Amanda is a licensed and trained insurance broker, specializing exclusively in Medicare. She is certified with many top Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug and Medicare Supplement insurance plan carriers and is qualified to answer any questions you may have.

At no cost, she will help you find a health plan that best suits your personal healthcare needs and your budget. By educating you on all the options available, she will give you the power to compare and the freedom to choose.

Amanda is a San Diego native living in the Kensington neighborhood of San Diego with her husband Paul, stepdaughter Peyton, and dog Elliot.

Amanda attended Torrey Pines High School and then went on to further her education at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she obtained her BA in International Affairs and Spanish. Amanda has a graduate degree from the Culinary Institute of America.  In 2019, Amanda’s cousin, Jay Gray, an agent manager with Bridlewood, invited her to join Bridlewood and build a rewarding career in Medicare. Amanda hasn’t looked back since and is proud to be part of the Just Us Insurance team at Bridlewood. Prior to working in insurance, Amanda worked as an English teacher in Spain, a marketing director and a restaurant manager.

Amanda loves cooking, hiking, and worldwide travel. She loves word puzzles and podcasts. She is currently serving as Vice President on the board of the Kensington-Talmadge Business Association and the President of the BNI Bnillionaires in Carmel Mountain. Se Habla Español.

Amanda was born in San Diego, and after attending college in Boulder, Colorado, and teaching English in Madrid, Spain, she returned to San Diego to embark on her professional career.   She lived in University Heights for almost 10 years, and then in 2020 moved to the beautiful neighborhood of Bay Park.  Her husband’s name is Paul, but he goes by Paulie.  He’s from western Massachusetts, and they got married in the beautiful Berkshires near his hometown in 2017.  She is a step-mother to his beautiful 17 year old daughter Peyton. They also have a loving Goldendoodle named Elliot.

Amanda enjoys cooking, eating, dining out and basically all things food!   She loves the arts, from theater to music to film, and is a frequent podcast and audiobook listener.   She loves puzzles and games, and any kind of playful group activity. Spending quality time at home with her family and friends, or traveling to a favorite nearby destination, like Valle de Guadalupe or Palm Springs, is always a thrill.

Steve graduated from Escondido High in 1995 and attended Palomar College afterward for Graphic Design and Web Development.  He has been licensed in California since March of 2016, and earned Rookie Awards at a Nationally known insurance company before becoming a Broker in June of the same year.  He specializes in Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription drug plans.

Steve started working at Bridlewood because of their amazing training program, and their support of their agents in all their efforts.  He  prides himself on delivering the same support and education to his clients.  His favorite part of the job is helping a client figure out the ins and outs of Medicare, and guiding them in finding the best plan that fits their lifestyle and health needs.  There is nothing better than the satisfaction of knowing he helped another senior with a very major decision in their life.

Steve was born and raised in beautiful San Diego, CA!  His fiancee and he have been together for almost 2 years, and are looking forward to tying the knot soon!  In his leisure time, Steven enjoys surfing, snowboarding, golf, hiking, gardening, cars, cooking, and just being in the great outdoors.

Joel was raised in New York Metropolitan Area and lived in the State of Israel, Sweden, and San Diego, California. He has a Bachelor Business Administration: BBA and Master’s Human Behavior: MA. He is fluent in Swedish and Bilingual Spanish.

Joel has a 44-year-old daughter who reside in Barcelona, Spain with her husband and daughter.

Joel has been counseling others since 1972. He has had his insurance license since 1986. He enjoys hiking, films, swimming, dancing, and listening to a variety of music.

Joel’s areas of specialty within the Medicare insurance area: MAPD, Supplement, PDP Plans, Covered California Certified since 2015.

Ken has his Bachelors of Science in Finance, Real Estate, and Law from Cal Poly Pomona and graduated in 2002.  While in college, he had an internship with Merrill Lynch and Northwestern Mutual.  After graduating, he accepted a full time position at Northwestern Mutual insurance company.  He assists his clients will comprehensive financial planning, after listening and determining what is most important to them.  He began assisting individuals with understanding Medicare – the rules, the benefits, timelines and how to enroll.  Once enrolled in Medicare, he is then able to educate them about Medicare Supplement plans (a.k.a. Medi-Gap plans) that work with stand-alone Prescription Drug plans (Part D) and also Medicare Advantage plans (Part C).

Helping clients understand the piles of mail they have received since about 8 months before they turned 65, his favorite response from his clients after spending about 15 minutes discussing Medicare is, “I’ve learned more from you in the last few minutes, than in all the reading and research I have done on my own!”  He takes great pleasure in saving clients money by changing their plan to one that may have better and more benefits at a lower cost. Ken currently lives in Chino Hills and has called Chino Hills home since 2009.  He also has an office in Anaheim Hills and a secondary office he can use in Newport Beach.  He was born in Fullerton, CA and grew up in Placentia, CA.  Ken met his wife while attending school at Cal Poly Pomona, and they have a 10 year old daughter.  He enjoys golf, reading the Wall Street Journal and spending time with his family.  His daughter is still at the age where she wants to be around him and like to play rough.  She is getting big and it is starting to hurt!

