Kristian Armstrong
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Milestone Managers and Providers
Mr. Armstrong has been involved in the life settlement industry for over three years as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Milestone Managers & Providers. Mr. Armstrong has been instrumental in developing and implementing many strategies used by Milestone Managers & Providers for finding high value, low cost policies. Mr. Armstrong is responsible for the oversight of day to day operations and financial forecasting for the companies, as well as funding and financing procurement for the purchase of life settlements. Mr. Armstrong has secured several streams of funding for Milestone Providers over the past three years and has been instrumental in developing origination agreements with several of the worlds leading banks and one of the world’s largest asset management groups. Mr. Armstrong has extensive experience in real estate and rental markets, and has been involved in early stage commodity agreements and contracts between European and post Perestroika former soviet block countries. Mr. Armstrong is fluent in Spanish, and currently holds his accident and health, life and annuities license for approximately 43 states.
David-Irwin Binter
Founder and President
Neuma, Inc.
David-Irwin Binter founded Neuma, Inc. in 1990 as a viatical settlement company. Since then, Neuma has dealt with thousands of investors and clients.
Prior to his involvement with Neuma, Mr. Binter was managing partner of the B&R Group, an options trading firm established in 1975, and its subsidiary, F.P. Quinn & Co., an options clearing firm. The total capital of the B&R Group was in excess of $30 million. In 1990, the business was slowly wound down. The firm had 55 employees, provided clearing operations for 35 independent broker/dealers, had credit lines of more than $200 million, and dealt in thousands of different securities.
Mr. Binter served as the first president of the Viatical and Life Settlement Association of America (VLSAA, now the Life Insurance Settlement Association, LISA) in 1995 to 1996 and again served in 2000 to 2001. He was a member of the VLSAA board from 1995 through 2003 and was also chairman of its ethics committee. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Pace College, New York.
Alan H. Buerger
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Coventry
Under Mr. Buerger’s leadership, Coventry created the secondary market and has transformed the life insurance industry by giving consumers the opportunity to sell their unwanted policies in a free market environment. Coventry’s efforts have enabled policyowners to receive more than $1.2 billion over cash surrender value. As the market’s preeminent firm, Coventry continues to provide consumers with new ways to leverage the market value of life insurance.
For more than 30 years, Mr. Buerger has been one of the industry’s chief innovators. He has worked to continually expand the power, value and flexibility of life insurance and he is responsible for more than a dozen major innovations.
Valerie Coffey
Director of Operations
Life Policy Dynamics, LLC (LPD)
Valerie Coffey, as Director of Operations of Life Policy Dynamics, LLC (LPD) manages customized client services within the life settlement business work process for funding entities, providers, brokers, and agents. Her primary foci are overseeing proposed and in-force policy valuations, portfolio optimization, and services such as purchase contract verification, premium management, NAV calculations, medical record and life expectancy retrieval, maintaining continuity with insureds, and maturity management.
Ms. Coffey has three years of secondary life insurance experience managing broker and institutional investor relationships, performing portfolio analyses, medical record review, and utilizing pricing models for development of pricing strategies for incoming contracts. Her responsibilities have also included reporting and managing case processes, development and augmentation of guidelines and procedures, database development, and facilitating Internet technology.
She brings four years of life insurance experience obtained in the capacity of Underwriting and Insurance Accounting Analyst with Pacific Life Insurance. Ms. Coffey's experience includes maintaining relationships with broker/dealers, balancing department workflow, and analyzing the cost of insurance and premium payments required to bring newly issued policies in force. While at Pacific Life, Ms. Coffey earned a Series 6 Registered Representatives insurance license.
Kevin DeVaan
President, Livings Benefits Financial Services
Co-founder, Marquee Fiduciary Advisors
Kevin DeVaan can truly be called a leading authority on the insurance business. More than 30 years experience in the design, manufacture and distribution of a wide variety of insurance products have come together and brought a comprehensive focus to the life settlements industry. And not just in advising what to do, but in actually driving results.
As president of Livings Benefits Financial Services and co-founder of Marquee Fiduciary Advisors, he has increased revenues more than 400% in two years. Before that, he ran a profit center for AIG that increased revenues more than 700% in six years.
Mr. DeVaan has broad business management expertise in sales, marketing, underwriting, operations, product development, legal and regulatory issues and technology. Over the course of his career, he has spoken before more than 20,000 insurance and finance professionals in the US and Canada.
He has also been widely published, with articles appearing in the Insurance Journal and Gama International and on a variety of insurance industry group websites.
Mr. DeVaan has a law degree as well as CLU and CPCU designations.
