Agency Intelligence: The Insurance Podcast Network

In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein sits down with Francisco Lopes of Sonant to talk about how AI voice technology is transforming the way insurance agencies handle inbound and outbound calls. From quote requests and policy servicing to claims intake, billing questions, renewals, and cancellation follow-up, Francisco shares how agencies are using AI voice assistants to reduce c...

Landing that first job feels like the finish line, but for most young professionals, it is really just the beginning. In this episode, ⁠Xavier Angel⁠, CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC®, sits down with ⁠Christopher Bland⁠, PharmD, FCCP, FIDSA, BCPS, Albert W. Jowdy Professor in Pharmacy Care at the ⁠University of Georgia College of Pharmacy⁠, to unpack the real-world financial questions that pharmacists and other...

Jason welcomes Michael Lebor and Peter Germanov to talk about the future of agency technology and how the IndieTech movement is reshaping the insurance industry. From the rebrand of NowCerts into Momentum AMP to the growing need for a truly connected ecosystem, the conversation explores how vendors, data providers, and agencies are coming together to build the next generation of insurance technolo...

You're losing – literally – tens of thousands of dollars in new business commission each year because your Fizzle Rate is way too high. What's a Fizzle Rate? A Fizzle Rate represents the number of prospects who agree to meet with you and have you quote, but they just don't get you the information you need to put together a submission to go to the marketplace to gather quotes. The prospect simply "...

Do you find it difficult to set new business appointments? Most agents struggle with this as well. Usually it has a lot to do with what you're saying (or not saying) to your prospects. Is your script focused on "Price" or is it focused on "Service" or even something else? Because it matters.  In this episode, host Charles Specht will explain which script variation tends to work better for which ty...

Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, welcomes back Phil Blancato for their annual market conversation, now a tradition on Stuff About Money They Didn't Teach You In School. Phil is Chief Market Strategist at Osaic Wealth, a regular on Fox Business, and an experienced portfolio manager who brings equal parts insight and humor, including a lightning round that somehow turns the 2026 market into a lasagna...

In this episode of Front Cover: A Rough Notes Podcast on the Agency Intelligence Podcast Network, Jason Cass sits down with Diane Keil-Hipp, Chief Operations Officer at Knight Insurance Group, the agency featured on the March 2026 front cover of Rough Notes Magazine.  Key Topics: Landing on the front cover of Rough Notes Magazine, a goal Knight set five years in advance How a 165-year history shap...

In this episode of Stuff About Money They Didn’t Teach You in School, ⁠Erik Garcia⁠, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™ and ⁠Xavier Angel⁠, CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC® begin a two-part series on how wealth is actually built and why it often looks boring in real life. In Part 1, they tackle three common myths that derail people before wealth ever has a chance to compound. From the belief that wealth is built by luck or big...

In this episode, Jason Cass and Joel Poythress discuss the evolution of telecommunications, the impact of AI on customer interactions, and the future of communication technology. They explore how AI is transforming the industry, the importance of sentiment analysis, and the potential for voice prints in authentication. The conversation also touches on security concerns, the decline of voicemail, a...

Healthcare costs are no longer just a line item — they’re a growing liability for employers. In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Brandy Thompson, CEO of BenefitBay, to explore how ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements) is reshaping the way larger employers approach employee benefits. With renewal volatility, self-funded risk exposure, fiduci...

Insurance agencies don’t just need more people — they need smarter operations. In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with Travis MacMillian of Xceedance to unpack how automation, AI, and strategic back-office support can completely transform the way property & casualty agencies operate. From policy checking and COI management to remarketing, loss runs, endorsements, accountin...

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence Podcast, Jason Cass and Andy Mathisen discuss the evolution of lead generation in the insurance industry, focusing on innovative strategies and tools like Homebot that bridge the gap between real estate and insurance. They explore the importance of personalization, data analytics, and building relationships with referral partners to enhance agency growth....

Too many insurance producers are playing Pat-A-Cake with their insurance careers. They're not taking seriously the need to focus, to get prepared, to see what works and pivot as needed, etc. They're just wingin' it, throwing mud against the wall to see what sticks. But you don't want to play Pat-A-Cake with your commission check. In this episode, host Charles Specht explains what both producers an...

