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The LIC Bullet
Straight to the point!
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July 2026
Maintaining Business Focus During the Dog Days of Summer
By Dean Lambert
Executive Director, LIC
Summer has a sneaky way of testing even the best leadership teams. Calendars fill with vacation blocks, key decision makers become harder to find than a beach parking spot, and a sunny afternoon can make any meeting feel like it is competing with a golf course, a lake, or a grill that has already been preheated. But for life insurance companies, summer is not a pause button. Policyholders still need protection, producers still need support, and year-end goals are already peeking over the horizon.
The trick is to keep momentum without pretending everyone is operating at full intensity. Here are five ways CEOs and executives can keep teams focused....
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Industry News
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Final Expense Workshop Concludes in St. Louis; Survey Report Available
Nearly 100 final expense executives attended the 2026 LIC Final Expense Workshop hosted by RGA in St. Louis, June 16 – 17. Panelists and presenters covered distribution, underwriting, risk management, and inherent challenges of final expense profitability.
In addition, highlights were presented from the latest LIMRA/LIC Final Expense Survey Report published that week. The report covers 2025 final expense sales reported by 30 participating companies, totaling $1.38 billion in new annualized premium and 1.3 million policies sold. Seventeen of the 30 companies reported greater than 10% sales growth year over year, and eight of those, including two of the top-selling carriers, experienced sales growth more than 25%. The report is free for participating companies and available to purchase at the link below.
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LIC Members Complete LIMRA-LOMA Strategic Leadership Experience
Congratulations to the following individuals from LIC member companies, who graduated this summer from the LIMRA-LOMA Strategic Leadership Experience program, developed in partnership with Wharton Executive Education:
- Baltimore Life: Heidi Kennedy
- Homesteaders Life Company: Danielle Burmeister, Jill Muenich, and Laurie Covington
- Navy Mutual: Katherine Walton
- SBLI: Brian O'Connell and Tim Sherrerd
This nomination-only program focuses on critical opportunities facing our industry today - including key trends, enterprise thinking and financial decision-making, operational excellence, designing organizational capabilities, and growth strategies.
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Canvas Launches 10-Year MYGA and New Mascot
Canvas Annuity, an innovator in direct-to-consumer annuities, launched a 10-year Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA) with a market-leading interest rate of 6.3%, guaranteed for the entire term. To champion this milestone, the company has also unveiled its new brand mascot, Steady Edward, a wise, savvy tortoise whose natural armor and enduring lifespan perfectly mirror the core promises of Canvas Annuity.
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RGA Analyzes Mortality Implications of GLP-1s
RGA analyzed potential mortality impacts of incretin-based drugs, including GLP-1s, as treatments for obesity and diabetes in four key insurance markets and summarized key takeaways.
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Empathy Brings Family Support Services to New Transamerica Policies
Empathy, the technology leader transforming how the world plans for and deals with life's hardest moments, announced that its collaboration with Transamerica is officially underway. Starting today, Empathy Loss Support™, a comprehensive post-loss care platform, and Empathy LifeVault™, a digital legacy planning and organization tool, are now live and available to new policyholders and beneficiaries with individual Transamerica life insurance policies. Additionally, Empathy Connect™, a Product that brings together legacy planning, bereavement support, and enterprise solutions into one connected experience for insurance and financial professionals, is now available to tens of thousands of Transamerica appointed agents across the U.S. Individuals and families will receive access to the practical, emotional, and administrative support they need during some of life's most challenging moments.
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Zinnia Launches Advanced Digital In-Force Servicing Experience for Annuities
Zinnia, a leading life and annuity technology company, announced the launch of a fully digitized in-force annuity servicing capability, giving the industry a modern way to manage post-issue transactions without forms, fragmented workflows, or disconnected servicing processes.
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Claims Process Offers Untapped Potential to Grow Loyalty
Empathy, the technology company transforming how the world plans for and navigates life's hardest moments, and LIMRA announced new research examining how the life insurance claims experience shapes long-term customer relationships. The findings reveal a critical disconnect: while insurers have invested meaningfully in operational improvements, they are missing the opportunity to turn one of the most meaningful customer moments into lasting loyalty.
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Insurer IT in 2026: Bigger Budgets, Bolder AI, and a Data Problem That Won't Wait
The latest Datos Insights CIO survey tells us about where insurers are spending and where they're stuck.
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Lightstone Announces Strategic Investment in Heartland National Life
Lightstone announced that it has closed on a strategic investment in The McDaniel Company, the parent company of Heartland National Life Insurance Company, a growing provider of annuity and supplemental health insurance solutions serving the U.S. retirement market.
