Agency Intelligence: The Insurance Podcast Network

Are families leaving financial aid money on the table, or are we being sold the idea that there's a secret way to make college more affordable? With tuition costs climbing and student loan rules changing, figuring out how to pay for college can leave even the most financially savvy parents feeling overwhelmed. In this episode of Stuff About Money They Didn't Teach You in School, Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, welcomes back college planning expert John Hupalo, founder of Invite Education and My College Corner, for a candid conversation about the real cost of college. They discuss whether college is still worth the investment, major changes to Parent PLUS loans, the benefits of 529 plans, and why taking on student debt isn't always a bad thing. Erik and John also explore the growing tension between funding a child's education and saving for retirement, the importance of finding a school that's a financial fit, and why honest conversations with your kids may be the most valuable part of the college planning process. Episode Highlights: John shares how his career in student loan finance and his daughters’ college search led him to found Invite Education. (02:30) John explains why paid FAFSA courses rarely help, since the form pulls tax returns from two years earlier. (08:57) Grandparent-owned 529 plans no longer count on a student’s financial aid form, as John explains. (13:18) A simple rule of thumb: student loan debt at or below a graduate’s starting salary should be manageable. (18:54) Erik shares why giving kids their own money to manage at home builds spending habits before they leave. (24:24) John explains how Parent PLUS loans let families borrow up to the full cost of attendance with almost no credit testing. (31:38) John explains the new “ability to benefit” test, which requires programs to show their graduates out-earn those without the degree. (37:07) A lower-cost local nursing program can deliver a far better return than an expensive school that leads to the same job. (41:54) John shares why Invite Education sees AI as a tool that amplifies experience but cannot replace a human conversation. (46:24) Key Quotes: “It’s all about choices. The choices that they’re going to make, the money they’re going to spend, where they’re going to spend it, how they’re going to spend it, what they have to save for.” - John Hupalo “People were worried about academic fit and social fit, and they weren’t thinking much about financial fit, right? And I think that’s the third leg of the stool.” - John Hupalo “The conversation is almost the most important part of the entire process, the sooner you start it, the better.” - Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™ Resources Mentioned: John Hupalo My College Corner Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors

In this episode of Front Cover: A Rough Notes Podcast on the Agency Intelligence Podcast Network, Jason Cass sits down with Andrew Corndell, Founder of Corndell Insurance, the agency featured on the November 2026 front cover of Rough Notes Magazine.  Key Topics: Leaving a decorated captive career to stop missing moments at home with his kids Launching an agency in July 2023 and growing to 18 domestic employees and 25 directly hired VAs Shifting from nearly 100% personal lines toward a 60/40 commercial split Why the $100K to $500K premium mid-market is drastically underserved How one account review caught an HVAC client rated five times higher than it should be Capturing the whole account so another agent can’t take it at renewal Using AI and machine learning to speed up quote-to-bind and stay proactive with clients How focusing on the real estate sphere and trying everything built his referral engine Empowering the team through EOS, plus why there’s no better time to make the jump to independent Reach out to: Andrew Corndell Jason Cass Visit Website: Corndell Insurance Rough Notes Magazine Produced by PodSquad.fm

