Brian Falconer, LUTCF, is a Managing Partner at Securian Advisors of New England with a heart for serving Main Street USA and mentoring the next generation of financial professionals.

Getting Started

Brian Falconer says that when he was growing up in Portsmouth, NH, financial literacy was non-existent in his family. His grandparents were immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, and none of them graduated from high school. When he attended Fordham University, he became the first in his family to attend college. He had always been good at math but found that majoring in accounting wasn’t for him. When he took courses and finance and economics, however, he found his passion and graduated with a major in finance and a minor in economics.

In 2012, Michael Case was working in sales and looking for a new career. In the process of administering his father’s estate, he was working with several financial service professionals and found their work intriguing. After a few conversations with the managing director at Northwestern Mutual, he decided to join Northwestern Mutual as a financial advisor.

For Nicholas Lamanna, serving his hardworking clients is a passion both inside and outside of the office.

Getting Started

When Nicholas Lamanna graduated from Old Dominion University, he moved just outside of Manhattan to become a standup comic. He was waiting tables during the day and performing at night but knew he needed to make more money. He didn’t know the first thing about finance, but a hiring manager at a Midtown investment bank decided to take a chance on him. After a year as a stockbroker, Lamanna decided to pursue a master’s degree in finance and started his career at Northwestern Mutual not long after.

A financial advisor with Guided Path Financial Services and Retirement Planning, Heather Lindsley, LUTCF, RICP, LACP¹, serves her community in Green Bay, WI, by building meaningful connections.

What It’s All About

Lindsley came to insurance and financial services at the suggestion of a friend, but she didn’t take the leap right away. She had young children at the time, but once they were old enough for school, she decided to give it a try. 

When Joshua Ruble graduated from college, he didn’t plan on a career in insurance. However, when a friend suggested a Risk Management Advisor role in Dallas, he quickly took the opportunity and relocated from Oregon.

When Ryan Ballesteros¹ was studying Forensic Psychology at Walden University, he didn’t imagine a career helping protect families as a life insurance agent, much less becoming a Partner at New York Life. However, when his son’s mother was pregnant with their first child, Ballesteros saw the power of life insurance. His son’s grandfather passed away, leaving a death benefit to take care of his wife and six children. Ballesteros was able to pay off debt, start a savings account for his son and purchase life insurance for himself.

Around the same time, Ballesteros reached the top of his career path. He considered his New York Life agent and wondered, “What would it be like if I was walking in their shoes?” That’s when he decided to become a financial professional with New York Life, to make a real difference in the lives of families like his own.

In 1978, Gary Havir, LUTCF, was ready for a career change when a client suggested he work in the insurance and financial services industry. At first, he wasn’t interested. However, after a few conversations, he decided to give it a shot. He interviewed with nine insurance companies, but chose Horace Mann because of his passion for serving teachers, educators, and school employees. 

Jamie Matson serves her clients at The Haney Company with a personal connection. 

Making a Difference

When Matson started her career in human resources, she soon found a passion for employee benefits. Through her work, she became acquainted with several colleagues in the insurance industry. So, when she decided it was time for a change, she took a role as an account executive at a benefits brokerage firm. 

When Cliff Kwartner was studying business administration in college, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. When he graduated, he narrowed his job offers down to two positions: mortgage broker or insurance agent. He decided to go into insurance because he saw it as a career rather than just a job. It was 2008—he made the right choice. 

Making a Difference

Kwartner loved his career from the start—he loved talking to new people and helping them plan for the life they wanted. One of the benefits of being an insurance agent is building relationships with others in the industry, says Kwartner. “Your reputation is your biggest asset. If you do good business and you do things the right way, that will go a long way.”

At 39 years old, Randall Ball, CLU^®, was looking for a career change and found it at Northwestern Mutual. Ball’s friend James R. Goodrich, CLU^®, ChFC®, loyal NAIFA member since 1971, recruited him to the industry and NAIFA and Ball never looked back. 

The Keys to Success

For Ball, there are three qualities every agent and advisor should have—they should have a sense of intellectual curiosity, be a good listener, and be able to put the information they glean into a solid plan. “If you’re the only one doing the talking, it’s a bad meeting,” he says.