Marco has an extensive background as a registered tax professional, Public Notary, and Insurance Agent.  He attended SDSU and The American College.  For more than 15 years he has worked as an Asset Consultant, including lines in Business, Home, Auto, Life and Medicare insurance.  His specialty is Medicare Advantage plans.  He recently joined Bridlewood Insurance after receiving a recruiting letter for Medicare Insurance professionals in the area.

Customer service is his number one priority, including educating his clients through a thorough explanation of the services being requested. He strongly believes in building long lasting relationships with his clients, that will lead to service to their family members, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Through years of great customer service, he has continued to receive word-of-mouth referrals compromising about 80% of his clientele. Marco has been a San Diego resident for over 35 years, and is always ready, willing and able to assist anyone with their insurance planning needs.

Lauren Smith is the owner of Lauren Smith Insurance Services, Inc, and has partnered with Bridlewood Insurance Services in 2017.

She has extensive training and has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years. Lauren’s hard work and dedication to her craft have made her a top producer in her field. Her success has come from her attention to detail with each client she works with. Lauren represents a variety of top-rated local and national carriers. She believes not one plan is right for everyone, and takes the time to find out each client’s needs and guide them to the best plan for them.

Chris is originally from Vietnam, and now resides in San Diego. He has worked with Life, Health and Accident insurance, and is specializing in Medicare.  He received a recruiting letter from Bridlewood insurance, and after meeting with the President, Jeff Wetzel, and his agent manager, Bill Murray, Chris decided to try this new adventure.  He enjoys the challenge of trying something new, and at the same time he is helping seniors with a very important decision they have to make.

Chris offers Medicare Advantage plan, Prescription Drug plans, Supplement plans and Dual/Chronic Special Needs plans. Dual plans are designed for those seniors who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Chris loves educating people on their Medicare options.

Chris is single now and has two children, one who is attending UCLA and the other is in 4th grade. They have four canaries, who are excellent songbirds.  In his spare time, Chris enjoys watching movies, music, travel, riding motorcycles and fishing.

Mr. Larry Acker was born in Buffalo New York, and is now living in Carlsbad, CA by the ocean with his spouse Rose Mary. They have been married for 44 years and have three sons, two daughters, six grandchildren and a cat named Midnight. In his free time, Larry loves to got to the gym, bike Race, is in a band of brothers and even has Saturday morning bible study. He is an American and respects the flag and those who defend it. Larry attended Dale Carneige college in New York City where he took courses towards associates in management training. He has 43 years of experience in a top sales branch in Buffalo New York where he was the top producer in New York State.

Larry has also Hired and trained Medicare agents for 20 years. Many of them are currently sales managers and branch owners. After meeting Jeff, Larry states that he knew Jeff is consumer conscientious, honest and a great leader, so from then on he decided to work with him. Larry also states that “In the five years that I have been with Bridlewood, Jeff has never disappointed me.”

Larry loves working with people. He likes to do for his client’s what no other salesman would! He likes to provide great service and accessibility for his clients. Larry’s philosophy he says is Jeff’s cliché “The first one to the table wins.”

James has a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University.  After a long career, James decided to focus on selling Medicare.  His specialties are Medicare Supplement and Advantage plans, as well as Prescription Drug plans.  He came to work for Bridlewood Insurance because of their excellence among their peers as an organization that helps their agents learn and train to be the best in their field.  He also really likes their great management team that is always supportive and very accessible.  James loves helping new people, especially seniors that are new to Medicare and maybe feeling overwhelmed.  He enjoys educating them and assisting them in finding the best coverage that meets all their requirements and needs.

James was born and raised in California, and lived in quite a number of Southern California cities before settling in San Diego.  He and his wife, Nancy, have been married for over 30 years and have two daughters, Katie (26) and Megan (24).  Katie is a civilian, working with the Navy, training dolphins.  Megan is a nurse in Arizona.  Steve’s favorite pastimes are spending time with his wife and daughters, usually doing outside activities.  They enjoy any and all kinds of musical concerts, and short “staycations” to local towns and parks.

Prior to becoming a licensed health insurance broker specializing in Medicare, Stewart built his career as a marketing and advertising professional with over 20 years of experience. He earned his BA in Communications Design from California State University, Chico, and has successfully built and managed his own companies, such as Nature’s Agave and Thinkbig Marketing. However, his life took a turn when he was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. From then on, he dedicated his time and energy to overcoming the illness and navigating the complex healthcare system, including managing confusing and complicated insurance policies.

Through this experience, Stewart realized the need to simplify Medicare for seniors and help them to understand the solutions available to them at little or no cost. This led him to focus on Medicare Advantage and Supplement plans, aiming to provide clarity and guidance to seniors who rely on the program for their healthcare coverage.

After meeting with the Bridlewood team, Stewart was convinced this was the right agency for him. His passion for connecting with seniors, particularly those who are not tech-savvy, and finding plans that meet their medical and financial needs, has led to an enriching and meaningful career. As an approachable and knowledgeable agent, he aims to demystify Medicare plans and help seniors make informed decisions about their options for healthcare coverage.

Originally from Danville in Northern California, Stewart moved to Hermosa Beach after college, where he worked at Paramount Pictures Studio and met his wife, Julia. They have been married for 29 years and are now empty nesters with two adult children and Ziggy, his beloved husky/shepherd dog. In his free time, Stewart enjoys traveling, golfing, fishing, and hiking.