DI is hard.
Based on survey after survey and plenty of anecdotal experience, advisors, brokers, and clients all report:
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DI is inaccessible.
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DI is confusing.
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DI is onerous.
But it wasn't always this way.
Nobody knows exactly where, but somewhere along the way we got lost in the sauce of hyper-specialization...
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Widely circulated rate tables gave way to carrier-specific software.
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Two-page apps gave way to 50-page apps and 50-minute interviews.
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Field underwriting gave way to blood draws and APSs (full medical records).
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And the field (mainly brokers in distribution)... We're just tired of giving way to overcomplicated processes that perpetuate the perception that DI is inaccessible, confusing, and onerous.
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Because it doesn't have to be like that.
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It's time to take back the old way.
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A way when rates were immediately available.
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A way when applications were easy and streamlined.
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A way when simplified underwriting was still part of the equation.
Dingo is more than a software system.
Dingo is a DI sales companion obsessed with the customer experience.
Dingo recaptures:
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Access
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Clarity
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Ease
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By providing:
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Instant Quotes.
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Custom Comparisons.
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Integrated drop-ticket apps.
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In other words, all the best parts of the old way without sacrificing any of the high-touch value that brokers bring to the table.
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At this point, if you're still reading then you're probably wondering if Dingo is the right fit for you.
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If you're tired of recreating the wheel with every DI inquiry, Dingo is right for you.
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If you dislike playing gatekeeper and testing your clients' patience, Dingo is right for you.
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If you want to win on service and have a clear process that meets your clients' time and technology expectations, Dingo is right for you.
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So what's the process look like?​
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Here's it is in all its glory:
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Send your DingoLink out to a prospect.
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Prospect inputs some verrryyy basic info.
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Prospect immediately gets three plans to view.
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Prospect can customize the quotes from there (or schedule a meeting with you).
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Prospect can immediately submit a drop-ticket (or set up an appointment with you).
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Prospect can even e-sign the application form (which is immediately sent to you).
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You then review and e-sign the application.
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You can choose to submit the application at that time. (Or you can prequalify it with other carriers.)
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Your normal process will take over from there.
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You might not necessarily care about this, but it's important to understand the following as well.
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Dingo is not an agent.
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Dingo is not a general agent.
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Dingo is not an FMO/IMO/BGA/MGA/ABC/XYZ.
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Dingo does not earn a commission in any way, shape, or form.
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You can adopt Dingo completely free of charge and start using our comparison system (think a spreadsheet on steroids), and have access to custom DI presentations that automatically generate when you start a new case.
If you decide to upgrade to a paid plan you will get a DingoLink and access to our full library of drop-ticket applications.
For that paid plan there is an incredibly affordable monthly subscription and if you do use the forms library there is a very modest application fee for each new app submitted through our drop-ticket system. (This fee is primarily to cover the charges imposed by our e-signature vendor.)
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In short, Dingo is simply a technology platform.
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A technology platform specifically designed to supercharge your ability to write DI.
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And while you, the broker or agency, stand to gain financially from this, we are really doing this in order to serve more people who need income protection.
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The easier it is for you to write DI then the more you can say yes to new clients and prospects.
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Still thinking about it? Great. Because we decided to make this a no-brainer decision for you.
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There are three Dingo plans to choose from:
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| Casual |
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Everyone starts here.
This plan is totally free.
We understand not everyone is a DI pro.
So if you accidentally do a DI case at every solar or lunar eclipse this is the perfect plan for you.
The Casual plan will still grant you access to a comparison system that will make your existing spreadsheet blush and hide forever.
How so? Well, first-off, it's DI-centric.
That means there is no appropriation of life or health insurance terms.
We're serving straight DI.
Beyond that, it allows you to select riders and includes the full definitions as pulled from each carrier's illustration.
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But wait, there's more.
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We're including the fully customizable presentation graphics for each new case.
That means you and your client will get access to a microsite of their comparison that also features a lifetime income calculator, a future net worth projection, asset loss chart, and the old JobA/JobB scenario pre-loaded with every case.
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If you believe in an educated and informed buyer, this is a no-brainer.
Like we said before, totally free. All you need is a name and email to get started.
Why? Because we know you'll love it and we hope you'll consider upgrading.
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But instead of pricing for this, we decided to just give it to you for free because we're here to make the industry better. That is truly our calling card.
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| Broker |
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This plan gives you, the broker, access to all of the above and to manage your DI cases from quote to app.
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It comes with a dashboard display complete with a progress bar to stay updated on your clients' activity throughout.
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There is also an automated reminder system in place for outstanding applications.
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You'll also be able to designate your own unique DingoLink which allows your clients to quote and apply on their own.
Automation ftw.
And listen, we are keenly aware that not all automation is good.
But this automation allows you to open new markets by saying YES to more prospects--people with families and a mortgage.
It allows you to protect more people who have a genuine need for income protection.
Because now writing smaller DI plans will be worth your time and efforts.
(Because it takes significantly less time and effort.)
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| Agency |
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This plan gives you all of the above and allows you, the agency, to manage several brokers.
What does that mean?
Well, for starters, you can appoint several sub-accounts for no extra charge.
[Oprah voice:] "You get a seat! You get a seat! Everyone gets a seat!"
Then, your dashboard will display the activity for alllll of your appointed brokers.
