Free IUL design training for licensed professionals.
Basics done right: the design calls most policies get wrong. Short lessons you can use on your next case.
- 8 modules, about 3 hours
- Checklist + quiz every lesson
- Certificate of completion
For licensed insurance and financial professionals. Educational only: not consumer advice and not tax, legal or investment advice. Every example is hypothetical. Product features, costs and guarantees vary by carrier and state. Completing this course is not continuing education (CE) credit, a license or a designation.
8 modules, in the order you'd use them on a case
Each lesson is a 5 to 7 minute read with a worked hypothetical case, a "what can go wrong" box, a takeaway checklist and a 3 question quiz.
- Module 1: How an IUL really worksExplain where every premium dollar goes, how index crediting actually works, and how to compare strategies and carriers without fooling yourself or the client.Where every premium dollar goes · Caps, participation rates, spreads and floors · Indexes, strategies and comparing carriers fairly
- Module 2: Client fit, and who it's NOT forScreen a client for IUL fit in one conversation, recognize when term or something else is the better answer, and say so without losing the relationship.The fit screen · Who IUL is not for · One piece of the plan, and how to say "not IUL"
- Module 3: DesignDesign an IUL that puts the client's money to work: right-size the death benefit, choose and switch death benefit options on purpose, and add only the riders that earn their cost.Fit check, then the minimum non-MEC death benefit · Death benefit options: increasing during funding, level after · Riders that matter, and term blending
- Module 4: FundingExplain the 7702 and 7702A rules in plain words, fund a policy up to the line without crossing it, and set honest expectations about what happens when premiums stop.Section 7702 in plain words: GPT vs CVAT · Section 7702A, the 7-pay test and MECs · Max funding, and what happens when premiums stop
- Module 5: Reading and stress-testing illustrationsRead any IUL illustration column by column, explain the AG 49 rules behind the illustrated rate, and stress-test a design before a client ever sees it.The columns that matter on an IUL illustration · Illustrated rates and the AG 49 rules · Stress-testing a design before the client sees it
- Module 6: Policy loansExplain how policy loans work, compare fixed and indexed loans honestly, and plan retirement income that keeps the policy in force.How a policy loan actually works · Fixed vs indexed loans and the arbitrage spread · Retirement income without lapsing the policy
- Module 7: How policies lapse: the common mistakesRecognize the ten most common ways IUL policies fail, fix each one, and catch the warning signs years before a lapse notice.Autopsies part 1: design mistakes · Autopsies part 2: MEC by accident and loans that lapse · Autopsies part 3: how it was sold and serviced
- Module 8: Annual reviews and the case design checklistRun a yearly IUL review, choose the right fix for a policy that's behind, and use the case design checklist to document and deliver every case.The annual review routine · Fixing an underfunded policy · The capstone: case design checklist, documentation and delivery
Short and practical
One lesson per screen, built to read between appointments. Pick up where you left off on any device.
Proof, not watch time
Pass each lesson's quiz with 2 of 3. Know a topic already? Take the quiz and move on.
Something to keep
Every lesson ends with a checklist, and the IUL case design checklist pulls the course into one page.
Jesse Wood
Jesse is a licensed life insurance agent and educator who teaches families and agents how these products really work, costs and trade-offs included. This course is the training he wishes every agent got before their first case.
Questions agents ask
Is IUL Basics Pro really free?
Yes. There's no paid tier behind it and no card. You sign up with your first name, email and state, confirm you're licensed, and start.
Who is it for?
Licensed life insurance agents and financial professionals who design or review indexed universal life. It isn't consumer advice. Families looking to learn about IUL should start at iulbasics.com.
Do I need my license number?
No. The NPN field is optional. Checking the box that you're a licensed professional is required.
Is it continuing education (CE) credit?
No. You get a certificate of completion when you pass every lesson, but it isn't CE credit, a license or a designation.
Does it name carriers or products?
No. It teaches how to design and review any IUL: charges, crediting, 7702 and 7702A, illustrations under AG 49-A and 49-B, loans and reviews. Every example is hypothetical.
Will you pitch me?
No pitch inside the lessons. You'll get six short emails that point you to your next lesson, and you can unsubscribe from any of them. If you want to talk a case through with the author, you can ask.
How long does it take?
About 3 hours: 8 modules of short lessons, each with a checklist and a 3 question quiz. You can stop and pick up where you left off from any device.