One-third of financial advisors are predicted to retire in the next 10 years, creating an opportunity for advisors looking to grow or sell their practice. Join NAIFA member, David Wood, for the "M&A Summit: Opportunity of a Lifetime", offered in-person and virtually throughout the rest of 2024. Industry professionals come together for an in-depth exploration of mergers and acquisitions and learn how to harness the wave of retiring advisors to capitalize on this opportunity. 

We're proud to support David in this program because we've long heard our members struggle to understand how to value their business, options for succession planning, and practical tips for how to actually sell their business. Advisors in the growth mode of their business are looking to rapidly expand and understand that buying a book of business would catapult them to the next level, but typically don't know where to go or how to go about buying a business (or, how to afford it!) NAIFA is bringing members together to solve both sides of this problem and enabling our membership society to be a safe space for us to learn and work together to achieve win-win results.

This event is designed specifically for financial advisors looking to buy, sell, or merge practices. With a focus on strategic growth, you’ll gain essential tactics and insights on how to become acquisition-ready, leverage the M&A wave, and ensure your practice thrives amidst the evolving landscape of retiring advisors.

David is a recognized thought leader and speaker in the space and will cover the latest trends and best practices in mergers and acquisitions, offering you actionable strategies to maximize the value of your deals and secure a competitive edge in the market.

All of the firm’s advisors become NAIFA members and are poised to participate in NAIFA’s unmatched state and federal advocacy success under an agency-wide membership program.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce that Allstate The Goines Agency in Clarksville, Tennessee has become a NAIFA 100% Agency. Under the membership program, Allstate The Goines Agency has enrolled all of its advisors as NAIFA members, enrolled them in NAIFA’s grassroots advocacy programs, and encourages them to participate in NAIFA as a group. Group members are proudly displayed to consumers on the consumer-facing financialsecurity.org site and members are listed in Life Happens’ “Find a Financial Service Professional” search at www.lifehappens.org.

All of the firm’s advisors become NAIFA members and are poised to participate in NAIFA’s unmatched state and federal advocacy success under an agency-wide membership program.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce that Blake Wealth Partners in Columbus, Ohio has become a NAIFA 100% Agency. Under the membership program, Blake Wealth Partners has enrolled all of its advisors as NAIFA members, enrolled them in NAIFA’s grassroots advocacy programs, and encourages them to participate in NAIFA as a group. Group members are proudly displayed to consumers on the consumer-facing financialsecurity.org site and members are listed in Life Happens’ “Find a Financial Service Professional” search at www.lifehappens.org.

On May 3, 2024, NAIFA Member, Herschel Hester, III, CLTC, LUTCF, CRPC, passed away at the age of 82. Hester was born on May 11, 1941, in Parsons, Kansas. He graduated from Webster State College in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science and from Utah State University in 1967 with a Master of Science.

Hester was active in NAIFA-Utah, joining in 1986, and was a past NAIFA Quality Award recipient. Throughout his career, Hester worked at Thiokol Corp., Weber State College, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, and Prudential Insurance Company. At the time of his death, he had an independent financial and insurance business specializing in Medicare, health, life, and long-term care insurance.

Prior to NAIFA's Congressional Conference, our new partner, Stonewood Financial, provided a workshop titled, Protecting Your Clients (and Their Retirement) from Washington. Becky Ruby Swansburg and Neil Wilding both presented during the morning and are both authors, along with Becky's father, Martin H. Ruby of The Holistic Retirement book which was distributed to all attendees.

NAIFA and Stonewood became a NAIFA partner in February 2024  and many NAIFA members have benefited from their training and presentations. Todd Gaswick, LACP, loyal member since 2005, provided a testimonial during the preconference session stating how much their content has helped his practice. Jim Musgrave, CRPC, a new member who joined NAIFA while attending the Stonewood Financial conference in Louisville where NAIFA spoke and exhibited in February came to his first Congressional Conference this week. 

The Trifecta teams of Membership, IFAPAC, and Grassroots have identified their Q1 2024 Hard Hat Winners. Congratulations to Lee Owen and Rith Nou dual recipients for Membership, Mark Miller for Grassroots, and Tom Henry for IFAPAC. These leaders have gone above and beyond in the first three months of this year to move the needle in their respective areas. We are #NAIFAproud of the work they do every day in their communities, for their clients, and our association!

Out of the work that NAIFA has done through its Limited & Extended Care Planning Center spearheaded by Carroll Golden, best-selling author of three books on funding a dignified life and caregiving, as well as the organizer of NAIFA's Legislative Working Group that focuses on state and federal issues that will affect producers, we are proud to announce that we're continuing to expand our work in the Medicare space by partnering with Medicarians Vegas 2024. 

Medicarians is the home of senior health, wealth, and AgeTech. Set for April 8th - 10th, 2024, at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, this event is a must-attend for those looking to navigate the future of the industry with confidence. This will be the only place to network and learn from more than 2,500 participants across this sector. NAIFA and Medicarians are partnering together to bring NAIFA's legislative risk knowledge to attendees and ensure that producers are aware of upcoming changes in the proposed final rule. 

Carol Rappaport, CLU^®, ChFC^®, CLTC, is a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual and a loyal NAIFA member since 1983.

Carol began working in the clothing sales business at an early age. She enjoyed providing a customized service for her clients and helping them select items based on their style preferences. Her clients and friends recognized her talents and recommended that she consider outside sales opportunities, and more specifically, financial services. Initially, Carol thought, “I am more of a creative type of person, not a math person. Will I be able to do this well?” However, she remained open-minded and decided to give it a shot. After all, she had experience listening to clients and making recommendations and customizations based on their best interests.

Thomas Yannetti is a Financial Services Professional at thinkWealth, LLC, and a new NAIFA member.

A 2020 graduate of Ramapo College in New Jersey, Yannetti earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Accounting. When Thomas received the discouraging news that classes were transitioning online due to COVID-19, Yannetti saw this minor setback as an opportunity. While finishing up his coursework online, Thomas decided to transition from part-time to full-time to jumpstart his career in financial services.

Joseph Cammayo, our newest NAIFA member, is an independent financial advisor at Calton & Associates, Inc., and a Registered Investment Advisor (IAR) with Grantvest Financial.

Joseph has 25 years of experience ranging from various Senior Level positions in some of the most prestigious firms in the industry. He was previously a Senior Director of Branch Operations at Oppenheimer, an Operations Manager at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and an Admin Manager for Bank of America Investments. He has extensive knowledge of Risk Management, Compliance, and Operations.