Benefits Brokers Exchange, Inc.
Your Choice for Insurance Benefits, Products & Solutions · Since 1965 · Houston, TX
About BBX
Benefits Brokers Exchange, Inc. (BBX) is a full-service insurance brokerage firm headquartered at 1800 St. James Place, Suite 303, Houston, TX 77056, operating since 1965. Under the leadership of President Charles R. Hale, BBX serves as a Managing General Agency (MGA) providing agents across 5 states with access to 103 carrier-product grids spanning approximately 69 unique insurance companies.
BBX's mission: "Whether you are an individual customer or an insurance broker, BBX's mission is to help you find the most competitive products from financially sound companies that fit your financial and insurance needs." The firm specializes in finding the best products across carriers for their agent network, handling contracting, training, and back-office support. Tagline: "Your Choice for Insurance Benefits, Products & Solutions."
Key Capabilities
Life Insurance
Term, Whole Life, Universal Life, IUL, GIWL. No-exam options up to $2M. Carriers: AGL, Protective, Prudential, NLG, Lincoln and 40+ more.
Fixed & Index Annuities
"Safe Money" annuities with zero market risk, guaranteed lifetime income, and chronic illness benefits. MYGA, FIA, SPIA options.
Tax-Free Retirement (IUL)
Index Universal Life as tax-free accumulation tool. Cash access before 59½ with no penalty, no contribution limits, no income limits. IRS Sec. 101/7702(g)/72(e).
Healthcare / Medical
Individual medical insurance, short-term medical (STM) for gap coverage, and limited-benefit medical plans. BBX helps find affordable coverage for catastrophic and unexpected healthcare needs.
Bank Leverage / Kai-Zen
Premium financing strategies using bank leverage to boost life insurance benefits. Protection + Tax-Free Retirement with enhanced returns.
Group Benefits
Group Life, Disability Income, Dental, Vision. Employer-sponsored plans with competitive rates from top-tier carriers.
Medicare Supplement
Med Supp plans via Mutual of Omaha, Aetna, Allstate. Help clients bridge the Medicare gap with reliable coverage.
Split Annuity Concepts
Strategic split of premium between SPIA (immediate income) and FIA (growth) to guarantee lifetime income while preserving principal.
| Document | Focus Area | Key Message | Target Audience | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ways to have Tax Free Income | Tax Strategy | Three legal methods for tax-free retirement income via IUL | Pre-retirees | |
| Taking Control of Your Retirement | Retirement | "Part of everything you earn should be yours to keep" — tax-deferred savings with tax-free income via IRS Sec. 101, 7702(g), 72(e) | Working adults | DOCX |
| Tax-Free Stream (IUL) | Tax Strategy | "Divorce Uncle Sam from your Retirement Income" — IUL advantages over Roth IRA: no age limit, no contribution cap, LTC benefits | High earners | DOCX |
| Preparing for Retirement 2023 | Safe Money | "Never Losing a Dime" — Safe Money annuities with upside potential, guaranteed income, chronic illness benefits | Near-retirees | DOCX |
| Be Your Own Bank! | IUL Concept | $50K lump sum → $200K death benefit, tax-free accumulation. "Let your money work harder for you, not the bank!" | Affluent clients | DOCX |
| THE HOLY GRAIL | Comparison | Surveyed clients: 8 criteria for the perfect retirement solution — annuities score 7 of 8 | Prospects | DOCX |
| Picture This | Safe Money | Never lose funds, never run out of income, extra funds for health, no stock market watching | Conservative savers | DOCX |
| Hope v. Guaranteed Airlines | Retirement | Risk-based vs. guaranteed retirement — airline analogy for safety | Risk-averse prospects | |
| Retirement Fears | Education | Common fears: outliving money, market loss, healthcare costs — and solutions | Pre-retirees | |
| Want to Sell an Annuity? | Sales Script | 6 Yes/No questions that always lead to "Yes" for safe-money annuities. "Annuities transform lives!" | Agents | DOCX |
AUM vs Annuity Comparison
Client age 60, retirement at age 70 (10-year horizon)
| Metric | AUM | Fixed Indexed Annuity |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Investment | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Bonus | None | 25% ($250,000) |
| Starting Value | $1,000,000 | $1,250,000 |
| Growth Rate | 8% (market risk) | 3% (7.5x multiplier) |
| Advantage | Higher upside potential | Zero downside risk + bonus |
Split Annuity Concept
Example: R. Fomby Sr. — Athene carrier
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Premium | $3,000,000 |
| SPIA Carrier | Athene |
| 5-Year Rate | 5.2% |
| Annual Income | $156,000 |
| Strategy | Split into SPIA (income) + FIA (growth to restore principal) |
Bank Leverage / Kai-Zen Concepts (2025)
Protection + Tax-Free Retirement + Leverage. These strategies use bank financing to amplify life insurance benefits. The client contributes a portion of premium, a bank lends the remainder, resulting in enhanced death benefit, larger tax-free cash accumulation, and long-term care coverage — all within a single IUL policy. BBX offers both the standard "Tax Free Concept with Leverage" and the "Bank Leverage Concept with Leverage" variants, each illustrated in the 2025 spreadsheets.
BBX maintains compensation grid data for the following carriers, organized by product type. President Charles Hale personally holds 83 carrier contracts, giving BBX one of the broadest product shelves in the independent insurance distribution space.
| Agent Name | Company / Title | Location | Phone | # Contracts | Key Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Smith | Recruiter | TX | (713) 416-2696 | - | - |
| Frank Murphy | Agent | Grapevine, TX | (214) 577-7272 | 2 | EquiTrust, Allianz |
| Hailey Chamley | Agent | Stephenville, TX | - | 5 | Legacy, AE, Athene, Protective, Axonic |
| Don Wissner | Agent | Alvin, TX | (832) 637-7157 | 6 | AE, NLG, Integrity, Allianz, NA, Mutual of Omaha |
| Jim Jackson | MBA, CIC, CRM, CLU | San Antonio, TX | (210) 441-5102 | 17 | AE, Allianz, NA, AGL, Protective, Prudential, Athene, EquiTrust +9 |
| Calvin (Don) Custer | Agent | The Woodlands, TX | (281) 364-0080 | 8 | Athene, EquiTrust, Ameritas, ACL, MN Life, Pacific, AE, Global Atlantic |
| Paul Strawder Sr. | President, Paul Strawder Insurance | Houston, TX | (713) 552-0822 | 11 | EquiTrust, NWL, Allianz, NLG, Legacy, Protective, United, Athene, Pacific +2 |
| Mixsy Ramirez | Life & Health Agent | Sugarland, TX | - | 10 | EquiTrust, Assurity, Fidelity, NA, AE, Allianz, Sagicor, United Life, NLG +1 |
| Jake Montoya | Agent, Jake Montoya Agency | Lubbock, TX | (806) 797-8481 | 9 | AE, EquiTrust, NA, Allianz, NLG, Athene, American Life, Axonic +1 |
| Mike Davis | President, Davis Life / Higginbotham | Lufkin, TX | (936) 634-2298 | 23 | Prudential, NA, Protective, AGL, Genworth, VOYA, MetLife, NLG, Lincoln +14 |
| Debra Bivens | Agent, Capital Assurance Mgmt | Pearland, TX | (281) 993-2000 | 16 | Legacy, NA, John Hancock, Nationwide, Protective, AE, Allianz, Athene +8 |
| Jerry Hannah | Agent | Houston, TX | (281) 804-8335 | 11 | AGL, AE, NA, EquiTrust, Protective, ANICO, NLG, GTL, Sagicor +2 |
Showing 12 of 30 agents. Full agent directory with contracts, NPN numbers, and license data available in source files.
Distribution Highlights
143 contacts across clients, agents, and business partners. Managed via Constant Contact with a 99.3% active rate.
Strongest growth in 2014-2015 (84 contacts added). Steady additions through 2020. Active engagement maintained over a 10-year span.
Exported from CC List on 01/28/2026. Includes first name, last name, company, email, phone, and engagement status.
Charles R. Hale
President · Benefits Brokers Exchange, Inc.
Charles Hale has built BBX into one of the most well-connected independent MGAs in the insurance industry. With 83 active carrier contracts spanning annuities, life insurance, LTC, group benefits, dental, disability income, and Medicare supplement, Mr. Hale provides BBX agents with unrivaled product access and top-tier compensation. His relationships across PA, PAIS, AMZ, DFW, EMG, GBS, Optima, Legacy, and Jetter distribution hierarchies ensure BBX agents are always positioned to win.
BBX Office Team
1965 — Company Founded
Benefits Brokers Exchange was founded, beginning a legacy of helping individuals and agents find the best insurance solutions.
~2000 — Galleria District Office
Established a prominent office in Houston's prestigious Galleria district at 1800 Saint James Place — "Galleria for 25 years."
2003 — BBX, Inc. Incorporated
Formalized the business as Benefits Brokers Exchange, Inc., solidifying the corporate structure.
2014-2016 — Digital Outreach Launch
Launched email marketing platform and built a digital distribution list of 143 contacts for agent and client communications.
2020-2023 — Product Innovation
Expanded into bank leverage concepts, Kai-Zen strategies, and split annuity designs.
Feb 2025 — Carrier Grid Expansion
Updated PAIS compensation grids now span 103 carrier-product sheets across ~69 insurance companies.
2026 — Digital Data Room
BBX's complete document library organized into a professional Virtual Data Room with 33 documents, interactive analytics, and searchable content.
BBX Data Room AI
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