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iPipeline and FIDx Launch IX Express, Extending Digital Annuity Distribution to the Small and Mid-Market
iPipeline and Fiduciary Exchange LLC announced a strategic expansion of their longstanding relationship with the launch of Insurance Exchange Express (IX Express), a jointly developed solution designed to make digital annuity distribution more accessible to small and mid-market broker-dealers and financial institutions.
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NGL Promotes Andy Mohr
NGL Insurance Company announced the appointment of Andy Mohr as Vice President, Chief Audit Officer. Mohr is an experienced senior leader with NGL, having 15 years of experience with the organization. He oversees the Internal Audit team and manages the development and execution of the audit function's strategy to lead and adapt to the changing risk environment, implement its organizational vision and fulfill its expectations.
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Kirk Cullimore Appointed President of Sentinel Security Life
Advantage Capital Holdings, LLC announced the appointment of Kirk Cullimore as President of Sentinel Security Life Insurance Company.
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LexisNexis Risk Solutions Builds on Agenium Alliance with Expanded Medical Data Access for Life Insurers
LexisNexis Risk Solutions announced the integration of its digital health data platform, LexisNexis Health Intelligence, with Agenium's modern, no code configurable platform, building on the companies' existing alliance. This latest integration makes it easier for life insurers to access medical records and related insights, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and sets the stage for carriers to receive decision-grade curated medical insights from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, reflecting the company's commitment to advancing intelligence for risk decisions and more efficient digital workflows.
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USAA Launches New Final Expense Product
USAA Life Insurance Company is expanding its life insurance portfolio with a new offering designed to help cover end-of-life expenses as well as encourage meaningful conversations that ensure families are prepared and protected.
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Ethos Launches ChatGPT App To Bring Instant Life Insurance Estimates to 900 Million Users
Ethos Technologies announced the launch of its native ChatGPT app, becoming the first life insurance provider to build a dedicated experience directly inside the world's most-used AI assistant.
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Jack Douglas Named EVP of Distribution at Boston Mutual
Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company announced the appointment of Jack Douglas as the company's Executive Vice President – Distribution. In this role, Douglas will be responsible for driving growth for the organization and leading Boston Mutual Life's sales team for continued success.
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NAIC Regulators Continue Pushing for Annuity Illustration Updates
InsuranceNewsNet reported on a recent meeting of NAIC's Annuity Illustration Working Group, noting that state insurance regulators are seeking to reopen a key annuity illustration model regulation as they consider a significant overhaul of how illustrations are used in the sales process.
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Midland National Launches First Fee-Based MYGA with ADL Benefit Rider
Midland Advisory, part of Midland National Life Insurance Company, announced the launch of Oak ADVantage® Care, the first fee-based multi-year guarantee annuity (MYGA) in the industry to include an Activities of Daily Living benefit rider.
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IRI Urges DOL to Recognize Annuities as Important Category of Retirement Income Tools
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) expressed general support for a proposed rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor to clarify fiduciary duties for retirement plan investment selection but urged DOL to enhance the proposal by more clearly and expressly recognizing annuities as an important category of retirement income tools.
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On-Demand Webinar: Making AI Deliver Real Value for Insurance
A recent webinar from InsuranceERM and FIS features a panel of insurance risk experts with expertise in AI discussing where AI is actually delivering - and where it is falling short.
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Upcoming LIC Events
LIC Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Tuesday, July 14, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Eastern
Presented by Jeff Shaw, Chris Campbell (BetterLife), and Eric Johansson (Liberty Bankers Insurance Group)
LIC Financial & Tax Accounting Committee Virtual Meeting
Thursday, July 23, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Featuring Larson & Company: "Transferable Tax Credits and Practical Tax Planning Strategies for Small to Mid-Size Life Insurers" (1 hr CPE)
LIC Summer CEO Forum (Reserved for insurance company CEOs)
Quebec City, Canada
August 25 – 27, 2026
LIC Investment & Capital Management Forum
Hosted by Catholic Life, San Antonio, TX
September 23 – 24, 2026
2026 LIMRA Annual Conference
Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, TX
September 27 – 29, 2026
LIC Members Reception on opening night. LIC Members qualify for member registration rates.
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LIC 2026 Premier Sponsors
Thank you to our LIC Premier Sponsors, who support all of LIC's activities throughout the year.
