The guys are joined by Jim Morris and Darryl Button, respectively the retiring and incoming CEOs of Pacific Life. Among the many topics discussed, they talk about what makes Pacific Life a great company, running a life insurance company through a global pandemic, the proper pronunciation of the word Eagles and what makes a Canadian actuary learn to surf.

Bill is joined by Scott McHenry from McHenry Advisors to discuss the benefits and challenges associated with cash balance defined benefit plans. During the conversation, Bill and Scott discuss the types of businesses that are good candidates for such plans, how life insurance fits in and out of these plans, and why we are in the middle of tax mulligan season.

In Stephan’s absence (he was off celebrating yet another Rams victory), Bill invited two of his team members from the ADU, Monica Rhee and Lindsay Cigler, as guests for this episode of The Life Podcast. They discussed topics such as; potential tax reform, battling the great resignation, what is on tap for 2022, and the Biz website which can be visited at lifeinsurance.pacificlife.com/biz.

Jennifer Swazo, AVP of Underwriting Innovation, joins Stephan to talk all about Pacific Life’s exciting new program, Pacific Accelerated Life (Bill was at a rock concert during the recording). The program provides an accelerated or frictionless underwriting experience for many of our life insurance products at certain ages and face amounts.

In celebration of The Life Podcast’s 5th anniversary, the guys look back over some of their fondest memories as podcast hosts. Then, PL, Chief Distribution Officer, Greg Reber joins to discuss the changing face of life insurance distribution and what Pacific Life is doing to improve our customer experience.

The guys welcome back Tod Nasser, SVP of Investment Management for Pacific Life, to talk about the state of the economy and where we may be going with interest rates. The discussion includes a deep dive into a newest trend in the indexed universal life insurance marketplace – Volatility Controlled Indexes (VCIs).

As promised, the guys talk about the potential for tax reform in 2021 and how it will affect life insurance planning. The discussion touches on business taxes, personal income taxes and most importantly, why Bill's family won’t have to worry about he estate tax for the foreseeable future.

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021! Stephan and Bill unpack the mailbag to answer a few questions from listeners and give insight into the year ahead.

Bill had a chance to catch up with Daria Lee Sharman, AVP, Enterprise Insights Advisory, about the how producers can get a better understanding of their clients' needs through customer insights. Daria discusses the different needs associated with different types of customers and some tools available to help producers grow their business. Bill determines that he is not a candidate for the finically independent – retire early consumer segment.

Virtual selling is here and it isn’t going away. How can you make connections with your clients in a virtual environment? Melanie Dumas, Pacific Life’s AVP of Life Insurance Division Training, joins the guys to share some tips and tricks that can help you make those connections and sales from anywhere.

The guys share their personal highlights from the 2020 Pacific Life Educational Symposium. Even though this year’s event was virtual, it was still an amazing meeting that highlighted; industry trends, Pacific Life Products and Services, and some best practices for financial professionals looking to grow their businesses.