Tier One Interview: Jeri Turley

This month, our CEO, Jay Judas, talks to Jeri Turley, Principal, Winged Keel Group. The pair discuss Jeri’s journey to the top of the life insurance industry, engaging with both the industry and community organizations, the need for more women in client facing roles in life insurance, and Jeri’s favorite spot to eat in Richmond! Read on to learn more!

JAY:  As I think about it, I was not surprised to see that Forbes and SHOOK Research ranked you as America’s #1 Top Financial Security Professional in 2024. I thought to myself, “Well, they got that right!”  We will circle back to this remarkable recognition, Jeri, but, first, tell me about your firm, Winged Keel, and your role in the organization.

JERI: Thank you for including me in the Tier One Interview Series, Jay.  I feel honored!  Winged Keel is a multi-generational partnership supported by a best-in-class dedicated team of over 100 individuals strong and 9 offices nationally.  Our focus is on the high and ultra-high net worth, family office and institutional markets. We currently manage and administer $105 billion of life insurance acquired by our clients with $11 billion in committed assets to separate account life insurance and annuities. Our open architecture format allows for independent, reliable and impartial advice with our core disciplines of Private Placement Life Insurance, traditional life insurance, business continuation insurance, and corporate-owned life insurance.

I am a Client Relationship Manager (CRM) and Head of Mid-Atlantic for the firm.  As a Principal in the firm, I am part of the executive management team that manages the day-to-day of the business and I hold a board observer role. Our 4 to 1 ratio of analysts to CRMs ensures we maintain a white glove experience throughout the process and allows me to clearly focus on business development and the administration of existing life insurance and annuity portfolios.

The recent investment by GTCR, a leading private equity firm with a 40-year history in the financial services and technology sector, is a recognition of not only Winged Keel’s position as a leader in traditional and private placement life insurance for the markets we serve, but also of the sizable potential to expand the firm’s geographic footprint and technology platform. We firmly believe this investment will further enhance our ability to deliver the premier market knowledge and client service upon which we’ve built our 35-year reputation.  Our steadfast focus on high-quality work, objective advice, and exceptional responsiveness will remain unchanged and the firm’s leadership team remains fully intact.

JAY:  When I joined a M Financial Group Firm in 1997, the M Firm relationship executives, David Gerber and Joan Cavanaugh, insisted I visit Winged Keel to see how a successful life insurance firm operated.  On April 30, 1998, I flew to New York and visited with the three co-founders, and they opened my eyes on how to effectively distribute life insurance products to affluent clients.  This mode of operation continues today with you and your fellow principals.  Winged Keel, though, was not the first M Firm you joined.  Walk me through your upbringing and your path to where you are today in our industry.

JERI: Wow, going back to my upbringing might require a lot more time!  I embrace my personal backstory and see it as a circumstance of my life that set the stage for a great success story.  I moved to Virginia when I was 15-years-old to find a new life for myself and, boy, am I glad I did!  After completing my college career at James Madison University, I took a short-lived government contracting position in Washington, D.C.  As a single mom, I needed support and made my journey to Richmond, Virginia where I met my husband, Paul, and we raised our three boys who are now ages 30, 24 and 18.

The first professional position I took in Richmond was as a Case Designer with an M Financial firm.  I truly had no idea what I was getting into – I just needed a job and the profession was there for me. Fast forward a whole lot of years - I just celebrated my 30th year in the profession on March 15, 2025 - and I have been part of four different M member firms and am now with the Winged Keel Group. 

I have held nearly every position in a member firm – case designer, underwriter, client services, HR, operations, sales, etc.  This background provides me with a unique perspective of a brokerage firm.  I did not start out in a sales role – I grew into the role over time.

A key component of my success has been my engagement in activity outside of the firm.  I watched prominent leaders in the profession and paid attention to where they spent their time outside of their firms and how their work impacted others and the profession. I have long believed you must give back to anything that gives to you.  Giving back is not just about money – it can be about time, energy, connections, influence, ideas, etc.  No matter the type of giving, I have always recognized its importance and its impact on me professionally.

JAY:  Usually, when I am interviewing a top producer, I ask subject matter questions about different strategies and structures and questions around methods of client engagement.  Today, I want to ask you about different kinds of engagement – engagement inside of the financial security profession and engagement in your community.  With regards to our industry, you served for a long time on the boards of Finseca and M Financial Group.  In both of your positions, you did not just show up for required meetings and calls.  You treated both as if they were full-time jobs.  Why did you take on these roles and why is it important for others in the industry to either get engaged or increase their engagement?

JERI: The answer is simple, I took on the engagements because someone asked me.  Really, it was that simple.  Philosophically, I believe we are better together and the only way to impact outcomes is to engage.  I am not someone who sits on the sidelines and I fundamentally believe action solves everything. 

I lead with “why not?” and I have a “yes” mentality.  What does that mean?  As I look back, I had no idea where each board engagement would lead me, and I truly expected nothing in return. However, the results are remarkable and beyond any expectation I had.  I believe it is important for others to get engaged because it matters, you can make a difference and this profession needs us. 

Indeed, things move slower than we prefer, and we run into roadblocks from time to time – all usual for the course for business.  Yet, for me, it is about having an impact. How can you make an impact if you are not engaged?  Why let others make decisions for you?  I wanted a voice, and engagement gave me a voice.

JAY:  As I mentioned, your engagement is not just limited to your profession.  In your community, you are fully immersed in the American Heart Association’s national Go Red for Women campaign to end heart disease and stroke in women.  You are also becoming more integrated into the Skylight Initiative which seeks to increase board exposure for women.  How did you get involved in these organizations and what impact are they having?

JERI: Interestingly enough, my engagements elsewhere provided these opportunities. When I am not working in the business, I have a mission to make my community a thriving place to live.  My success has been the result of many local families and businesses, and I have a duty to give back. 

I decided on a few personal charities and Go Red for Women was obvious.  Heart disease is the number one killer of women nationally and it has taken the lives of most of the women in my family.  How did I make a difference?  I got engaged. 

Skylight Initiative is an organization supporting many of the amazing women in my community who are making an impact locally and nationally and the group combines these talents to help explore and secure female board seats.  How did I make a difference? I got engaged.

Similarly, I was home insecure for parts of my childhood, and I am now working with the local Better Housing Coalition on their upcoming campaign and raise.  How did I make a difference?  I got engaged. 

Never did I know where any of these roads would lead me, yet they have all lead to fulfillment and betterment of my personal and professional life and the lives of many others in my community.

JAY:  A common thread among all of the ways you are engaged in your profession and community is the applications of the leadership skills you have fostered throughout your career.  I cannot think of a polite way to say this – you are a successful female producer and leader in the life insurance industry and that makes you exceptionally rare.  Why do you think there are not more Jeri Turleys and what do you think can be done to change this?

JERI: Jay, this is a tough one for me and an issue the profession has grappled with for a very long time. I am proud to share Winged Keel has several female CRMs and market facing individuals - about 25% - and we are actively working to expand these numbers to reflect what we see in other segments of the ultra-high-net-worth market, like private banking, that has done a much better job than the life insurance profession as it relates to female representation. 

Let me be clear on this – we need more women in the profession in the client-facing role.  If you do the math on the profession, we have a lot of women - many in prominent roles - however, too few in a sales role. 

For me, my move to full-time sales happened when I joined Winged Keel 24 years after I started in the profession.  My own personal fear of failure or lack of courage may have kept me from making a change earlier.  The truth is there are opportunities, and the profession must continue to do a better job recruiting, advancing and supporting women in sales roles.  Sales training for women should look and be different.

In my 30 years in the profession, there have been advancements - look at the growing Women’s Community at Finseca – and we must continue to be intentional about hiring, training and advancing. I encourage women to find other female mentors and to explore where and how male counterparts can be helpful.  I had intentional support and guidance from both women and men in the profession and I am grateful for each of them.

JAY:  When Forbes and SHOOK Research recognized you as America’s number one Financial Security Professional, what did this mean to you?

JERI: I was completely blown away and honored.  What I love about the ranking is it encompasses more than sales numbers – it is a broader ranking based on a full set of criteria that goes beyond selling. As mentioned, I started selling full-time 6 years ago and to get the #1 ranking in my fifth year was a powerful testament to how much can be done in a short period of time with the right team.

It meant to me, Jay, that if I put my mind and effort into something that matters, anything truly is possible. Never ever did I imagine the #1 ranking.  It also encourages me to keep going and growing – I am just getting started and the future is incredibly bright! 

JAY:  In a past Tier One Interview, I told the story of when I was asked to name five career-long life insurance producers who had retired and not left the business via death or disability. I could not do it. You told me you did not plan on exiting the profession toes up and are starting to think about a future outside of life insurance production.  What might that look like?

JERI: I can name at least five of them who have formally retired, Jay.  Although, it took me a while to get to five! If you have heard me speak on the topic of retirement before you may have heard me say “we rent the space we move in and the titles we carry.” What I mean is these roles come and go and someone else will fill them in the future so make the very best of what you have while you have it. 

The end is not the reward for me, Jay.  Rather, it is the journey and process that are the real reward.  I do not give too much energy to the end of my professional career.  Yet, I know it will come to an end, and I am planning and preparing for it. This profession allows us to manage our time and energy, and we should give similar attention to how we plan to live in our retirement years. I do not have a set date and that’s the fun of it.  This is a profession with a home for me if I have my health, maintain my humor and continue to add value. 

JAY:   Given all of your volunteer work, I am hesitant to ask about your time outside of Winged Keel for fear there might not be any!   Setting aside the industry and community engagement we discussed; I am hopeful you still find time for some leisure activities.   How do you spend your free time?

JERI: Jay, I work diligently to separate my professional life from my personal life.  While my children may know what I do day-to-day, in the end, I am mom. My role as mom is paramount to anything else I do.  I am fierce champion of all things my children do.  My children are all athletes and sports consume a large part of our social life – I would not have it any other way.

I do what I can to read as much as possible on business and other interesting topics; however, never as much as I like.  A little exercise can creep into my life from time to time – I am not as diligent here as I prefer currently but always striving to be better! And, I love to sleep when I can get it, Jay.  I have a lot of energy catch up on my free days to be the best version of myself when I show up for others.

I had the pleasure of learning from Dan Sullivan and his team at Strategic Coach.  The program taught me more than I ever expected and I refer to tools and concepts weekly.  I bring the program up because it taught me about Free Days.  The concept of Free Days is liberating, and I hold them close and guard them mightily.  I set my free days at the beginning of the year and rarely negotiate them away. Planning for free time and down time is as important, in my opinion, as planning for work activity.

JAY:   Jeri, I wish I had half of your energy and a quarter of your positive impact on the life insurance industry. Thank you for visiting with me. You have reached our incredibly popular restaurant question.   Without naming a steakhouse or a steak dish, share some of your favorite spots to eat as well as what our readers should order when they are there.

JERI: Jay, you move at a fast pace and are making your own impact! I am not a big foodie myself and honored you asked.

I work in several markets and save this for Richmond, Virginia, my hometown. Richmond, recently named the No. 1 best city in the US to visit, is known for its food, beer, and art…among many other things!  

I prefer a casual environment when I am on my free time and my favorite local restaurant is Stella’s. The Mediterranean menu is amazing and the environment charming – cocktails are also lovely! The bar during happy hour is a cherished place. The restaurant embodies all things family and community. If you cannot make it to the restaurant, Stella’s has local grocery stores that continue the family tradition with food to take to your home table. Stella’s is a local treat!

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Since its inception, Life Insurance Strategies Group has solely focused on the individual high net worth life insurance market. We do not sell products. This allows us to offer unbiased, pragmatic advice. Visit us at www.lifeinsurancestrategiesgroup.com.