Stefan Bruckel

President @ CPS Advantage

About

I guide Financial Advisors through the complexities of life insurance underwriting - whether for personal protection, business succession, or estate tax funding. With nearly four decades in the business, I’ve seen a lot: rare medical impairments, multi-generational estate plans, and high-stakes negotiations with carrier decision makers. Partnering with me gives you access to leverage that only experience can build, plus… 🧠 Our team of medical underwriting directors who know how to negotiate away the most nuanced medical histories 🔍 Product intelligence to pinpoint the industry’s most competitive life insurance offerings 🧩 Tactical jumbo application layering to mitigate risks introduced by age and amount underwriting thresholds 📈 Excess capacity for ultra-high-net-worth clients with coverage needs beyond traditional limits 📄 Financial underwriting analysis and support to negotiate for the required coverage ⚖️ Advanced markets attorneys and CPAs who craft bespoke strategies for complex estate and business succession plans Whether you're navigating a complex medical risk, advising a business owner on cost-effective succession strategies, or structuring hundreds of millions in life insurance to fund estate taxes, leverage my—and my team’s—experience to your advantage. Let’s connect, collaborate, and design outcomes that resonate with your clients. Outside of work, you’ll often find me on the porch with my wife, reflecting on the day’s business challenges—usually with a glass of cabernet in hand. We strategize with our children as they build their young adult lives, and we proudly support Michigan State Spartans who’ve also made Southern California their home. Growing up in Hockenheim, Germany & Tokyo, Japan—watching Bonanza—I dreamt of living in the American West. I turned that dream into reality and now enjoy exploring this beautiful part of the country whenever I can.

Country

United States

City

Seal Beach

Industry

Insurance

Skill

Marketing, Life Insurance, Business Succession Planning, Estate Tax Planning, Business Planning, Branding & Identity, Strategic Planning, Strategic Communications, Underwriting, Advertising, Online Marketing, Financial Services, Cross Selling, Sales, Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Strategic Partnerships, Strategic Thinking, Coaching, Executive Benefit Strategies

Experience

President

CPS Advantage

2003-2 - Present · 23 yrs 8 mos

Seal Beach, California, USA

For the past four decades, I’ve worked with some of our industry’s most creative minds to refine the art of structuring and placing jumbo-capacity life insurance policies. My methodology combines advanced underwriting expertise with tactical application layering — designed to avoid the premature introduction of age and amount requirements related risks, thereby controlling costs, and unlocking excess capacity for ultra-high-net-worth clients. Whether you're advising on a complex business succession scenario or orchestrating a tax-efficient wealth transfer, I offer to design a customized life insurance underwriting strategy that provides clarity, inspires confidence, and delivers exceptional outcomes. Let’s collaborate on the most important life insurance placements of your career.

President

BISYS Insurance Services of Southern California

2000-1 - 2003-2 · 3 yrs 2 mos

Seal Beach

• Pension rescue case design, analysis & implementation • 419A(f)6 Welfare Benefit Plan case design, analysis & implementation • TARGET™ Plan case design, analysis & implementation • GREIT™ Plan case design, analysis & implementation • Medical risk analysis and underwriting solutions

President

Ascensus of Southern California, Inc.

1998-1 - 1999-12 · 2 yrs

Seal Beach

• Medical record analysis and impaired risk underwriting solutions • Jumbo life insurance negotiations • International life insurance placements

President

Acordia of California Inc

1995-4 - 1998-12 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Seal Beach

• Northwestern Mutual Life “Double Decline” Program development • Impaired risk case analysis, design, and placement • Northwestern Mutual Life agent training in regard to “outside products” • Agent education at Northwestern Mutual Life General Agencies

Associate General Agent

R.E. Lee International, LLC

1992-5 - 1995-4 · 3 yrs

Los Angeles

• Life insurance alternatives for Northwestern Mutual Life agents • Disability income insurance training for Met Life GA agents • Long term care insurance distribution • Annuity sales