Apex is NAIFA’s new professional development signature event focused on providing top leadership, sales, and marketing ideas to financial services professionals. The new brand reflects the concept of a “race to the top” where only the top percent of advisors, and the aspiring top percent of advisors, gather to share and compare success stories. The inaugural Apex event will be August 17-18 at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix.

Apex is a completely redesigned pure-play professional development meeting. It features nationally known and highly regarded keynote speakers and educational sessions by top professionals and respected thought leaders in the insurance and financial services industry. Apex is also a premier networking event providing ample opportunities for top advisors to mingle, compare notes, and make valuable connections.

NAIFA is pleased to announce that Karla Kirk is NAIFA’s new Vice President of Growth and Revenue. In this role, she will be in charge of NAIFA’s business development, membership sales, and Centers of Excellence operations and will report to CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. She will lead a business development and sales team focused on advancing NAIFA initiatives to grow membership and corporate non-dues revenue.

NAIFA and the Society of Financial Service Professionals (FSP) have entered into a new agreement to support the Advanced Practice Center (APC) as a resource for financial professionals and professionals from associated fields. The APC’s webinars, articles, special events, thought leadership content, and networking opportunities will focus on advanced markets topics and concepts, providing insights into complex cases.

NAIFA is now accepting nominations and applications for its 2022 awards, recognizing outstanding leadership, performance, and achievement that differentiates NAIFA members from their colleagues in the insurance and financial services industry. NAIFA bestows these annual awards as programs of the Talent Development Center, which recognizes exemplary NAIFA members, promotes professional growth, and encourages a new generation of agents and advisors to join the business.

Advisor Today, NAIFA’s flagship publication, is hosting a new monthly webinar series featuring leading thought leaders from the insurance and financial services industry presenting on compelling topics designed to encourage industry professionals to achieve their peak performance.

Advisor Today is the lifestyle magazine for the new American advisor. Print issues publish three times annually and are sent as an exclusive benefit to NAIFA members. The Advisor Today online platform publishes multiple posts per week highlighting successful NAIFA members and providing insights from industry experts. The Advisor Today webinar series is an additional stream of valuable, informative content.

Loyal NAIFA-CA member Louis H. Brownstone, CLTC, proposes a new solution for long-term care insurance planning in a recent Broker World article. Brownstone is the owner of California Long Term Care Insurance. A NAIFA member since 2007, he is the Government Relations/APIC IFAPAC Chair for NAIFA-San Francisco Peninsula and a NAIFA Financial Security Advocate.

Congratulations, Louis. We're #NAIFAproud of your commitment and dedication to our industry.

The Intercompany Long-Term Care Insurance Conference (ILTCI 2022) is taking place March 21-23 in Raleigh, NC, with sessions featuring NAIFA thought leaders and a special NAIFA networking event. The ILTCI’s annual educational conference is for representatives of the long-term and extended care insurance community and other strategic allies, including providers, public policy institutions, professional organizations, federal, state, and local government agencies, and the public. Online registration for the event is open.

Don't miss NAIFA partner ReminderMedia's webinar "How to Turn Clients into Raving Fans"! ReminderMedia President Luke Acree will outline the importance of focusing on relationships, not transactions.

In the webinar, Acree will help you:

• Discover why you need to be known, liked, and trusted before you can do business
• Find out how one psychological trigger will guarantee a desired response
• Learn why focusing on transactions rather than relationships will kill your business

The webinar will take place on March 24th at 1 pm eastern.

Join us on March 17, 2022, at 2 pm eastern for the special webinar "Designing Insurance Solutions to Address Clients’ Macroeconomic Concerns."

The discussion will feature John C. Snider II, JD, AVP and Associate Counsel with the Advanced Markets Group at John Hancock. Snider will discuss inflation, rising interest rates, geopolitical instability, and other economic factors that affect Main Street Americans.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to help your clients find the right life insurance for their unique situation and how to plan for their long-term care needs. 

NAIFA is sad to learn that former national association President Bruce Hendrickson passed away March 3 in Holdrege, NE.

Hendrickson became a loyal member of NAIFA (then the National Association of Life Underwriters) in 1957. He served as President of NAIFA-NE from 1965-1966 and as NAIFA's national President from 1975-1976. He was highly involved in NAIFA’s political advocacy in Washington, D.C., and his home state. He spoke at events across the country representing NAIFA and the industry. He was the keynote speaker at NAIFA’s national convention, hosting President Gerald Ford. In 1998, he was presented with the NAIFA-NE Distinguished Service Award.