NAILBA 45 Agenda

Welcome NAILBA 45! Your opening Main Stage grounds us in what it means to lead from where we are—rooted in our BGA community while reaching into new products, channels, and generations, so principals and their teams can show up as the leaders independent distribution needs now.

Independent distribution has crossed an important threshold. It is no longer a channel proving its relevance; it is a primary growth engine for life insurance and an increasingly important pathway for annuities. The leadership question now is not whether the channel matters, but how to turn that scale into sustainable advantage. In this opening CEO panel, the conversation will focus on the decisions leaders have to make next: where scale truly matters, how to invest in technology and talent, how to manage through consolidation, and what carriers need from BGAs as strategic partners. The goal is to give leaders in the room a sharper lens for the next 12 to 24 months—where to invest, where to partner, and how to grow from a position of strength.

What technology solutions are ready to use today? See solutions from the main stage so BGAs, carriers, and partners and learn what’s possible. How will you use technology to be faster, smarter, and more efficient?

Welcome to your second Main Stage at NAILBA 45. Rooted in the realities of human behavior, this session reaches into what’s next for BGAs as underwriting, technology, and policy all react to how clients, policymakers and partners really make decisions.

Join Diana Greenberg and leading head underwriters for a conversation that goes past the usual talking points to focus on the real questions they’re wrestling with as 2026 comes to a close. What might be on the agenda?

• Lost in Translation: EHRs, AI, and the Search for Better Underwriting
• The Data Deluge: Turning Information into Better Underwriting Decisions
• Humans, Machines & Medicine: The Future of Underwriting
• What’s Mission? Solving the Data and AI Puzzle in Underwriting

Be in the room to see where underwriting conversations are going.

How do our clients, employees and partners think about money, why do we make so many irrational financial decisions and what can we do about it? Jeff shares the practical and entertaining insights of behavioral science to help create better financial decision-making structures for the irrational and illogical among us.

What technology solutions are ready to use today? See solutions from the main stage so BGAs, carriers, and partners and learn what’s possible. How will you use technology to be faster, smarter, and more efficient?

Policy moves fast—are you ready? This fast-paced briefing breaks down what’s happening in Washington D.C. and the states and what BGA leaders need to watch now and, most importantly, in 2027.

Welcome to your second Main Stage at NAILBA 45. Rooted in the realities of human behavior, this session reaches into what’s next for BGAs as underwriting, technology, and policy all react to how clients, policymakers and partners really make decisions.

Independent distribution is entering a moment of real opportunity. BGAs now sit at the center of how life and annuity products reach the market—as capital flows, technology, and new channels expand what’s possible. This distribution leaders panel will explore how product and channel decisions are being made in this environment: where BGAs are indispensable as strategic partners, how network and platform players are raising the bar, how data and AI are shaping the product shelf, and what partnership needs to look like so independent distribution can turn today’s momentum into durable, shared growth for carriers, BGAs, and advisors

What technology solutions are ready to use today? See solutions from the main stage so BGAs, carriers, and partners and learn what’s possible. How will you use technology to be faster, smarter, and more efficient?

Bobby Samuelson brings his product and market perspective to the main stage with a brief, topical talk on where life innovation is heading next. Be in the room to hear what is to of mind as 2026 comes to a close.

carrier executives, all in one place, ready for open conversations and partnerships with independent distribution. Don’t miss your chance to connect!

Bid on fantastic items and experiences while supporting a great cause. Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to contribute to the NAILBA Charitable Foundation!

This annual award honors excellence in brokerage and is bestowed upon the individual most committed to furthering brokerage and independent life brokerage as a distribution system. It’s a night of recognition and celebration that you won’t want to miss! Dress attire is Black-tie optional.

Back by popular demand, you bring Bobby your questions—he’ll bring the insight. This unscripted session with Bobby Samuelson is your chance to dig into the real issues shaping the life insurance world. From product complexity to pricing pressure to regulatory shifts, expect thoughtful takes, honest answers, and maybe a little fun along the way. Come for a Bloody Mary, stay for insights.