You can create custom comparisons for your brokers to send to clients.
Our entire drop-ticket library (four carriers and counting) is fully accessible.
Also, each of your appointed brokers can have a unique DingoLink to their own microsite.
We wanted to deliver insane value for the real DI influencers out there.
You deserve it.
You are our people.
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So whether you're a seasoned broker who writes DI on everyone and their mom, or you're a new broker looking for a way to write your first DI case, we know Dingo will be an awesome companion for you and would love to talk.
Or you can just sign up and try it out.
Like we said, it's totally and completely free.
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And if you have any questions, feel free to find/connect/DM/interrogate me on
Maxwell Schmitz, MSFS, CLTC
Co-Founder, CEO
origin story
You won't even believe it.
DI technology borne from a real life DI story.
My mom's back was out of whack.
It was beyond the chiropractor's pay grade.
She finally got an MRI and they found an mass best represented by the size and shape of an heirloom tomato.
Turns out that mass, while benign, was eroding her spine.
For those of you who are as bad at anatomy as me, the spine is comprised of 33 bones called vertebrae that work together as a snake-like fashion to protect your spinal cord.
Your spinal cord is the conductor of your central nervous system. If you're really not following just know the following: Your spine is really important!
If left unchecked, this mass would have eaten completely through her vertebrae and into her spinal cord, rendering her paralyzed or worse.
So they took it out.
The funny thing about the human body is that everything is squished up inside us.
So that mid-to-low spinal chord area is pretty darn close to your lungs.
Turns out that mass was also eroding her lungs and her breathing continued to get worse.
Fast forward a year and my mom is down to about 25% lung capacity.
So let's try something fun. Take a deep breath. Then take half of that breath. Then take half of *that* breath. And that's the deepest you can breathe for the rest of your life.
Sound like fun? No.
So my mom was put on a lung transplant list.
She stayed on the wait list for a while.
Oxygen machines were upgraded.
Forget travel.
She eventually moved her way up to #12 on the list.
She was not going to make it much longer. It was not looking good.
Then came a respiratory pandemic. (Remember that fun time?)
And then she got the call.
Now lungs are weird. You can't just take any lung. It hast to match size and blood type.
So apparently the 6 or 8 others above her on the list who matched with this donor opted not to receive the surgery while this scary new coronavirus thing was roiling our world.
But my mom didn't have a choice. She took the lung.
And it worked. But she's still considerably limited. Immunosuppressants. Covid could kill her in no time. In fact the flu or even a bad cold would do it. She has been vigilant and resourceful and strong as all hell.
But what used to kill us now results in chronic illness.
And we need to prepare for these things.
Fortunately my mom practiced what we preach. She had her own set of DI policies that paid until age 65.
Why was this DI policy important?
Well for starters, it meant that my parents could stay on track for retirement. (Not to make this about me, but that is good news for a first-born son!)
Secondly--oh by the way, this is probably a good time to introduce the fact that my mom worked with me at our family business--it meant that the business did not have to try to find a way to pay her. We outsourced her pay to an insurance company. No shady income filings. No pinching or squeezing the business revenue to pay a former employee. She was taken care of. By DI.
She was our key underwriter and case manager.
That means she was responsible for ensuring that disability insurance applications were in good order.
In the inevitable chance that there was a missing question, a missing signature, or missing pages, she was tasked with following up and securing that requirement from brokers and applicants.
So when she went out (with a disability!) guess who that fell on...me.
I am a creative. I love people. I enjoy spending time with advisors and brokers and customers.
I do not love spending details and tedium and minutiae like application processing.
Therefore, our business suffered. Not 'financial suffering' but 'client experience suffering.'
And that suffering led to action.
I learned to code and a Dingo was born.
Online forms are a dime a dozen today but that was not the case back in 2017.
Dingo started as a simple digital dropticket system that mimicked an application verbatim.
Once we teamed up with a competent developer (co-founder and CTO, Keaton Modleski) we dreamed up a system that could deliver a smooth customer experience from start to finish.
Much of this experience relies on carriers, but I am proud to report that we have accomplished our goal to the best of our current ability.
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Quotes
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Comparisons
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Presentations
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Prequalifications
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Progress dashboards
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Drop-ticket applications
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Seamless e-signature integration
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Custom dingo links for unparalleled automation.
The dream is alive and we're happy you're here to join us as we continue to build for the future!
Maxwell Schmitz, MSFS, CLTC
Co-Founder, CEO
Get to Know Us
Max is a third-generation DI specialist.
He is the President of Yetworth Insurance Solutions, a disability-focused insurance agency.
​He also currently serves as President of the International DI Society, an association of the nation's top DI minds.​
Max also serves as the chair of his town's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
​He is a sitting member on the board of The Plus Group, America's Premier Disability Insurance Marketing Organization.​
In his spare time he is also the father/coach of three energetic/athletic kids (ages 7, 5, and 3), husband to an amazing wife (10 years), and thru-hiking enthusiast.
Keaton Modleski
Co-Founder, CTO
Keaton is the software guy.
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He is the President of Modleski Web Design, a software development company he started 6 years ago.
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He has developed applications for businesses ranging from Mom and Pop shops to some of the largest companies in the world.
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Keaton graduated from Purdue University in 2023.
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In his free time, he competes as a powerlifter and holds his private pilot's license.