The nationally accredited LACP is the new mark of distinction for financial services professionals that work in life and annuities

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) announced that Guardian supports and actively encourages its financial representatives to attain the LACP as evidence of their knowledge of and ethical approach to sales of life and annuity products. The support will allow Guardian financial representatives to list the LACP certification as an earned designation and use the LACP mark in promotional materials to differentiate themselves in the financial services marketplace.

“After thorough review, we fully provide our support for the LACP,” stated Kathryn Tague, Head of Financial Representative Learning & Development from Guardian. “We view the LACP as a way to increase consumer trust in life insurance and annuities as a whole, and in particular, to let the consumer know that every Guardian financial representative that is a NAIFA member ascribes to a code of ethics that puts client interests first.”

“I attained my LACP when it was first available and have successfully used it for several years as a way to differentiate myself,” explained Lawrence Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP of Wealth Advisory Group, LLC, an agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. “With the comprehensive study guide and my years of experience, I was able to immediately sit for the exam. I’m delighted that Guardian recognizes the LACP and I encourage every advisor to put forth the effort to attain this certification.”

The LACP certification is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and complies with the NCCA’s rigid Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The LACP certification is officially listed in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) professional designations database, one of only ten accredited designations of the hundreds listed with FINRA.

“The industry is recognizing that the LACP certification signifies professionalism, trustworthiness and expert knowledge – all characteristics consumers should look for in a financial professional,” Kevin Mayeux, CEO of NAIFA, said. “The LACP is a benefit to those professionals who are able to achieve it and to the clients they serve. It is the gold standard and an indication of excellence for any professional providing annuities and other life insurance products to clients”

In addition to Guardian, several other companies including New York Life, Country Financial, SagePoint, Woodbury Financial, Royal Alliance, FSC Securities and Cambridge Investment Research support the LACP certification. On the consumer side, the Alliance for Lifetime Income (ALI), recognizes the importance of the LACP and features holders of the certification in its public information campaigns. NAIFA works with ALI to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of financial products that provide lifetime incomes and the risk many Americans face of outliving their savings during retirement.

To attain the LACP, financial professionals must meet the exam eligibility criteria and exemplify excellence in the following three areas: product knowledge, consultative sales process, and commitment to ethical conduct.

Eligible professionals may register to take the exam during three month-long testing windows each year in July, October and January. The proctored exams are administered by Castle Worldwide through a network of nearly 1,000 testing centers in cities throughout the world.

The registration deadline for the month of January is Dec. 1, 2019. See the Exam Schedule and Registration.