In this episode of The Noble Agent’s Guide, we sit down with Brian from Local Edge to explore why some of the best future level-funded brokers may already be sitting inside the P&C world.

Brian brings a unique perspective coming from the personal lines and commercial P&C insurance space into self-funded and level-funded health plans. The conversation uncovers the crossover skills most brokers completely overlook — especially around underwriting, relationship-building, expectation-setting, and long-term client trust.

Key topics include:

• Why level-funded plans shocked Brian coming from traditional insurance
• The “aha moment” of surplus checks and money returning to employers
• How incentives change behavior in healthcare spending
• Why underwriting discipline matters in both P&C and health insurance
• The massive opportunity P&C brokers are missing in group health
• Why relationship-driven brokers outperform transactional agents
• How top producers educate instead of simply quoting
• Why trust and curiosity matter more than spreadsheets
• The similarities between high-value P&C underwriting and self-funded health plans
• How level-funded plans become a financial tool for business owners

One of the strongest themes throughout the episode:

The best brokers are not chasing transactions. They are building long-term relationships around trust, education, and service.

Brian also shares:

• Lessons from handling inbound insurance sales at scale
• Why door-to-door and boiler-room salespeople often become elite producers
• How great brokers set underwriting expectations upfront
• The importance of referrals and relationship flywheels
• Why business owners want one trusted advisor across all insurance needs
• The crossover opportunity between commercial P&C and employee benefits

Memorable takeaway:

“Insurance is the many paying for the unlucky few.”

If you’re a broker trying to understand where the industry is headed — and why relationship-first advisory work matters more than ever — this episode delivers practical insight from both the P&C and employee benefits worlds.

Guest:

Brian — Local Edge

Topics Covered:

• Level funding
• Self-funding
• P&C insurance
• Underwriting
• Group health
• Broker relationships
• Client trust
• Referral systems
• Commercial insurance
• Employee benefits
• Surplus checks
• Sales psychology

Episode 8 | Season 1

#LevelFunding #SelfFunding #InsuranceBroker #EmployeeBenefits #PNCInsurance #GroupHealth #BrokerStrategy #Underwriting #HealthcareCosts #NobleAgentsGuide

In this episode of The Noble Agent’s Guide, we sit down with Indiana-based broker Brian Dusenberry to unpack what separates transactional insurance agents from long-term trusted advisors in the level-funded and self-funded world.

Brian has spent decades in partially self-funded and self-funded health plans, and this conversation dives deep into how transparency, service, and long-term relationship building completely change the insurance business.

Key topics include:

• Why self-funding changes how employers think about healthcare spending
• The moment business owners finally “see where the money goes”
• Why level funding continues accelerating in small group markets
• How brokers provide value even when they don’t win the case
• The importance of underwriting transparency and employer education
• Why the best brokers think in decades instead of commissions
• The difference between a “job mentality” and a “career mentality”
• Why retention is built through service, not pricing spreadsheets
• How elite brokers use communication without overwhelming clients
• Why AI won’t replace relationship-driven insurance advisors

One of the most powerful moments in the episode:

Brian explains that he never truly loses a case:

“Either I win, or I learn.”

That mindset becomes the foundation for long-term success in employee benefits.

The conversation also explores:

• Why service-heavy brokers create lifetime clients
• The residual nature of insurance and building recurring income
• The crossover between military discipline and long-term brokerage success
• Why small-group health insurance creates unusually stable recurring revenue
• The importance of becoming a trusted resource rather than a quote machine
• How referrals are built through honest advisory work

Memorable takeaway:

“The groups that leave usually don’t leave because of service. Life changes around them. If you serve deeply enough, they often come back.”

Brian also shares his perspective on:

• The future of AI in insurance
• Why brokers must commit to insurance as a career
• What characteristics signal future top producers
• Why “people people” often win long-term
• How self-funded plans create visibility that fully insured plans never provide

If you’re a broker trying to build a real long-term career in employee benefits, level funding, and self-funded health plans — this episode is packed with practical wisdom from someone who has already lived it.

Guest:

Brian of BD Insurance

Topics Covered:

• Level funding
• Self-funding
• Small group health plans
• Broker retention
• Client service
• Underwriting
• Insurance careers
• Residual income
• Healthcare transparency
• Broker mindset
• Referral systems
• Employee benefits

Episode 9 | Season 1

#LevelFunding #SelfFunding #InsuranceBroker #EmployeeBenefits #BrokerStrategy #HealthcareCosts #ResidualIncome #SmallBusiness #Underwriting #NobleAgentsGuide

In this episode of The Noble Agent’s Guide, we sit down with Jason Powers of Legacy Brokers to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in employee benefits: level funding.

Jason has spent decades in the self-funded and level-funded space helping brokers and employers navigate the real mechanics behind these plans — beyond the marketing language.

This conversation goes deep into:

• Why “level funded” is mostly a marketing term
• The dangerous differences between carrier-model and true self-funded plans
• Why many brokers are selling self-funded plans without even realizing it
• The importance of guardrails, accommodation, advance funding, and surplus ownership
• How incentives change when carriers control surplus dollars
• Why underwriting still matters in a post-ACA world
• The difference between transactional brokers and consultative advisors
• How great brokers think about risk, curiosity, and long-term client relationships
• Why self-funding isn’t the answer — but the conduit to finding the answer

One of the biggest takeaways:

Self-funding doesn’t lower costs by itself. It creates visibility. And visibility is what allows employers to finally manage healthcare spend intelligently.

Jason also shares:

• How the industry has changed from “self-funding is dangerous” to mainstream adoption
• Why the best brokers ask better questions
• How AI and instant quoting can create shallow advisory work
• The “company credit card” analogy for self-funded health plans
• Why curious brokers consistently outperform transactional ones

If you’re a broker trying to understand the future of level funding, stop-loss, and self-funded strategy — this is a foundational conversation.

Guest:

Jason Powers

Legacy Brokers

Topics Covered:

• Level funded vs self-funded
• Stop loss and accommodation
• Surplus ownership
• Fixed costs vs claims liability
• Broker incentives
• Underwriting
• Cost containment
• Consultative selling
• Small group self-funding
• Carrier-model plans

Episode 7 | Season 1

#LevelFunding #SelfFunding #HealthInsurance #EmployeeBenefits #StopLoss #BrokerStrategy #HealthcareCosts #InsuranceBroker #NobleAgentsGuide

In this episode of The Noble Agent, Tom sits down with Byron Gilroy, a veteran of the small group health market with nearly three decades of experience serving independent brokers in Texas.

This is a practical conversation for brokers who want to get better at serving Main Street employers, especially those crossing over from Medicare, ACA, or fully insured group health into the level-funded space.

Byron breaks down the real-world habits that separate strong brokers from average ones: setting the table correctly in the first meeting, getting the census right the first time, explaining the process clearly, and building trust through honest conversations instead of hype.

If you are a broker trying to understand how to position level funding the right way, avoid messy quoting situations, and create longer-term retention with clients, this episode is full of hard-earned wisdom.

1. The biggest mindset shift brokers face when moving from Medicare or ACA into group health
2. Why the first business-owner meeting matters so much
3. How to identify the employer’s real pain point before you quote anything
4. Why census accuracy can make or break the quoting process
5. How participation and employer contribution work together in small group
6. Why many young brokers lose the sale during the process instead of at the close
7. How to properly explain timelines, underwriting, renewals, and expectations
8. Why level funding is about more than just monthly premium
9. How claims funds, deductibles, and stop-loss structure affect long-term renewal strategy
10. Why honest brokers win more trust, more retention, and more business over time
11. The difference between speed, technology, AI, and real human judgment in underwriting
12. Byron’s simple definition of what insurance actually is

Too many brokers try to rush to a quote before they have done the discovery work. Byron explains why that mistake creates confusion, weakens trust, and causes deals to fall apart later in the process. He also shares how disciplined brokers can slow down, ask better questions, and build better cases from the start.

This episode is especially valuable for:

1. independent brokers
2. employee benefits advisors
3. general agents
4. brokers new to level-funded health plans
5. producers moving from Medicare into the small group market

If you want to become the kind of broker who serves deeply, explains clearly, and builds long-term relationships in the level-funded space, this conversation will help.

Level funding is not just about getting a lower premium. Done correctly, it is about transparency, claims discipline, better renewal strategy, and building a plan that gives business owners a real chance to win over time.

If this episode helped you, share it with another broker who is trying to better serve Main Street employers through transparent health plans.

Like, subscribe, and follow The Noble Agent for more conversations on level funding, broker development, underwriting, and how independent brokers can build lasting value in the small group market.

Welcome to Houston.

In this episode of The Noble Agents, Tom sits down with Ralph Weber— best-selling author, and a 29-year benefits veteran with one of the most unique origin stories in the industry: former air traffic controller and commercial pilot.

Ralph explains why benefits is a lot like air traffic control—you’re not just managing what’s in front of you. You’re managing time, incentives, and the “wind” that pushes behavior inside the plan. That “5th dimension” lens leads to a powerful breakdown of why most brokers stop too early (“just raise the deductible”) and how that approach can create a death spiral in fully insured markets.

From there, the conversation gets practical and blunt:

1. Why ACA small-group rules changed the game—and accelerated level funding
2. How level funding is really about funding the maximum exposure (not gambling on claims)
3. Why Ralph calls it a “Refund Health Plan” (and why that framing matters)
4. How actuaries price expected claims vs. “umbrella” protection—and where refunds come from
5. Why “points lower today” can cost you incumbency and stickiness tomorrow
6. The hidden incentives behind medical loss ratio and why fully insured premiums tend to keep climbing
7. Why true insurance is for unknown risk—and how health insurance got distorted
8. Milton Friedman’s simple framework: mine vs. yours—and why it explains the difference between renting a plan and owning one

If you’ve ever struggled to explain level funding clearly—or you’ve felt the market shifting under your feet—this episode will give you language, metaphors, and a mindset that makes the whole thing click.

To connect with Ralph: FixMyBenefitsNow.com