What if trying to protect your money is actually putting your financial future at risk? Market volatility, political uncertainty, and the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence can make even experienced investors question their decisions. But while we spend a lot of time worrying about what the stock market might do next, we don't always consider how our own reactions can affect our long-term financial success. In this solo episode of the Stuff About Money podcast, financial advisor Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, explores three things every investor should understand: how markets work, how investors feel, and how successful investors behave. Through historical market data and a real-life story about a husband and wife who took very different approaches to investing, Erik explains why avoiding volatility isn't the same as avoiding risk, how fear and FOMO can derail a financial plan, and why staying disciplined through uncertainty may be one of the most important investment decisions you make. Episode Highlights: Since 1980, the stock market has averaged a 14% decline at some point each year, yet still finished positive roughly three out of four years. (02:28) Erik explains why nobody knows what the stock market will do next, no matter how convincing the predictions sound. (05:09) Erik breaks down the difference between volatility and risk from a financial planning perspective. (07:07) The S&P 500 averaged about 10% over 100 years, but 26 of those years were negative, a reminder that the average return isn’t the actual experience. (09:03) Erik shares how a client who moved her investments into cash didn’t eliminate risk but introduced a different kind of risk. (11:32) Erik explains why being excited about AI and making a good investment in AI are two different things. (14:17) Since 1938, the S&P 500 has posted a gain in the 12 months following a midterm election 95% of the time. (15:48) Successful investors start with an actual financial plan that balances the risk they need to take against the risk they can tolerate. (17:10) Charles Schwab data shows that missing just 10 of the best trading days over 20 years dropped annualized returns from about 11% to 6.6%. (19:09) Erik shares why sometimes the best thing to do with your investments is nothing. (20:41) Before making an investment change, Erik encourages listeners to ask whether something changed in their financial life or simply in the headlines. (23:09) Key Quotes: “ We can't eliminate emotions from investing, but we can learn to recognize when those emotions might be influencing our decision that are contrary to our goals.” - Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™ “The goal of investing isn’t necessarily to eliminate volatility, it’s to take the appropriate amount of risk to accomplish our financial goals.” - Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™ “Maybe being a successful investor isn’t so much about getting better at predicting what the market’s gonna do. Maybe it’s about getting better at understanding how we’re gonna respond when the market does something we didn’t expect.” - Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™ Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors 

You don’t need to know how to build AI to get ahead with it. You need to know how to use it. IndieTech 2027 Featured Speaker Ruben Hassid sits down with Jason to talk about choosing the right model and how fast AI is getting cheaper, and as Co-Founder of GPC, he shares how companies actually get their teams on board. Key Topics: Ruben’s mission to teach people how to use AI, not how to build it The gym analogy: 20 minutes twice a week puts you ahead of 99% of people One AI tool or many: why most people should pick one and get good at it Open models, the Pareto line, and the trade-off between intelligence and cost How team subscriptions under 150 seats make Claude a better deal than paying per token AI getting 79 times cheaper every year, with those savings compounding Jason’s experience with “You are a text file” and training AI on his writing style GPC’s view that AI adoption is a people problem, not a technology problem How a $700 million food company turned two data entry roles into two new salespeople Why Ruben says AI is here to stay, no matter what the stock market does Reach out to: Ruben Hassid Jason Cass Visit Website: GPC IndieTech Agency Intelligence Produced by PodSquad.fm

What if you’re not behind financially? What if you’re just getting started? In this episode of Money in Real Life, Stuff About Money co-hosts Xavier Angel CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC®, and Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA™, tackle the pressure young professionals feel to build wealth while paying down debt, starting careers, managing everyday expenses, and still trying to enjoy their lives. Xavier and Erik explore why building wealth isn’t about following someone else’s formula or trying to build in five years what may have taken others 30. They talk about comparison, creating financial breathing room, building an emergency reserve, and developing small financial habits that can grow along with your career and income. Because financial progress isn’t about hitting someone else’s benchmark. It’s about using your money to create more opportunity and more choices in your own life. Episode Highlights: Xavier shares common listener questions about saving, building wealth, and managing student loan debt on an entry-level income. (02:57) Xavier explains how defining wealth on personal terms, rather than by industry standards, leads to the next step of building breathing room. (08:19) Erik explains how comparison culture and social media push young professionals to accumulate in five years what took their parents 30 years. (12:53) Consumption smoothing is explored as a way to balance spending and saving when strong future income growth is likely. (19:15) Erik shares an idea for parents to give young professionals a meaningful gift by seeding an emergency fund. (24:44) Xavier reminds listeners that the destination of financial planning is opportunity and choices, not money. (29:37) Key Quotes: “You could start with $25 or $50 or $150 a month. The importance right now is to start creating the habit, the habit of saving.” - Xavier Angel CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC® “Life is a series of decisions, and sometimes you have to make hard decisions to get to what you really want.” - Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA™ “The destination of financial planning is not money. The destination of financial planning is giving you opportunity and choices.” - Xavier Angel CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC® Resources Mentioned: Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors