Category: Insurance
The Evolution of Life Settlements with Matthew Ganovsky (Ep. 13)

The Evolution of Life Settlements with Matthew Ganovsky (Ep. 13)

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Many people reach a point when their life insurance no longer aligns with their financial outlook. Knowing what choices exist can shape long-term stability.

How do you approach a major policy decision with confidence? How do you uncover options that may add meaningful value to retirement planning?

In this episode, Mark Mrky and Rob Haynie talk with Matthew Ganovsky, Founder and President of Abacus Life Settlements, about the shift from viatical settlements to the modern life settlement Market. He explains how institutional buyers evaluate policies, why transparency matters, and how advisors can better guide clients who may be letting valuable policies lapse. 

They also discuss the role of Marketing, rising consumer awareness, and how life settlements may support goals from estate planning to funding care needs.

Key points:

  • Institutional buyers look for balanced pricing, correct underwriting, and policies that fit portfolio targets
  • Advisors often miss the chance to present life settlements before a lapse or surrender occurs
  • Consumer awareness is growing through consistent advertising efforts
  • Broker-dealer and carrier restrictions continue to shift as acceptance increases
  • More clients are exploring settlements to support retirement or care-related expenses
  • And more!

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About Our Guest:

Matthew Ganovsky, Founder and President of Abacus Life Settlements. Matthew has close to two decades of experience in the areas of life insurance policy and settlement underwriting and is well-known as an innovator and early adopter within the industry.

Prior to launching Advanced Life Settlements in 2000, Matthew was a sales specialist at Medical Escrow Society and focused his efforts in the viatical settlement segment of the market, specifically brokering on behalf of policyholders diagnosed with cancer, ALS, or other life-threatening illnesses.

Matthew has cultivated long-standing and valued relationships with funding sources within the life settlement business and currently oversees all client and policy activity at Advanced Life Settlements. In conjunction with Advanced’s co-founders and co-presidents, Sean McNealy and Scott Kirby, Ganovsky has sold more than $8.5 billion in life settlements and brokered more than 3 thousand life insurance policies.

Matthew has been a member of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) since 2001. He holds his Life License in the state of Florida and also holds his life and viatical broker’s license in several other states.

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Long-Term Care Funding with Chris Orestis: The Overlooked Power of Life Settlements (Ep. 12)

Long-Term Care Funding with Chris Orestis: The Overlooked Power of Life Settlements (Ep. 12)

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What if the life insurance policy your client no longer wants could become the key to paying for long-term care?

In this powerful episode, hosts Mark Mrky and Rob Haynie welcome Retirement Genius Chris Orestis, CSA, Founder and President of Retirement Genius, to unpack the often-overlooked strategy of life settlements—transforming underused life insurance policies into funding solutions for healthcare, annuities, and retirement expenses.

Chris shares how his journey from Capitol Hill to long-term care innovation led him to champion life settlements as a tool of financial dignity. From regulations to misconceptions, he explains why advisors must rethink what’s possible with aging clients’ policies.

What to expect:

  • How life settlements help fund care while preserving Medicaid eligibility
  • Why UL policies are underperforming and how to address them
  • Annuities with LTC riders as viable reinvestment options
  • The advisor’s fiduciary duty to present this option
  • And more!

Connect with Mark Mrky: 

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Connect with Chris Orestis:

About our Guest: 

Chris Orestis, CSA, is President of Retirement Genius and is a nationally recognized financial, health, long-term care (LTC), and retirement issues expert. He has over 25 years’ experience in the insurance and long-term care industries and is credited with pioneering the Life Settlement Annuity and Long-Term Care Life Settlement over a decade ago. Known as a political insider and senior issues advocate, Orestis is a former Washington, D.C. lobbyist who has worked in both the White House and for the Senate Majority Leader on Capitol Hill. In 2007, he founded Life Care Funding, in 2017, he founded the LifeCare Xchange, and in 2020, he founded Retirement Genius. Chris Orestis is the author of the books Help on the Way and A Survival Guide to Aging. In 2019, Chris was named one of the twenty most innovative people in the insurance industry by the National Association of Independent Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA). Chris is on the Board of Directors for the NAILBA Charitable Foundation, where he founded the Industry Foundation Partnership initiative, a founder and member of the Board of Directors for Insurance Marketing Coalition, and is a member of the Editorial Board for the CSA Magazine. He has been speaking for two decades across the country about senior finance and the secrets to aging with financial and physical health and dignity. In 2019, Chris was named one of the twenty most innovative people in the life insurance industry by the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA). He has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC News, Fox News, USA Today, Kiplinger’s, Investor’s Business Daily, AARP Magazine, PBS, and numerous other media outlets, is a frequent columnist for NewsMax Finance, Broker World, ThinkAdvisor, IRIS, and has been a guest expert on over 100 radio programs and TV appearances.

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Transforming Life Insurance into Retirement Assets with Steven Zeiger (Ep.11)

Transforming Life Insurance into Retirement Assets with Steven Zeiger (Ep.11)

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What happens when a life insurance policy doesn’t perform as expected?

In this episode, Mark Mrky and Rob Haynie chat with Steven Zeiger, from KB Financial, about the often-misunderstood world of life insurance costs and performance evaluations. Steven, known for his independent research and advisory services, offers a fresh perspective on how to assess the true cost of life insurance policies beyond sales pitches. 

Mark, Rob, and Steve discuss: 

  • Steven’s methodology for evaluating insurance costs and performance [00:10:20]
  • The impact of policy design on life settlement options and outcomes [00:21:00]
  • Real-life client stories highlighting the significance of informed policy decisions [00:23:23]
  • The role of independent research in life insurance [00:29:12]
  • Strategies for monitoring and adjusting life insurance investments over time [00:39:20]
  • And more

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About Our Guest: 

Steven Zeiger serves as a Managing Director of Wealth Management at KB Financial and is a recognized professional in applying prudent investor guidelines to life insurance product selection and portfolio management according to established and proven asset management doctrine. Prior to joining KB Financial, Steven worked for an Austin, Texas firm specializing in Private Placement Life Insurance for ultra-high-net-worth families, where he oversaw marketing efforts for the Northeast.

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