightened may argue that it NOLA isn’t, in fact, the culinary Valhalla of our wonderful country (if not the world), one needs relatively few words (although there are myriad) to put any argument into the realm of patient, head-pat-worthy, “There, there Dear” ignorance…gumbo…creole sauce…cajun seasoning…crawdads…jambalaya…andouille sausage…paneed anything… And fried chicken. Merciless courtesan that she is, the Crescent City is holding a fried chicken festival this weekend. I’m nearly convinced that this is why God invented stretch-banded sweatpants. But I digress.

Setting aside for the moment arguably my favorite of the Seven Deadlies (and that I’m further biased by the fact that Kevin and Michel Boudreaux are two of the most wonderful friends anyone could hope for), NOLA’s beauty seems to stretch the spectrum—architecture, gardens, jazz, history, nightlife, art, unique shops, the somber dignity of the crypted graveyards…heck, I don’t even mind the wearable air that much when I’m in the French Quarter. But most beautiful of all to me is the somehow both understated and enthusiastic underlying pride of the people. Although I may question the talents of the Jackson Square psychic who couldn’t remember my name, the pride with which the silver painted statue dude, in an unguarded moment, proclaimed himself a performance artist seriously brought a tiny bit of joy to my heart. I love the bottlecap tap dancers, the street musicians (even the seemingly less gifted tuba guy), the unerringly happy, purpose-filled and outgoing pedicab peddlers, the enthusiastic airport cabbies, the shopkeepers and many and varied small museum curators/barkers/guides, the sincere warmth of literally every single employee at every single hotel at which I’ve stayed (except, surprisingly, my lone visit to the NOLA incarnation of a national chain renowned for its “exceptional” customer service). And, yes, I love the welcoming enthusiasm of restaurant staff from maitre d or hostess to server to chef to even buspeople.

I’m not Pollyanna to the degree that I ignore the fact that New Orleans has horribly depressed areas of hopelessness, frequent violence and numbing despair. I recognize that my forays within the embrace of this city are chiefly limited to zones where the importance of tourist dollars are unerringly recognized and irrevocably linked to both individual and retail wellbeing. But these factors exist to some degree in every city to which I’ve travelled in this country and there is, at least cemented in my mind, an undeniable, earnest gleam in the eye of the vast majority of the New Orleans residents I encounter and here canonize.

So when the heck is the segue to the insurance-related point?

Agency Best Practices is a fairly broad brush, encompassing myriad concepts and disciplines. Any number of them are worthy of inclusion here: Placing client service above personal gain; diligent periodic reviews rather than transactional sales; willing assistance from application through claims; underwriting and projection integrity and disclosure; education of agent, client and prospect; long term care planning, including all available options at point of need; comprehensive benefit planning; financial, estate, retirement and legacy planning that includes protecting the income stream in both the accumulation and distribution phases; varied and beneficial communication to all through each generation’s preferred channels; regulatory and compliance awareness and adherence; meticulous client fact finding and needs analysis; mentoring less experienced agents; developing succession plans for your agencies so that your clients don’t end up orphans; public service/charitable giving be it monetary support, dirt under your fingernails or altruistic financial counsel to those in need.

But to loosely gather the strands of this monolog, perhaps this issue’s focus should be modified to Industry Best Practices. Although New Orleans also boasts its fair share of those “fabulously well-to-do” (who certainly deserve our industry’s attention in their own right), what struck me this morning, as I watched many of NOLA’s unsung heroes hurrying to their daily duties, was that our true best practice would be to diligently seek a way to get many many more of these wonderful people, and their counterparts across our country, protected from life’s hurricanes by the vast array of products our industry has to offer. [SPH]

Broker Words

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KONTOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL