Contents
From the President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
GENERAL SESSIONS
Main Platform
MDRT’s traditional
general session, featuring
nonmember speakers with
presentations chosen to
inspire, motivate, educate,
and entertain.
MDRT Speaks
A series of fast-paced,
innovative, and creative
business concepts
delivered by members,
panels, and business
speakers designed to
improve productivity and
business practices.
©Million Dollar Round Table
2017 Executive Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Standing on the Edge of the Future  President Mark J. Hanna, CLU, ChFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lessons Learned  First Vice President James D. Pittman, CLU, CFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Best Thing  Executive Committee Nominee Ian Green, Dip PFS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Moment of Reflection  Jonathon M. Hanna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Moving to Great  Eric Boles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Without Limits  Dr. Caroline Casey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Measure of a Person  H. Richard Dobson Jr., CFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Evolving Ourselves  Juan Enriquez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Understanding a Different Perspective  Vinh Giang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Ask, Think, Do, Repeat  Jeff Havens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
The Art of Enchantment  Guy Kawasaki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Power of Hope  Pamela Landwirth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Delivering Happiness  Jenn Lim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Doing Stress Well  Kelly McGonigal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Keep Hitting the Rock  Billy Riggs, CSP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Matter  Peter Sheahan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Creating Unexpected Moments of Joy  Charlie Todd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The Box  Guy E. Baker, MSFS, CFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Triple Your MDRT Results  David Batchelor, Dip PFS, CFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adapt and Adopt  Jennifer A. Borislow, CLU and Michelle L. Hoesly, CLU, ChFC. . . . . . . . . . 75
If Not You, Who?  Peter Jason Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Personal Value Statement  Terence Chan Mou Hon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Out of Sight, Out of Mind  Neeraj Chauhan, CFP, BCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Questions to Opportunity  Matthew Charles Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Engagement  Richard Pearse Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Powerful Questions  Gregory Fok, CFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Financial Oxygen  Alphonso B. Franco, RHU, RCIS and Godfrey Phillips, FChFP, J.P. . . . . . . . 87
Building a Culture of Health and Well-Being  Mark S. Gaunya, GBA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Business Generation Through Compliance  Ian Green, Dip PFS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Making a Difference  Roy Hall, ADFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Process, Process, Process  Benjamin Harding, CLU, CFP and Kimberly A. Harding, CLU . . 96
Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017
Contents
MDRT Speaks
continued
Cornerstone
Presentations
Main Platform-quality
presentations that
offer a more in-depth,
concentrated look at topics
such as sales strategies,
practice management,
technology, and health
and wellness.
FOCUS SESSIONS
Client
Strategies
Proven techniques and
transferable strategies to
increase sales productivity.
Marketing
Processes and activities
that promote the financial
services professional as a
businessperson; products
and services offered to a
given target market.
Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017
From Good to Great to Joy  Sol Hicks .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
It’s Not Just Business; It’s Personal  Matthew T. Hoesly, CFP, ChFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Selfless Referrals  Rick Hu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Inspiration From Mentors  Soochang Hur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Turning Clients Into Advocates  Chris Leach, Dip PFS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Money Monsters to Money Masters  Jae S. Lee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Business-Building Ideas Successfully Implemented  Bryson Milley, CFP, CIM . . . . . . . 109
A New Lens  Daniel O’Connell, MBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Your Lasting Gift  Sherry Lee Ong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Leveraging Technology  Ryan Pinney, Steven A. Plewes, CLU, ChFC, and
Edward C. Skelly, CLU, ChFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Walking the Tightrope  William J. Rossi, CFP, ChFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Put Me on Your Payroll  George B. Sigurdson, CLU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Objections  Sanjay Tolani, FLMI, MBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
A Conversation: The Journey to Success  Alessandro M. Forte, Dip PFS and Tony Gordon. . 124
Raising Execution Through Reclaiming White Space  Juliet Funt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
A Mind Opened by Wonder  Vinh Giang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Become the Obvious Choice  Peter Sheahan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
The Power of Words  Bhupinder S. Anand, ACII, Dip PFS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Process  Bruce W. Etherington, CLU, CH.F.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
One-Page Presentations that Sing  Robert Gawthrop, CFP, CLU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Differentiate Yourself  Radhakrishnan Gopinath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Become Irreplaceable by Helping Your Clients Grow Like Never Before 
Taylor Marklin Sledge Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
The 21st Century Advisor  Sanjay Tolani, FLMI, MBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Sell and Manage 10 Times the Clients in 3 Days Per Week 
David Batchelor, Dip PFS, CFP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
What Color Is Your Business?  Jennifer Brown, CFP, FChFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Telephone Tango: Getting Appointments in a No-Pick-Up Culture 
Gail B. Goodman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Selling Success All Over the World  Gregory Pogonowski, Dip PFS, Cert CII (MP) . . . . . . 213
Everybody Knows Joe: 11 Keys to Impactful Networking  Joseph M. Thomas. . . . . . . . 220
©Million Dollar Round Table

Practice
Management
Best practices for
prospecting, client and
case management,
servicing, record keeping,
referral attainment, and
other activities associated
with business operations.
Protection
Products that minimize risk
and increase clients’ options
and choices for the future;
includes business succession
and estate planning.
Retirement/
Wealth
Planning
Strategies
Providing guidance
in the areas of asset
allocation, investment risk
management, qualified and
nonqualified retirement
plans, post-retirement
income planning, and
legacy considerations.
Top of the Table
Advanced strategies,
insight, and sales tips for
MDRT Top of the Table
producers and aspirants.
©Million Dollar Round Table
Contents
Fee Based Practices—A Panel Discussion  Kenneth E. Davy, Cert PFS, FCII,
Gregory B. Gagne, ChFC, Gino Saggiomo, CFP, and Moderator: Caroline A. Banks, FPFS . . . . . . 226
How the DOL Has Already Affected You, and Other Legislative Updates! 
Judi Carsrud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
How to Attract Quality Clients and Differentiate Yourself in Today’s
Competitive Market  Louis J. Cassara, CLU, ChFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Wealth Management: The Journey from Insurance Agent to Portfolio Advisor 
Aman Chugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Synergy: 1+1=3  Matthew T. Hoesly, CFP, ChFC and Michelle L. Hoesly, CLU, ChFC . . . . . . 254
The One-Page Business Plan for Million Dollar Top Producers  Jim Horan . . . . . . . . . 258
The Great Transition  Angus Donald McQueen, Dip FS, Dip CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Disability Insurance: How To Sell, and Why They Buy!  Corry Collins, CLU, CH.F.C. . . 268
Creating Unique Benefits for Business Owners and Their Employees 
Matthew E. Schiff, CLU, ChFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Your Legacy—Pay It Forward as a Prince or Pauper? Communicating Your
Value Proposition and Understanding How Clients Make Decisions  Jeffrey Scott, CFP, ChFC . . 279
Hanna’s Letter to Santa and Other Great Conversations About Critical
Illness Insurance  Darren W. Ulmer, CFP, CHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Business-Owner Marketplace Made Easy  Jeffrey M. Wadsworth, MBA, CFP . . . . . . . . . 289
Retirement and Wealth Planning Strategies and Skills  Stanislaus Benjamin . . . . . . . . . 296
Retirement Income Planning: Take Your Wealth Management Business to the
Next Level  Brad Brain, CFP, CLU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Do Your Clients Know What Their Income Will Be in Retirement? They Should! 
Clay Gillespie, CFP, CIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Strategic Retirement Planning: An Integrated Approach 
Michael J. McNeil, CLU, ChFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
An Informal Learning Session with MDRT and Top of the Table Leaders 
Adelia C. Chung, CLU, ChFC, Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC,
and Moderator: Brian H. Ashe, CLU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Building an Engaged Organization  Jennifer A. Borislow, CLU and Mark S. Gaunya, GBA. . 336
Seminars: Your Entryway to Court and Top of the Table  James William Johnson . . . . . . 343
It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Say It  Dale W. Martin, CLU, ChFC. . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
How to Reach the Top of the Table and Stay There  Radhakrishna K. Shetty, LUTCF . . . 350
How to Make Millions Each Year and Work Just 50 Days 
Donald P. Speakman, MSFS, CFP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017
Contents

Whole Person Lead with Levity: Strategic Humor for Leaders  Karyn Buxman, CSP, CPAE. . . . . . . . . . 360
Bringing all the areas of Dodging Dodgy People—Save Your Time, Money, and Heartache  Janet Hall, PhD. . . 375
life—career, education,
financial, health, Adapt or Die: A Survival Guide for a Changing World  Joseph W. Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
relationships, service,
spiritual—into balance. The Power of Planning: Goals vs. Desires  Randy Marshall, PhD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
The Magic of Relationships  Rajesh Satoskar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

SPECIAL SESSIONS

From Zero to Good: How to Build Your Practice  Cameron Herold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Reframing Our Fear of Failure  Adam Kreek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Forget Willpower: How to Achieve More for Your Business  Debra Searle. . . . . . . . . . . 425
Creating Exceptional Client Experiences  Mike Staver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Author Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432

In Memoriam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
MDRT Executive Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Past Presidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
2017 Committees and Task Forces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Photo Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

Annual Meeting Proceedings | 2017 ©Million Dollar Round Table