Hathaway decided to enter the financial-services industry after talking with a New York Life managing partner, whose son he was coaching at lacrosse. “He was very enthusiastic about his job, and when I told him I worked at NAIFA, he had nothing but good things to say about NAIFA and the industry,” Hathaway said.
And once Hathaway visited the New York Life website, saw the great things the company was doing and its support of NAIFA and the industry, his mind was made up. He wanted to be part of an industry that was dedicated to taking care of the financial security of millions of Americans.
Also, he comes from a large family—he is the youngest of seven children—with 18 nieces and nephews. “I want to see all of them protected from the many uncertainties of life,” he said. “There are a lot of uninsured people out there and I want to help protect their future.”
And why did he choose to work for New York Life? It’s simple, he said. Apart from its dedication to the industry and to NAIFA, it is a mutual company that is not generally affected by the vagaries of the stock market. Also, it has been around for 170 years, with the highest ratings in the industry.
As soon as he is settled at New York Life, Hathaway would like to do two things, in addition to developing a client base, building his practice and taking care of his clients. First, he would like to join NAIFA. The association has been successful at creating a favorable business environment for agents and the clients they serve for 125 years, he said, and he would like to be part of that movement. Also, as a sports enthusiast who works with his team members regularly, he sees NAIFA as a team, with lots of members who support each other in any way they can.
Hathaway’s second goal is to be a recipient of the Four Under Forty Awards, created by NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine to recognize rising stars in the financial-services industry. Since he is only 30 years old now, he has lots of time to work toward this ambitious goal. With his firm resolve to succeed, and with the help of NAIFA and New York Life, his chances for success appear to be pretty high.
By Ayo Mseka
Editor-in-Chief