Buddy Study Podcast

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 through the year's notable launches, repricings, and underwriting updates across traditional long-term care insurance, hybrid life plans, annuity-based LTC solutions, and short-term care, with practical commentary on where each...

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 has already done their own research. From framing a holistic four-pillar planning conversation to reading whether a prospect is analytical or emotional, this session covers the foundational habits that...

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 how to ask the right questions before an application ever reaches underwriting. From financial discovery to medical red flags, the conversation covers a repeatable process advisors can use to reduce declines, save time, and build...

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 the ones who have built a mental library of carrier-specific underwriting sweet spots: the conditions, medications, and health profiles where one carrier will consider what others will not.

In this...

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," "my family will take care of me," and "I need to talk to my financial advisor." More importantly, we dig into why these objections surface, which ones are genuine concerns and which are defensive walls, and...

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 group cases. Dale shares the mindset, process, and practical tactics that have helped him identify strong prospects, build trust with HR contacts and benefits...

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 this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, host Jason Dutra leads a practitioner-focused discussion on the full lifecycle of managing declines: from early field underwriting and expectation setting, to the emotional moment of decline, to advocating for...

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, host Jason Dutra and the Buddy Study group take a high-level tour of the annuity LTCi market: who it's designed for, why it works, and how to present it with confidence to the right clie...

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 chassis products with extension of benefits riders. From product architecture and carrier competition to underwriting sweet spots and guaranteed premiums, this session is designed to sharpen your hybrid LTCi fluency and help you make...

"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 middle-class clients: the Long-Term Care Partnership program. This episode of the Buddy Study Podcast features LTCi specialist Rhonda Bills walking through Partnership 101, from its legislative origins to the practical asset protection it...

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 market-level overview, carrier comparisons, and candid conversation about where these products shine and where advisors need to proceed with caution. Featuring insights from Linda Thalheimer's premium-to-benefit analysis and real-world positioning strategies, this session equips...

"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 Buddy Study Podcast, Jason breaks down the current state of traditional LTCi, why the negative stigma is overblown, and where this product type remains the strongest option for advisors and their clients.

We explore:

"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 finding a partner is only the beginning, the real work is in training each other, respecting how they do business, and making the referral process feel effortless for everyone involved.

In this episode of...

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 LTCi products can play in group long-term care planning. From executive carve-outs and tax deductibility to association groups that carriers won't quote, this conversation explores the real-world gaps where individual solutions...

"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 preparation, empathy, and strategy, this conversation can actually reinforce your value and reaffirm the client's original planning decision.

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we walk through how to master the...

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 advisors who want an LTC solution without complex underwriting, Bridge introduces a distinctive planning tool worth adding to your toolkit.

We explore:

"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 combination product in the market. But not all chronic illness riders work the same way, and the differences matter at claim time.

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, Ramona Neal, president of Living Benefit Re...

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 episode, Phyllis Shelton and Linda Tallheimer join Jason to share decades of experience navigating the financial advisor relationship from both sides of the desk.

We explore:

"You've given me a lot to think about" sounds like thoughtful consideration until you realize your client just crossed the buying line backwards. Learn how to recognize and respond to your client's true buying signals.

Sales psychology expert Steve Elliott brings 29 years of LTCi experience to reveal the critical moment when prospects shift from interest to readiness and how many advisors unknowingly talk themselves out of the sale. This isn't about high pressure tactics, it's about reading the room and knowing when to transition from education to action.

Steve breaks down the difference between comments...

Asking the right health questions before submitting an application sounds simple until your client gets declined and walks away. Learn how thorough field underwriting protects both client relationships and placement rates.

Field underwriting is one of the most critical skills for Long-Term Care Insurance specialists, yet many advisors skip this essential step. When an LTCi application is denied, clients take it personally regardless of how objective the underwriting process may be, and the likelihood of retaining that client drops significantly.

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, LTCi specialist Linda Tallheimer walks through her...

A client gets declined for LTCi coverage, what happens next? Learn how to prepare for declines, protect your clients future options, and turn difficult conversations into planning opportunities.

Declines are one of the most challenging aspects of long-term care planning, but they don't have to derail the entire process. In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we explore the psychology behind declines, why preparation matters more than ever, and how advisors can navigate these conversations with confidence and care. This isn't about avoiding declines, it's about understanding how to position clients for success before underwriting even...

Self-funding long-term care sounds simple until you run the numbers. Learn how to handle this common LTCi objection with confidence.

Many clients say, “I’ll just self-fund long-term care.” But what does that really mean and how should advisors respond?

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we unpack what self-funding really means, why it’s one of the most common objections in long-term care planning, and how advisors can approach the conversation with clarity, confidence, and education without pressure or fear-based selling.

This is not about pushing products. It’s about he...