TBA's Life Linked

Hosted by TBA

Business Marketing

Website RSS feed

Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

Life Linked is an advisor-focused podcast built for professionals who want to grow their life insurance and planning strategies with clarity and confidence. Each episode delivers practical concepts, real advisor stories, and expert insight from advanced markets specialists and carrier leaders without the fluff or sales pitch. We cover what advisors actually need: term and permanent life insurance strategies, underwriting and case design, marketing and client acquisition, estate equalization, succession planning, annuities, and hybrid long-term care solutions. Whether you're refining your process, navigating a changing market, or looking for better ways to serve clients, Life Linked is designed to give you takeaways you can use immediately. If you work with families, business owners, or high-net-worth clients, and want to turn planning conversations into lasting relationships, this show is for you. For more information on TBA: https://www.tba.com/

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 28, 2026Episode 96 min

Hybrid Long-Term Care: Starting the Conversation With Your Clients

More of your clients are asking about long-term care, and hybrid policies give you a way to answer that works whether they ever need care or not. In this episode of Lifelinked, Morgan sits down with Chad Preston, a brokerage rep at TBA who works on these cases with advisors every week. Chad explains how hybrid long-term care combines life insurance with long-term care benefits, so clients get protection for care costs and a death benefit if they never use it. You'll hear: Who the ideal client is, including the 50 to 65 underwriting sweet spot How to respond to "What if I never need care?" and "I can self-fund it" What health history to gather before you submit a case The one mistake to avoid when positioning these policies Two great opportunities: clients with cash or CDs on the sidelines, and clients who recently inherited an IRA This month's challenge: Have one hybrid long-term care conversation with an existing client. Have a case or a question? Reach out to Chad or anyone on the TBA team. For more resources and past episodes, visit www.TBA.com .

September 17, 2026Episode 820 min

Estate Planning Isn't Over: What's Driving the Conversation

The clock on the estate tax exemption has stopped ticking for the first time in over a decade, but that doesn't mean estate planning conversations are slowing down. Morgan talks with Tracy Ullom from John Hancock's Advanced Markets team about what's driving these conversations now: less about net worth brackets and more about the client's underlying goals for their business, their heirs, and their legacy. Tracy also breaks down the Great Wealth Transfer (over $100 trillion moving to the next generation over the next 20 years) and how life insurance fits into keeping wealth and businesses in the family.

July 8, 2026Episode 320 min

Succession Planning: The Most Overlooked Conversation

Succession planning is one of the most important—and most overlooked—conversations for business owners. In this episode, Morgan sits down with Dan Lehner of Principal Financial Group to discuss why many owners delay planning , the risks of waiting too long, and how advisors can guide meaningful succession conversations that protect businesses, families, and long-term legacy.

June 3, 2026Episode 628 min

Turning "No" Into Opportunity: A Better Way to Handle Rejection

Every insurance advisor hears "no," but the best advisors know how to turn those moments into stronger relationships, better positioning, and future opportunities. In this episode of Life Linked, Morgan sits down with marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and advisor coach Tiffany Markarian to unpack the real meaning behind client hesitation and rejection. Together, they explore how advisors can shift from a sales mindset to a consultative approach that builds trust, uncovers client priorities, and keeps conversations moving forward. Tiffany shares practical discovery questions, follow-up strategies, and communication techniques advisors can use immediately to improve engagement, reduce resistance, and create more meaningful client relationships. Whether you're a newer advisor learning how to navigate objections or an experienced producer looking to sharpen your process, this episode is packed with actionable insight.

April 14, 2026Episode 514 min

The Advisor Experience: Turning Life Insurance into a Responsibility

In this episode, Chad Preston sits down with veteran advisor Ed Steffens to unpack how life insurance evolved from an uncomfortable topic into a core responsibility within his practice. Ed shares how a real-life client tragedy reshaped his perspective, turning life insurance from a "nice-to-have" into a moral and professional obligation. They dive into practical ways to introduce life insurance without pressure, why a direct approach works better than overthinking it, and how advisors can build confidence through repetition and real conversations. You'll also hear actionable strategies for the next 60–90 days to help you naturally integrate life insurance into your process, and why doing so ultimately comes down to care, not sales. If you've ever hesitated to bring it up, this episode will challenge that and give you a straightforward path forward.

March 24, 2026Episode 413 min

Estate Equalization: A Smarter Way to Guide Business Owner Clients

Many business owner clients face the same problem, but rarely plan for it correctly. One child takes over the business. The others do not. That is where estate equalization becomes essential. In this episode of the Life Linked Podcast, Morgan sits down with Ron Lee, Vice President of Advanced Markets at Mutual of Omaha, to walk through how advisors can navigate these complex conversations with confidence. They break down how to structure fair outcomes when assets like a business or farm cannot be divided, why equal does not always mean fair, and how a lack of planning can lead to family conflict, legal disputes, or even the collapse of the business itself. If you advise business owners, this episode will help you lead better planning conversations, uncover hidden risks, and deliver more complete solutions that go beyond the numbers.

March 3, 2026Episode 218 min

Finding Hidden Growth in Your Book of Business

Most advisors spend their time chasing new business, while overlooking the opportunity already sitting inside their existing book. In this episode, we're joined by Niko Kantouros of Proformex to discuss how advisors can uncover coverage gaps, identify cross-sell opportunities, and strengthen retention through centralized visibility into their clients' life insurance and annuities. We break down: Where advisors most often leave revenue on the table How to prioritize outreach instead of guessing who to call Why proactive policy reviews protect against client churn What separates advisors who grow consistently from those who stay reactive The fundamentals of this business haven't changed. Relationships and trust still win. But the advisors who thrive going forward will be the ones who combine those fundamentals with a single, reliable source of truth for their entire book and actionable insights to drive their business forward. If you want to grow without adding complexity, this conversation is worth your time.

January 27, 2026Episode 111 min

The Evolving Role of Life Insurance in a Shifting Market

Zach Gosselin joins Life Linked to break down how life insurance conversations are changing as clients become more skeptical and distracted. He explains why advisors must lead with risk and outcomes, not product, and highlights the biggest gaps he sees: weak positioning, stalled underwriting momentum, and outdated coverage. Zach shares when permanent vs. term makes sense, why conversion options matter, and a simple question to open better conversations. Action step: build a "top 10" client list and run quick coverage gap check-ins to uncover needs before they become disasters.

December 22, 2025Episode 1512 min

Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Advisors in 2026

In this episode, John Felton and Zach Gosselin break down why year-end is the most important time for advisors to plan ahead and where the real opportunities for growth will come from in 2026. The discussion covers key industry trends, effective use of permanent life solutions, and the continued role of annuities, and how advisors can help business owners with employee retention strategies using life insurance benefits. The conversation also highlights how TBA is supporting advisors with new tools, technology, and back-office resources to drive efficiency and results. John and Zach close with practical guidance on the client conversations advisors should be having now, December best practices to start January strong, and one clear piece of advice to help advisors enter 2026 prepared, focused, and positioned to win.

December 1, 2025Episode 1410 min

TBA Awareness Month

In this episode, we sit down with John Felton , President of Tennessee Brokerage Agency, to break down what TBA Awareness Month is all about and why it matters for advisors. John walks through how TBA stands out as a true partner: offering hands-on case support, product expertise, and business-growth strategies that many advisors don't realize they have at their fingertips. We cover the key tools and resources available throughout the year, including help with permanent life and annuity opportunities, and the technology and back-office solutions that make an advisor's practice run more efficiently. John also shares real examples of how TBA has supported advisors in meaningful, practical ways. Whether you're already working with TBA or just getting to know us, this episode gives you a clear picture of how to take advantage of TBA Awareness Month and how to position your practice for year-end planning and a strong start to 2026. Advisors looking for guidance, clarity, or a trusted partner will find plenty to take away from this conversation.