Parkway Advisors
Parkway Advisors is focused on being the best and most respected provider of service in the insurance industry. Parkway offers asset management, consulting, and statutory investment reporting services that are customized to the needs of each insurance client. Through Parkway's emphasis on personal service, custom solutions, and strong communication, our clients have enjoyed historically strong performance success, especially during the financial crisis and the low interest environment that has followed. www.parkwayadvisors.com
iPipeline
iPipeline is a leading provider of low code, cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SSG Digital, end-to-end platform, we provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in our ecosystem including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers on a global basis. Our innovative solutions include pre-sales support, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, user-driven configuration, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management. www.ipipeline.com
Equisoft
Equisoft is a business-first technology company dedicated to helping insurance and wealth management organizations reach their goals. Specialized expertise: Over 25 years of experience helping small and mid-sized life insurers & fraternals solve their biggest challenges through digital transformation. www.equisoft.com
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About The LIC Bullet
The Bullet is the official e-newsletter of the Life Insurers Council, which has been providing networking and practical business solutions for life insurers since 1910. As a council of LIMRA and LOMA, LIC serves the unique needs of small to midsize member companies, offering a personal network of peers with practical solutions to shared challenges. The Bullet delivers immediate and relevant industry news and editorial.
LIC E-News Online Community: The LIC Bullet is posted in the LIC E-News online community at LICConnect, where we welcome dialogue and input from our readers. All Bullet subscribers have access to this forum, and others can request access by contacting lic@loma.org.
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Feature Editorial (Full Text)
Maintaining Business Focus During the Dog Days of Summer
By Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC
Summer has a sneaky way of testing even the best leadership teams. Calendars fill with vacation blocks, key decision makers become harder to find than a beach parking spot, and a sunny afternoon can make any meeting feel like it is competing with a golf course, a lake, or a grill that has already been preheated. But for life insurance companies, summer is not a pause button. Policyholders still need protection, producers still need support, and year-end goals are already peeking over the horizon.
The trick is to keep momentum without pretending everyone is operating at full intensity. Here are five ways CEOs and executives can keep teams focused when staffing is lighter, inbox replies are slower, and sunshine is making a very persuasive argument.
1. Shrink the Goalpost Without Shrinking the Ambition
Mid-summer is no time for a 47-item priority list. That list belongs in a drawer, preferably next to the emergency chocolate. Instead, identify the few outcomes that truly matter: the underwriting improvement that cannot slip, the producer engagement push that needs visibility, or the technology milestone that requires executive attention.
Call it the "summer scoreboard." Everyone should know what counts, what can wait, and what must not drift into September wearing flip-flops.
2. Run Shorter, Sharper Leadership Huddles
When half the team is away and the other half is calculating how quickly they can get outside, long status meetings are not your friend. Replace them with short huddles built around three questions: What moved forward? What is stuck? What decision is needed now?
Consistent, effective movement of all parts of an organization is crucial to prevent any loss of momentum towards goal achievement. A crisp cadence helps leaders spot obstacles early and avoid the late-August discovery that an important initiative has also taken a holiday.
3. Build a Vacation-Proof Operating Rhythm
Vacations should be encouraged, not treated like a corporate security breach. Still, as Cyrus Works COO Chris Meredith says, an organization is a "living system." It requires maintaining a rhythm that works even when people are away. The adage, "a body in motion stays in motion" is apt for companies as well. This means well-planned personnel coverage plans, documented backup decision-makers, and obvious escalation paths before out-of-office replies begin to pop. (This should all be part of a comprehensive business continuity plan.)
A well-thought summer contingency strategy creates fewer lapses in internal process execution, protects against communication disconnects, and reduces the potential of customer experience issues. It also gives emerging leaders a chance to step up. Think of it as succession development with sunscreen.
4. Use Data to Keep the Conversation Objective
Summer focus improves when leaders can see what is really happening. Keep those KPIs in front of you and your teams. Lead and lag measures must remain as intended to ensure you can continue anticipating business outcomes in a consistent manner.
Just keep the dashboard lean. If it requires a cartographer and a research analyst to interpret, it is too much. Pick the metrics that matter and review them on your typical rhythm. Your scorecards should not change because the pace of business or number of people out of office changes.
5. Make Focus Feel Human
The best company cultures encourage work-life balance. People thrive on being able to enjoy warm, sunny days with family and friends, and a little breathing room. A little seasonal creativity helps, too. Walking meetings, Friday flex time, recognition for teams covering critical work, or quick "mission moments" can keep people remain focused on your organization's vision and purpose.
Another way to recognize the importance of time away is to also recognize transitioning from being on vacation to back in the whirlwind can be difficult. We've all experienced the shock of our email inbox on the first day back; it can be a rude welcome back from a well-deserved respite. Create processes that allow people to ease back into work routines rather than a wall of to-dos that get them thinking about the next vacation instead of the business at hand.
The Bottom Line
The dog days of summer do not have to become the drift days of summer. For leaders, the formula is simple: narrow the focus, keep the cadence tight, plan for absences, and keep the KPIs visible. Do that, and summer can become more than something to survive. It can be a season where strategic goals keep moving, even while the backyard BBQs, beaches, ballparks, and sunshine beckon.
Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC
(475) 372-5298 (mobile)
dlambert@limra.com
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