Buddy Study Podcast

"I'll just self-fund long-term care" sounds like a plan until you compare paying the full cost of a claim yourself with having a third party cover a large share of it. Learn how advisors can reframe this common LTCi objection around strategy rather than resistance. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, guest presenter Steve Gordon walks financial advisors and insurance profess...

A fully guaranteed hybrid LTCi product with a true cash indemnity benefit can simplify the claim conversation for your clients. Get a practical overview of Securian's SecureCare 4 and where it fits in long-term care planning. In this carrier session of the Buddy Study Podcast, Tim Goh, SecureCare Regional Vice President at Securian, walks financial advisors and insurance professionals through...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Running one quote and calling it the best price sounds efficient until a client fits a niche you never thought to check. Learn how to find the product sweet spots that match long-term care coverage to the client in front of you. Jason Dutra and Marc Glickman walk through the product mechanics where specific carriers quietly outperform the rest of the LTCi market. A sweet spot i...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Roughly one in four adults today has no children, and for long-term care insurance advisors, that demographic represents a widening gap in traditional estate planning. Learn how a purpose-built fiduciary structure helps childfree and childless clients answer a question their legal documents alone can't: who steps in when there's no next of kin to rely on. In this epis...

Knowing a carrier's brochure is not the same as knowing where its product actually wins. Learn how Thrivent's traditional long-term care offering is built, and where it fits in your LTCi planning conversations. In this carrier session of the Buddy Study Podcast, Anita Svoboda of Thrivent walks financial advisors and insurance professionals through a full product overview of Thrivent&apos...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION A full calendar is what separates a steady practice from a stalled one. Learn how insurance professionals and financial advisors build referral partnerships that bring qualified long-term care prospects to them. There is only so far your own prospecting can take you in LTCi. Referral partners expand your reach, warm up your leads, and put you in front of clients who are already...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Cross-selling sounds like something only multi-line producers do, until you look at how much a long-term care fact-find already tells you about a client. Learn how LTCi specialists can turn the work they are already doing into new conversations, stronger referral partnerships, and a fuller calendar. Long-term care specialists gather more information than almost anyone else in i...

Reading a carrier announcement is not the same as knowing the product. This mid-year LTCi market review revisits what actually changed in 2026, and what those changes mean for your next case. Much of the year's product news landed in a compressed window early in Q1, which means a lot of advisors caught the headlines and never circled back. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we walk t...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Assuming a prospect already understands long-term care sounds harmless until it costs you the sale. Learn how experienced LTCi producers structure prospect education so no client gets left behind. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we break down how to build a long-term care education process that works whether your prospect is hearing about LTC for the first time or h...

Asking a client about their income and health history can feel intrusive, until you realize it's the difference between a smooth long-term care approval and a painful decline. Learn how strong field underwriting protects your clients, your pipeline, and your reputation. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, a veteran LTCi field underwriting specialist joins the study group to break down...

Knowing which carrier to approach for a health-impaired client can be the difference between a placed case and a lost one. Learn how to match the right LTCi carrier to the right health profile, every time. In long-term care insurance, underwriting is where cases are won or lost. Knowing the general guidelines is not enough. The advisors and specialists who consistently place difficult cases are th...

Every client objection sounds reasonable until you realize most of them are walls, not reasons. Learn how to handle the most common long-term care insurance (LTCi) objections with confidence, without ever becoming combative. In this edition of the Buddy Study Podcast, we work through the objections every LTCi specialist hears in the field: cost, distrust of carriers, "I'll never use it,&...

Most advisors know group LTCi exists, but few know how to spot a viable case, start the conversation, or keep it moving when life gets in the way. Learn from a specialist who has made it his practice. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, Gretchen Berry sits down with Dale Berry, a long-term care specialist who spent decades focused on individual planning before making a deliberate move into...

A decline doesn't have to end the conversation or the case. Learn how experienced LTCi specialists navigate underwriting setbacks, manage client emotions, and find the right pivot to keep long-term care planning on track. When a client gets declined for long-term care insurance, the risk isn't just losing the case, it's losing the client's confidence in the process entirely. In...

Your client has an old annuity sitting on the sidelines — not growing, not earmarked for anything. Learn how annuity LTCi can turn that idle asset into meaningful long-term care coverage, even for clients who can't qualify elsewhere. Annuity-based long-term care is one of the most underutilized tools in the LTCi planning toolkit — and one of the most accessible. In this Study Hall episode, ho...

Hybrid long-term care products are some of the most innovative and competitive in the LTCi space, but knowing which carrier fits which client requires more than running a spreadsheet. Learn how to navigate the hybrid market with confidence. In this Study Hall edition of the Buddy Study Podcast, Jason Dutra leads an open-forum deep dive into life/LTCi hybrid plans, specifically life insurance chass...

" I'll just qualify for Medicaid if I need care " sounds like a safety net until your clients learn what Medicaid actually covers, what it costs them in assets, and what it means for a surviving spouse. Learn how the LTC Partnership program changes the equation. Most advisors know the basics of long-term care planning, but many overlook one of the most powerful tools available for m...

Short-term care insurance is one of the fastest-growing segments in the LTCi market, but do you really understand what you're offering and who it's best for? The answer could reshape how you serve clients who fall outside traditional long-term care underwriting. In this Short-Term Care Study Hall edition of the Buddy Study Podcast, the group digs into the short-term care landscape with a...

"Traditional long-term care is dead" sounds convincing until you look at what no other product type can offer. Learn why advisors who skip traditional LTCi may be leaving their clients underprotected and themselves underpositioned. Hybrid products dominate the conversation, but traditional long-term care insurance still holds ground that no other product can claim. In this episode of the...

"I have a guy for that" is what every financial advisor wants to say when clients ask about long-term care. The question is, are you that person? Learn how to build and sustain referral partnerships that keep your calendar full of qualified LTCi opportunities. Referral partners are one of the most powerful and underutilized business-building tools for long-term care specialists. But find...

Group LTC plans are built for accessibility but what happens when the group in front of you needs something a true group product can't deliver? Understanding when and how individual products belong in your group LTC strategy could be the difference between losing a case and winning a client for life. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, Jason walks through the strategic role individual...

"I'll just drop the plan" sounds like a reasonable reaction to a rate increase letter until you compare the numbers. Learn how to turn one of the most emotionally charged conversations in LTCi into a planning opportunity. Rate increase letters are one of the most uncomfortable moments in the long-term care insurance lifecycle for clients and advisors alike. But with the right prepar...

In this episode Jason and Tommy Jondall, National Sales Director at EquiTrust, walkthrough the Bridge product, a 7702B-compliant, LTC-enhanced fixed indexed annuity (FIA) hybrid that offers guaranteed approval regardless of a client's health history. Whether you work with clients who have been declined for traditional LTCi, or you're building referral relationships with financial advisor...

"It's a free rider — it must be a better deal." That assumption is costing advisors and their clients more than they realize. Learn how to identify what you're actually selling when it comes to chronic illness riders on life insurance. With nearly 350,000 chronic illness rider policies sold annually and 88% carrying no upfront charge, these riders have become the dominant combi...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Financial advisors are either your greatest referral source or the reason a sale goes cold. Learn how LTCi specialists can build partnerships that consistently bring clients to the table. Working alongside financial advisors is one of the most powerful strategies in a long-term care specialist's business but it requires intention, education, and the right tools. In this ep...