NAIFA has reopened access to the NAIFA Family Response Fund to benefit members of the association impacted by Hurricane Ida and its remnants, which hit New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities, as well as Northern states including New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. High winds, extreme rainfall, flooding, tornadoes, and utility outages have resulted in significant property losses and fatalities.

NAIFA is conducting a survey to determine if association members would be interested in group health insurance or 401(k) retirement plans offered through NAIFA for either members themselves or associates at their practices.

NAIFA congratulates the members who earned the Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) certification during the July testing window:

• Steven Bergee, LACP, (loyal member since 2009) Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of e4 Insurance Services in Fargo, ND.
• Wanda Caffrey, LACP, (loyal member since 2004) a Financial Advisor with inSource Financial Advisors (Ameritas) in Lincoln, NE.
• Greg Reddell, LACP, (loyal member since 2021) a State Farm Agent in Salisbury, MD.
• John Reilly, CFP, LACP, (loyal member since 1997) Senior Financial Advisor with Allied Wealth Partners in Madison, NJ.

The National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) has announced two opportunities for those looking to start or advance a career in the insurance industry.

• NAAIA is offering five scholarships in the amount of $3,000 for higher education.  Established by NAAIA to honor its founder, the J.L. Tillman Scholarship seeks to encourage African-American students to consider careers within the insurance industry. The deadline for submission is October 1st.

This month, Fairway Mortgage and the Business Performance Center presented the webinar “How to Advise Your Clients to Get to the Zero Tax Bracket.” 

New York Life has named Robert Petrocelli, Founder and Managing Director of Petrocelli Financial Services in New York City and a loyal NAIFA member since 1979, as the 2021-2022 Chair of the influential New York Life Agent Advisory Board of Directors (ABD). The ABD, according to the company, “is an elite group of 16 agents who meet with the company’s executive leaders to provide their perspectives on corporate strategic initiatives based on their experience in the insurance and financial services industry and running among the most successful agent practices in the country.”

The Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies (LAAIA) holds its 51st Annual Convention August 11th - 14th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.  This year’s theme is “Upholding the Legacy.” The event is designed to offer informative educational sessions (many offering CE), valuable peer-to-peer networking, and opportunities to connect with industry partners.  The conference includes plenty of ways to connect outside of the educational sessions including a Happy Hour Meetup, a NextGen Game Night, Jazz Brunch, and then finishing up with a Domino's Tournament.

You can learn a lot about growing a successful life insurance practice from NAIFA member and NAIFA-Houston Immediate Past President Rick Demko, LUTCF, LACP, RICP.

As Director of Insurance, Demko is a key part of the leadership team at Centric Wealth in Houston, a NAIFA 100% Agency. He is also a past winner of NAIFA’s Four Under 40 Award, and you can read about his rise to success in NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine.

Performance + Purpose is NAIFA’s signature professional development event featuring thought leaders and experts sharing their insights, knowledge, and experience. Breakout sessions will help you drive your businesses success along four professional development tracks: Sales & Prospecting, Practice Management, Technology, and Advanced Planning. This year’s conference, Aug. 17-19, is 100% virtual, and registration is open now.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce that Weigner Insurance & Financial Services in Pottstown, PA, has become a NAIFA 100% Agency. Under the membership program, Weigner Insurance has enrolled all of its advisors as NAIFA members and enrolled them in NAIFA’s grassroots advocacy programs.