About Us

Michelle Robbins, Licensed Insurance Agent

Michelle Robbins has been a licensed insurance agent for over 13 years. Her career began in the real estate industry, supporting local realtors with Title Insurance. After several years, Michelle shifted to real estate home warranty insurance, where she managed a territory of over 100 miles of real estate professionals. Later, Agent Robbins obtained more licensing and experience serving families and individuals to secure their estates with life insurance protection.

Most notably, throughout her career, she has assisted many individuals in difficult times of need as a family service counselor with several funeral homes, mortuaries, and memorial parks in California. This experience resulted in a natural progression into health and disability insurance. Today, Agent Robbins’ licensing extends across many states from the west coast to the east coast. She is licensed in life, health, disability, and property & casualty insurance.

Scott W. Johnson, Licensed Insurance Agent

Scott W Johnson is an independent insurance agent in California. Principal Broker and founder of Marindependent Insurance Services, Scott brings over 25 years of experience to his clients. His Five President’s Council awards prove he uses all he learned at Avocet, Sprint Nextel, and Farmers Insurance to the benefit of his clients.

Scott quickly grasped the unique insurance requirements of his clients along the mountains, coast, and flood plains of California. He enjoys working with start-ups and conducting small business risk analysis. He sells all lines of coverage including property, life, health, casualty, earthquake, and flood insurance.

Kristen Gryglik, Licensed Insurance Agent

Kristen is a licensed insurance agent working in the greater Boston area. She has over 20 years of experience counseling individuals and businesses on which insurance policies best fit their needs and budgets. She knows everyone has their own unique needs and circumstances, and she is passionate about counseling others on which policy is right for them.

Licensed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Florida, Kristen has over 15 years of experience working in the insurance industry. She currently works for Liberty Mutual as a Resident Sales Representative providing auto, home, and life insurance policies and counseling in personal finance and retirement planning.

Justin Wright, Licensed Insurance Agent

Justin Wright has been a licensed insurance broker for over 9 years. After graduating from Southeastern Seminary with a Masters in Philosophy, Justin started his career as a professor, teaching Philosophy and Ethics.  Later, Justin obtained both his Property & Casualty license and his Life and Health license and began working for State Farm and Allstate.

In 2020, Justin began working as an independent broker. Since going independent, Justin has extended his licensing across several states along the East Coast to Midwest. He currently specializes in life insurance, annuities, and health insurance, including Long Term Care insurance. He still maintains his Property & Casualty license as well.

Brett Surbey, Corporate Paralegal

Brett Surbey is a corporate paralegal specializing in tax reorganizations and the creation of corporations so they can successfully navigate all aspects of their business and mitigate risks where necessary. He has assisted lawyers on a number of enigmatic transactions, including M&As, complex corporate succession plans, and amalgamations.

In addition to his legal career, he is a known expert published for his work on topics surrounding insurance, mortgages, and business. His professional writing has appeared in publications such as Forbes Advisor, U.S. News & World Report, Industry West Magazine, Publishers Weekly, and various academic journals.

Travis Thompson, Licensed Insurance Agent

Travis Thompson has been a licensed insurance agent for nearly five years. After obtaining his life and health insurance licenses, he began working for Symmetry Financial Group as a State Licensed Field Underwriter. In this position, he learned the coverage options and limits surrounding mortgage protection. He advised clients on the coverage needed to protect them in the event of a death, critical illness, or disability.

In 2021, Travis began working as an independent broker. Since going independent, Travis has extended his licensing across several states along the East Coast to the Midwest. Travis also has access to over 10 top-rated life insurance carriers in the U.S. that can offer clients the best coverage possible. He currently specializes in mortgage protection, life insurance, critical illness, and disability coverage.

Kalyn Johnson, Insurance Claims Support & Sr. Adjuster

Kalyn grew up in an insurance family with a grandfather, aunt, and uncle leading successful careers as insurance agents. She soon found she has similar interests and followed in their footsteps. After spending about ten years working in the insurance industry as both an appraiser dispatcher and a senior property claims adjuster, she decided to combine her years of insurance experience with another passion, writing.

As an insurance writer and researcher, she specializes in real estate, healthcare, finance, and all lines of insurance. When Kalyn isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their four children.

Jeffrey Johnson, Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina.

He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman University and worked in film, education, and publishing. His professional writing has appeared on sites such as Legal Advice, The Manifest, and Vice. He is the author of a novel and several scripts that were adapted into short films.

In his spare time, Jeffrey makes as much as he can from scratch, travels, and spends time with his enormous extended family.

Chris Tepedino, Insurance Feature Writer

Chris Tepedino is a feature writer that has written extensively about auto insurance for numerous websites. He has a college degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and has experience reporting, researching investigative pieces, and crafting detailed, data-driven features.

His works have been featured on CB Blog Nation, Flow Words, Healing Law, WIBW Kansas, and Cinncinati.com. He has been a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, UpJourney, and Translate by Humans.