Russel Dorsett
Co-Managing Director
Select Life Settlements Corporation
J. Russel Dorsett, Co-Managing Director, is known globally as an industry executive and consultant, having been a principal speaker at conferences and conventions across the world. He's served as a senior executive for a number of major companies, including eight years as the Managing Director and CEO of AIA Australia, a licensed insurance company, and AIA Superannuation Company, an Approved Trustee for Australian Retirement Plans. He also had regional responsibility for AIG's life and A&H businesses in Australasia and has extensive experience in the global insurance and financial services businesses. As a consultant, he has worked with a number of major global firms and is also affiliated with Improved Funding Techniques in retirement planning.
Russel Dorsett was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA). He has a degree in Biological Sciences and has held the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation for more than 25 years.
Robert E. Finfer
President and Chief Executive Officer
Integrity Capital Partners LLC
Robert E. Finfer is President and Chief Executive Officer, Integrity Capital Partners, LLC, (ICP), and Integrity Settlement Group, Inc. Integrity is a leading Life Settlement and Premium Finance Brokerage company located in Bethesda, MD. ICP is licensed and operates in 19 states across the country and has closed over $1.5 billion since its inception in 2002. Mr. Finfer is also part of MDRT and a Top of The Table Producer. Prior to founding Integrity, Mr. Finfer, spent nearly a decade as an executive in the non prime automobile finance business, building and taking part in some of the first securitizations within the non-prime automobile industry. Mr. Finfer earned his degree in finance from American University.
J. Mark Goode
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Secondary Life Capital, LLC
Following careful analysis of investment trends and the identification of emerging opportunities in the secondary market for life insurance, Mr. Goode organized and co-founded Secondary Life Capital, LLC. The development of the unique Secondary Life Capital, LLC business and investment model required his strategic planning skills and financial expertise. His business acumen, investment judgment, and experience have been instrumental in the launch and growth of Secondary Life Capital, LLC, bringing professionalism and business discipline to the secondary life market.
Prior to establishing Secondary Life Capital, LLC, Mr. Goode was the Managing Principal for EurAm Partners, LLC. His experience with EurAm included:
- Investment Advisory, Strategic Marketing, and Consulting experience with numerous international private equity firms, investment funds, and corporations
- Originated and closed business and investment transactions with an combined value of $250 million in both commercial real estate and corporate finance
- Raised and placed $85 million of German investment equity for a commercial office development in Washington, DC
- Negotiation management and due diligence for European investment funds
In addition to his financial and business experience, Mr. Goode was formerly a Captain in the United States Marine Corps where he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal. He holds a Master's degree in Legislative Affairs with a focus on Monetary and Fiscal Policy from George Washington University and a Bachelor's Degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Goode is a member/graduate of Leadership Washington, and served on the Jubilee Enterprise Advisory Board.
Linda Goodwin, MD, FACP
Medical Director
Examination Management Services, Inc. (EMSI)
Linda S. Goodwin, M.D. has been the Medical Director for Examination Management Services Inc. since 2006. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Insurance Medicine, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine with Certification of Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine. Prior to joining EMSI, Dr. Goodwin was Medical Director of The Marketing Alliance providing mortality analysis of older age and highly impaired cases. Between 1993 and 2002 she held positions as Vice President and Chief Medical Director at Mutual of Omaha and Transamerica Reinsurance Companies. She is a frequent speaker on underwriting topics relating to the senior population. She is the author of the “Older Age Underwriting” chapter in the Medical Selection of Risk, edited by Brackenridge and Elder published by McMillan. Dr. Goodwin is also the founder and President of Creative Risks Analysis, Inc.
Rob Haynie
Managing Director
Life Insurance Settlements, Inc
Mr. Haynie has been a major influence in the evolution of the life settlement industry during his thirteen year career of proactive involvement. Not only has he been directly involved in negotiating and settling several thousand contracts, he has completed a 6-year term on the board of directors of the Life Insurance Settlement Association, in addition to serving as its Vice President for four years. Mr. Haynie, an Alumnus of Florida State University, currently holds a Life Agent License with Viatical Settlement Broker Appointment for LIS.
Stuart Hersch
President and Chief Executive Officer
Cantor LifeMarkets
Phillip S. Hill, III
Managing Director
Mark Ross & Company, Inc.
Ronnie Katz, CPA
Founder/Consultant to
Settlements For Life, LLC
Mr. Katz started his career with 24 years in public accounting and life sales experience. He spent 24 years as a partner in the CPA Firm, Katz & Co. with the following expertise: tax planning, auditing, and advisory service. He is a licensed life insurance agent and has decades of experience counseling agents and clients in the affluent senior market. His years as a personal producer and entrepreneur have helped him create customer focused companies, that aid and assist consumers with a maximum of efficiency and profitability. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Memphis Estate Planning Council, the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the boards of several charitable institutions. He is the President and Founder of Finance For Life.
The Honorable George J. Keiser
Chairman, Life Settlements Subcommittee, National Conference of Insurance
Legislators (NCOIL)
State Representative from North Dakota
Scott Kirby
Co-President, Business Development and Compliance Issues
Advanced Settlements, Inc.
Scott Kirby has an extensive background in the life settlement industry dating back to 1997 when the secondary market for life insurance began to emerge. Having begun his career with a viatical settlement broker in Florida, he helped pioneer the company’s entry into the life settlement marketplace and completed some of the industry’s very first transactions. In 2000, he co-founded Advanced Settlements and has helped the company grow to one of the leading life settlement firms in the industry. With both a Series 6 and a life insurance license, he frequently speaks on the topic of life settlements and is an approved instructor for CE and CPE credits. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida.
Thomas Laumont, Executive Vice President, HVB FondsFinance GmbH
and
Chairman, Bundesverband Vermögensanlagen Zweitmarkt Lebensversicherungen e.V. (BVZL e.V.)
Thomas Laumont joined HVB FondsFinance/Wealth Cap in March, 2001 and was appointed Executive Vice President at the end of 2005.
Within UniCredit / HVB Group HVB FondsFinance/Wealth Cap is the competence center for closed-end-funds and domestic and international structured leasing in the big-ticket area. He is head of the division for Secondary Life Products. Two funds are invested in life insurance policies from the secondary market in the U.S. Both dispose of anequity of more than $420 mil. Further funds to invest in life insurance policies are being planned. Another fund of approximately £80 mil invests in TEPs (Traded Endowment Policies) in UK.
After having graduated as a "Dipl.-Betriebswirt" (business administration) Thomas Laumont started his professional career with a German state owned bank in 1990 as a credit officer before he became head of a housing-loan department. For a period of six months he was in charge of a real estate project in Seoul, South Korea, arranged by this state owned bank. In 1998 he joined KGAL (KG Allgemeine Leasing) in Munich, Germany, as manager of both domestic and international projects. In 2001 he joined HVB FondsFinance.
As representative of HVB FondsFinance, Mr Laumont was one of the founders of the BVZL and headed the working group “PR and Industry Standards” until he was elected as new chairman of the association in 2006.
Jon B. Mendelsohn
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ashar Group, LLC
Jon B. Mendelsohn is a partner at Ashar Group, LLC, a nationally licensed firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
He became active in the Life Settlement industry when it began its transition to an institutionally driven market. Mr. Mendelsohn has spoken at numerous national financial services conferences and is available to provide continuing education for both financial advisors and attorneys from coast-to-coast.
Mr. Mendelsohn considers himself fortunate to have worked with many of the nation's leading wealth management firms, attorneys, and financial planning advisors. His expertise in both the operational and marketing components of the secondary market, combined with his extensive experience of the Life Settlement process has helped to place Ashar Group, LLC at the forefront of this rapidly expanding sector of the life insurance field.
Mr. Mendelsohn attended the University of Florida earning two Bachelor's Degrees in Economics and Marketing as well as a Master's Degree in Education.
Honorable Peter Molinaro
former Senior Deputy Superintendent
New York State Insurance Department
and
Current President
American Life Insurance Congress (ALIC)
and
Managing Director
The Mark Ross Group, LLC
Robert W. Powell
former Senior Marketing Executive
Met Life, Jefferson Pilot, Highland Capital Brokerage Division of National Financial Partners
and
Current Managing Director
The Mark Ross Group, LLC
Mark E. Ross
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
The Mark Ross Group, LLC (MRG)
and
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
American Life Insurance Congress
and
American Life Insurance Congress Institute
Craig Seitel
Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer
Abacus Settlements, LLC
Prior to joining Abacus Settlements, LLC, Craig Seitel served as the Managing Director for the New York office of Allison-Williams Company, an Investment Banking Firm.
Before that he worked for Oppenheimer Corp. as a Senior Vice President. His banking specialties include helping capitalize various finance companies and designing related securitization programs. In this regard he developed extensive knowledge of various asset types including life insurance settlements, structured settlements, legal receivables, auto loans, consumer mortgages as well as a variety of other assets.
Craig Seitel has also represented the Securities and Exchange Commission as an expert witness for various private placement related disputes and inquiries.
Mr. Seitel graduated with a B.A. in Economics (cum laude) and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota. He is currently serves as an Alumni Advisory Board Member for the Carlson School of Management. He currently holds series 7, 24, 63 and Life and Health Insurance Licenses.
Steven Shapiro
President and Chief Executive Officer
Q Capital Strategies, LLC
Steven M. Shapiro is President and CEO of Q Capital Strategies. Previously, he was the President of MARK Partners LLC, a merchant banking boutique he founded in 2001. Mr. Shapiro has extensive experience in strategic consulting, investment banking advisory services, and private equity investing. Mr. Shapiro has held positions with several private equity and investment banking partnerships, including The Blackstone Group, LP and Centre Partners Management LLC. Mr. Shapiro holds a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in finance and entrepreneurial management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Larry Alan Simon
Chief Executive Officer, President, and Sole Director
Life Settlement Solutions, Inc.
Mr. Simon serves as the chief executive officer, president, and sole director for LSS. In this capacity, he carries ultimate responsibility for the executive management of LSS, long-range strategic planning and development, relationships with funding sources and brokers, and executive oversight of the general business affairs of the company.
Separate and independent from the establishment and operation of LSS, Mr. Simon has also served as the chief executive officer and a director of Global Life Capital, Inc., and its subsidiary, Life Capital, B.V., as well as an affiliate, Global Life Services, Inc., (collectively “the Global Life companies”) since their formations in 1999-2001. In this capacity, Mr. Simon was responsible for the management and direction of the Global Life companies’ day-to-day operations, which included the acquisition and management of a portfolio of life insurance policies acquired through life settlement transactions.
From 1972 through 1999, Mr. Simon was active in the establishment and management of the operations of other successful business ventures. Earlier in his career, from approximately 1969 through 1972, Mr. Simon spent approximately four years with Deloitte & Touche as an auditor and consultant.
Brian Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Life Equity LLC
Brian Smith is CEO of Life Equity LLC, one of the fastest growing providers and servicers in the life settlement industry. As a co-founder of Life Equity in 2000, Mr. Smith formulated the Company’s objectives of bringing a professional business approach to the industry by adhering to the highest ethical and legal standards. Life Equity only utilizes institutionally-provided funds and is licensed in virtually every state that regulates life settlements.
Mr. Smith also serves as the President of the Life Settlement Institute (LSI), which is a not-for-profit trade organization that Life Equity co-founded. The LSI is dedicated to promoting the use of institutional financing in the life settlement industry, supporting laws and regulations that foster the use of such institutional financing and preventing fraudulent or dishonest life settlement transactions. To that end, the LSI has played a major role in the passage of state laws regulating life settlements.
Brian Smith is the former President, COO and Director of Cole National Corporation, a $1 billion NYSE company, which he took public in 1994. Nationally he has held such former roles as Chairman of Prevent Blindness America, Director of the National Retail Federation and Chairman & Director of the National Association of Opticians and Optometrists. Locally he has served as Director of Prevent Blindness Ohio, Trustee of the Cleveland Roundtable and Alumni of Leadership Cleveland. Brian holds a BS and MBA from Cornell University and received his license in the state of Illinois as a CPA.
Howard Zail
Chief Financial Officer
Proverian Capital, LLC
Howard Zail is the Chief Financial Officer of Proverian Capital, Inc. He is in charge of pricing and risk analytics at Proverian.
He joined Proverian from Lotter Actuarial Partners, where he provided financial analysis on insurance-related risks and issues. He has worked extensively on life settlement projects, including building appraisal and simulation models, conducting due diligence on life settlement providers and advising operators and investors in this industry on a wide range of issues. He has provided specialty advice to insurance companies on financial and business restructuring and workouts of distressed business lines and risk exposures. He has advised senior management on strategic business and capital management issues. He has assisted investment funds in analyzing a range of distressed insurance companies and opportunities.
Prior to joining Lotter Actuarial Partners, Mr. Zail was Vice President of the life and health division of Centre, the specialty risk and insurance division of the Zurich Financial Services Group (1997-2000). At Centre, he was involved in a major initiative to analyze the life settlement industry and build up Centre’s exposure in this area. He analyzed, structured and underwrote large and intricate insurance and reinsurance transactions. Such work related to disability reinsurance, medical stop loss deals, life settlements, long-term care and other risks. He was a member of the board of directors for one of Centre’s venture capital investments where he structured bridge loans and preferred equity investments for the company.
Mr. Zail began his career as an actuarial analyst for Commercial Union Life of South Africa (1990-1994). In his final position, he headed the product development department, where he was in charge of designing, pricing and implementing new life and health products. He was also the company’s strategic and financial planner where he worked with the Board and senior management in devising strategic direction, setting financial and operational policy and establishing department budgets.
He has an MBA from Columbia Business School, and a B.Sc. (Honors) from the University of Witwatersrand. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (US) and the Faculty of Actuaries (UK).