Recognition. Reward. Opportunity. The APEX Group For Producer Use Only. Not For Use With The General Public.
THIS IS YOUR TEAM As a Guardian Elite Producer, you ve earned a higher level of support with complicated financial situations such as clients who are small business owners, high-income and high net worth individuals and families, and families with special needs members. To that end, we offer The APEX Group. The services of The APEX Group include best-in-class advanced case consultation, holistic and objective case analysis, prospecting, marketing and sales support services all aimed at helping you make a more profound difference in the lives APEX stands for Advanced Planning Excellence, which is what we strive for every day and in every interaction. And The APEX Group delivers that through our expertise in virtually every discipline within the domain of advanced case planning: Business succession Executive benefits Qualified retirement plans Asset protection and risk management Complex life and disability insurance planning Estate planning Intergenerational wealth transfer Charitable giving and philanthropy Income and estate tax planning Planning for special needs family members We re here to take the complexity out of sophisticated case planning. We make the complex concepts and technical language simpler to understand and the varied plan options we provide more turnkey to deliver. Our goal is to enable advisors to provide comprehensive planning strategies and solutions to meet all of the needs, issues, and concerns of their clients who require advanced planning. of your clients.
Department Head Bryan M. Schick CPA, CGMA Vice President, Product and Strategy Integration Contact: 212.919.2368 Bryan_Schick@glic.com As the head of The APEX Group, Bryan leads a talented group of tax, legal, and advanced design professionals. With over 20 years of experience in finance and financial services, in tandem with his background as an independent business owner, Bryan is keenly aware of the needs of entrepreneurial organizations. He played an instrumental role in working with industry leaders such as Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse to structure products for the premium financing and longevity capital markets. Bryan has earned the reputation as a respected speaker, both domestically and internationally. Prior to joining Guardian, he was President of NFP International. Advanced Planning Consultants Victor Ngai, JD, CLU, ChFC Assistant Vice President, Head of Advanced Planning Consultants Contact: 212.598.8139 Victor_Ngai@glic.com Prior to joining Guardian, Victor spent five years leading the Case Management Group at SEI Wealth Network, three years at Prudential Securities heading the Prestige Private Client Group, and five years at Prudential Insurance in its Advanced Planning department. Before joining Prudential Insurance, he was a private practice attorney for 10 years in New York City, concentrating on business and estate planning. Victor has been a frequent speaker at industry conferences, company training sessions, agency meetings, as well as legal and accounting continuing education seminars. He has also been published extensively in professional publications, and quoted in mainstream media. Victor is a board member of the New York City Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and a committee member of LIMRA s Advanced Sales Group. James Magner, JD, CLU, ChFC Assistant Vice President Premium Financing and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Contact: 212.919.3873 James_Magner@glic.com As a former IRS tax attorney, Jim wrote many private and public rulings on estate, gift, generation-skipping tax (GST), and charitable tax planning. Prior to joining Guardian, he was the head of the Advanced Planning Groups of two major life insurance companies, and General Counsel to a brokerage general agency. Jim has published numerous articles in professional publications and is the co-author of several estate and insurance planning books. 1
Advanced Planning Consultants (Cont d) Cynthia Hearing, JD, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, CAP Senior APEX Consultant Business, Estate and Charitable Planning Contact: 212.919.3560 Cynthia_Hearing@glic.com Cynthia has over 17 years of experience as an Advanced Sales Attorney and Director of Financial Planning, assisting advisors and their clients on advanced planning strategies. She speaks frequently at sales conferences and continuing education sessions and has written for professional publications. Cynthia came to Guardian by way of MassMutual and New England Financial. Bryan Davis, CFP, CLU, ChFC Senior APEX Consultant Estate and Business Planning, Products, Competition Contact: 212.919.3288 Bryan_Davis@glic.com Bryan is an 18-year industry veteran who has worked extensively with high net worth clients and their advisors. After early work in actuarial science and executive benefits administration, Bryan moved to personal planning, where he worked exclusively with advisors and clients in the areas of business planning, insurance planning, insurance analytics, and personal financial planning. Bryan previously was an Agency Manager for a TPA firm, as well as a Case Strategist for SEI Investment s Wealth Network, which serves high net worth clients. Mark Brumbaugh, JD Senior APEX Consultant Business, Estate and Charitable Planning Contact: 212.919.3872 Mark_Brumbaugh@glic.com Mark is a 15-year industry veteran, helping advisors and their clients with advanced planning strategies. Mark came to Guardian by way of Provident Mutual/Nationwide, where he was an Advanced Sales Consultant. Mark has spoken extensively at agency meetings and sales conferences. 2
Advanced Planning Consultants (Cont d) Michael Geeraerts, CPA, JD, CGMA, CLU APEX Consultant Estate, Business and Individual Tax Planning Contact: 212.919.8207 Michael_Geeraerts@glic.com Michael is a CPA as well as an attorney, helping advisors and clients on their advanced planning issues. Previously, he worked at two of the largest accounting firms, KPMG LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, as well as a few law firms. Michael s experience ranges from preparing tax returns for middle-market companies, to auditing large mutual funds and researching unique tax strategies for various companies. Allison Hoyt, JD, CLU APEX Consultant Business, Estate and Charitable Planning Contact: 212.919.8784 Allison_Hoyt@glic.com Allison is an advanced markets attorney who assists Guardian Financial Representatives with all aspects of advanced planning, including the use of disability insurance in these plans. She has been published in Trusts & Estates, the Journal of Financial Service Professionals, The Nassau Lawyer, and the N.Y. Real Property Law Journal. Allison currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. She also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters to improve high school students financial literacy and college readiness. Prior to joining Guardian, Allison practiced law at a Long Island law firm. Advanced Case Design Paul McDonald Director, Head of Advanced Case Design Contact: 212.598.8547 Paul_McDonald@glic.com Paul has been in the financial services industry since 1985, in both the Home Office and the Field. His experience includes wholesaling concepts in the advanced market with fixed, variable, and linked benefit products. Prior to joining Guardian, Paul worked at Lincoln Financial Group and Cigna Corporation. 3
Advanced Case Design (Cont d) Jeffrey Klappholz, CLU Case Development Manager Contact: 212.598.8319 Jeffrey_Klappholz@glic.com Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a 30-year insurance industry veteran half of that time with Guardian. He specializes in helping advisors understand Guardian s full suite of life insurance products, as well as product illustrations for advanced cases. Hang Wong, FLMI Case Design Specialist Case Design and Illustrations in Non-Qualified Executive Benefit Plans, Business Planning, Estate Planning, Long Term Planning, Inforce Illustrations, Products, and Illustration Systems Contact: 212.919.7447 Hang_Wong@glic.com Hang is a Case Design Specialist who assists Guardian Financial Representatives and insurance agents with their advanced planning cases. Hang runs advanced planning presentations and illustrations using Guardian s propriety software, the Guardian Proposal System, and is available to discuss these presentations. Hang also helps develop and test these presentations. Prior to working in The APEX Group, Hang worked in Life Product Development, Systems, and Illustrations departments. Before joining Guardian, he worked at New York Life in the Product Management department, assisting in all aspects of the Whole Life product. Certifications and Licenses: Series 6 The Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) Qualified Plans Department Jose Montenegro, EA, MAAA, MSPA, FCA Qualified Plans Consultant Contact: 212.598.8522 Jose_Montenegro@glic.com Jose has over 30 years experience in qualified retirement plans. Before joining Guardian, he worked for AXA Equitable in various capacities, including marketing, technical and sales support, and product development. He is well versed in all aspects of qualified retirement plans; as well as in 403(b) and 457(b) plans; and IRAs, including SEPs, SARSEPs, and Simple IRA plans. He is also a pension actuary. 4
Qualified Plans Department (Cont d) Eric Brandon, EA, MAAA, MSPA, FCA Pension Actuary Contact: 212.598.8523 Eric_Brandon@glic.com Eric is an enrolled actuary and member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He has over 22 years of experience in the employee benefits consulting field, working with and training advisors on case analysis, plan design, and business solutions in the qualified plans area. Project Management and Administration Julie Falcon Project Specialist I Contact: 212.919.7316 Julie_Falcon@glic.com Julie joined The APEX Group in 2016. She brings years of experience in the finance and insurance industries. Julie provides analytical support, project coordination and management, and supports our associates in maximizing team effectiveness. She currently coordinates several ongoing projects for The APEX Group. Kellie Gittens Executive Assistant Contact: 212.919.3802 Kellie_Gittens@glic.com Kellie started working with The APEX Group in 2011, providing administrative support for the department. She works closely with The APEX Group Consultants, the Qualified Plans Marketing team, and Case Designers. Prior to joining Guardian, Kellie gained many years of experience in a number of industries. 5
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America 7 Hanover Square New York, NY 10004-4025 www.guardianlife.com Pub4851 (6/17) 2017-36531 (Exp. 3/19) For Producer Use Only. Not For Use With The General Public.