In this milestone episode of Stuff About Money They Didn’t Teach You in School, Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, and co-host Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC®, reflect on what they’ve learned after reaching 100 episodes of honest, practical money conversations.  This episode looks back at why the podcast started, the gaps in financial education that inspired it, and the themes that kept showing up a...

In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer Podcast, host Charles Specht discusses the challenges insurance agents face in prospecting and securing exclusive access to markets. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the insurance buyer's perspective, the necessity of Micro-Niching to stand out, and the common issue of agents presenting only one quote in their proposals. Charles ad...

In this episode of Front Cover: A Rough Notes Podcast on the Agency Intelligence Podcast Network, Jason Cass sits down with Andrew Cowan and Dave Taylor of FirstMark Insurance Group, the agency featured on the February 2026 front cover of Rough Notes Magazine.  Key Topics: From Farmers agents to independent: Andrew and Dave's leap into FirstMark in 2013 Bootstrapping for seven years and choosing p...

In this solo episode of the Stuff About Money podcast, Erik Garcia CFP®, BFA™, ChFC®, reflects on King Cake season in New Orleans, an annual reminder that some things are wonderful precisely because they don’t last forever. Between questionable calorie intake and the collective sugar coma that sweeps the city, Erik is grateful that King cake is a season, not a lifestyle. That rhythm sparks a bigge...

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence Podcast, host Jason Cass welcomes guests Daniel Garzella, CEO of Darkhorse Insurance Brokers and Jason Massey, Vice President of Finance and Accounting at Insurance Accountants to discuss the unique challenges of insurance accounting. Daniel shares his journey from running a retail brokerage to founding an insurance accounting company, highlighting the di...

This episode of the Agency Intelligence Podcast is a heartfelt tribute to Walt Gdowski, a significant figure in the insurance industry and the former CEO of Rough Notes.  Jason Cass and Roger Sitkins reflect on Walt's life, his contributions to the industry, and the personal memories they shared with him. They discuss his leadership style, his commitment to community service, and the high standard...

There are definitely things that the most highly successful insurance producers do in order to ensure victory when selling insurance. Some are easier than others, but almost all of them can be done by new(er) producers as well. If you want to build a $1,000,000 or more Book of Business, you need to begin implementing these things the most successful producers do. What are these things, you ask? We...

In this episode of Stuff About Money They Didn’t Teach You in School, Xavier Angel, CFP®, is joined by Shannon Mehaffey Ory, Owner and Senior Care Consultant at Avila Senior Advisors, for an honest conversation about something every family will face but few feel prepared for: caring for aging parents. Whether care needs change slowly or arrive overnight after a fall, hospitalization, or diagnosis,...

In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein introduces a game-changing workers’ compensation opportunity for P&C agents in Ohio and surrounding states. With Ohio’s monopolistic system long limiting agent participation, a newly approved Alternate Employer Organization (AEO) program now allows agents to earn ongoing commission while delivering meaningful cost savings and improved claims...

In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Walter Sabrin of Venture Employer Services for a wide-ranging conversation on the realities of hiring, recruiting, and retaining talent in today’s insurance agency environment. Drawing on decades of experience, Walter breaks down why agencies should always be recruiting, how internal referral programs and small-scale job fairs c...

In this episode of Front Cover: A Rough Notes Podcast on the Agency Intelligence Podcast Network, Jason Cass sits down with Jeff and Eboné Granger, Managing Partners at Granger Financial, the 2022 Rough Notes Magazine Agency of the Year.  Key Topics: The significance of being featured on the front cover of Rough Notes Magazine Building the agency from the ground up during COVID and scaling intenti...

In this episode of Stuff About Money They Didn’t Teach You in School, Erik Garcia is joined by Miles Clark, Senior Analyst at Nasdaq Dorsey Wright, to explore a simple but important question: what’s better—time in the market or timing the market? The conversation opens with a long-term look at how markets have behaved over multi-decade periods and what that data can teach investors when they’re de...