NAIFA leaders Bryon Holz, ChFC, CLU, LACP, and Stephen Kagawa, FSS, LUTCF, LACP, are presenting at the 2022 MDRT Global Conference in Sydney, Australia. Sharing their industry knowledge and experience with a global audience, Holz is NAIFA’s 2022 President-Elect and Kagawa, NAIFA’s 2020 Diversity Champion, is a member of NAIFA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

Each year, Forbes and SHOOK Research select the industry's premier financial security professionals. The Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals list aims to answer the question: “Would we recommend these professionals to a family member or a friend?”

Rather than focusing on performance and profits, Forbes selects candidates based on quantitative factors (including production, assets under management (AUM), and client-related trends and data) and qualitative factors (including adherence to best practices, use of team and team dynamics, and level of community involvement).

This year's Top Financial Security Professionals list includes 27 NAIFA members:

On August 31, join NAIFA-Past President Juli McNeely, LUTCF, CFP, CLU for “Risk Matters,” a Building Relationships Every Week (BREW) webinar from E4 Insurance.  

In this session, McNeely will share insights on how to help your clients evaluate risk and the importance of consistently analyzing risk. A loyal NAIFA member since 1996, McNeely is Past President of NAIFA-WI, a graduate of NAIFA’s Leadership in Life Institute (LILI), and a Financial Security Advocate.

On August 24, join LIBRA Senior VP of Business Development Jon Jacobs for a 15-minute industry update.

Jacobs will discuss:

• Major trends in insurance and financial services
• The relationship between the insurance and wealth management industries
• The potential impact of brokerage mergers and acquisitions
• How private equity is affecting the industry 

Tune in on August 24 at 1 pm eastern for this webinar in the Building Relationships Every Week (BREW) series.

NAIFA announces the launch of the Employee and Executive Benefits Center (EBC), the newest of NAIFA’s Centers for Excellence, at NAIFA’s Apex sales summit. The EBC is a community of agents, firms, carriers, and vendors that offers top-notch resources, innovative research, access to industry thought leaders, and opportunities for collaboration in the benefits space.

NAIFA’s Leadership in Life Institute (LILI) has received a 2022 Power of Associations Gold Award from ASAE, the Center for Association Leadership. The Power of Associations Awards honor “associations that go above and beyond their everyday mission to undertake initiatives that have far-reaching benefits important to their profession or industry.”

Congratulations to the NAIFA members who earned the Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) certification during the July testing window.

• Julianne Hertel, LACP, (loyal member since 2009), financial advisor and founder at Dream Big Wealth Strategies, LLC, in Worcester, MA

• Robert Edgin, LACP, (loyal member since 2004), insurance agent and registered representative at American National in Colorado Springs, CO

• Matthew Georgopulos, LACP, (loyal member since 2022), insurance agent at Muir Insurance Group in Lake Zurich, IL

On August 24, tune in for "Helping Middle-Income Families Protect Their Financial Future," a LinkedIn Live event presented by NAIFA partners LIMRA and the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).

Hear insights into Americans' perception of life insurance from a panel of industry experts: Susan Neely, President and CEO of ACLI; David Levenson, President and CEO of LIMRA and LOMA; and Alison Salka, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and head of LIMRA research.

In a competitive job market, businesses are looking to financial professionals for benefits to help them attract and keep talent. Nonqualified benefits, like deferred compensation plans, may be a good solution to appeal to executives looking for pre-tax opportunities beyond IRAs and 401(k) plans to accumulate greater wealth for retirement. Knowing the ins and outs of these products may help you practice stand out and appeal to a larger pool of business clients.

NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine has launched a new Podcast series featuring outstanding NAIFA members and partners sharing their stories and answering questions about their own professional success. Their insights will offer practical ideas and inspire agents and advisors to reach their own levels of peak performance. Industry thought leaders featured on Advisor Today podcasts have a deep understanding of the insurance and financial services industry and what it takes to thrive in the profession.