NAIFA Members Serve Main Street

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is proud to announce its participation in The American College of Financial Services' sixteenth annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals. The event is being held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. this week and is attended by many NAIFA members and association partners.

NAIFA is a benefactor this year and provided a scholarship to Mitrick "TJ" Johnson, a rising senior at Alabama A&M University. The HBCU institution is a traditional 1890 land grant university established the same year as NAIFA and greatly expanded the efforts of its 1879 founder, Dr. William Hooper Councill, into creating a sustainable institution focused on teaching, research, and public service. 

Caleb Guilliams is the Founder and CEO of BetterWealth, a company that helps people gain control over their money today while maximizing their future wealth potential. At an early age, Caleb read every financial book he could get his hands on. Now, he’s one of the youngest leaders in the industry and is quickly becoming “the new face of finance.” Caleb is the Author of The AND Asset, hosts the BetterWealth podcast, and is on a mission to impact as many lives as possible.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and WebCE have completed an educational partnership agreement to supply NAIFA members with online CE-based education for insurance and financial advisors. The offering is comprehensive and spans pre-licensing exam preparation for insurance and securities exams through company-mandated training for workplace training and firm element. NAIFA will enable its members to attain continuing education for licensure, certifications, and designations through the partnership.

Ameritas held its Pathways conference this week in Denver, Colorado. Randy Clark, Senior Director of Membership Outreach & Engagement, and Beth Helberg, Director of Partner Marketing, attended from NAIFA staff to support the event. Thanks to Ameritas, we were able to organize a group photo of some of our many NAIFA members who are part of Ameritas. NAIFA members were ecstatic to have the opportunity to unite together for the first time in over a year to show their pride in belonging to their beloved professional association.

The National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) is the exclusive trade association solely dedicated to fixed annuities. NAFA has brought together industry leaders to spread awareness via the Coalitions for Annuity Awareness in celebration of Annuity Awareness Month. The Coalition is comprised of industry associations that serve consumers by educating them about annuity products. NAIFA recognizes the importance of NAFA’s mission to spread awareness on annuities, making the partnership between our two organizations a natural fit. NAIFA, like NAFA, understands the role annuities play in today’s market. The significance these products have on Americans in an environment that has enabled people to live healthier, longer lives are invaluable. NAFA has worked tirelessly for more than a decade to have the month of June be well-recognized and respected as an Annuity Awareness month, a vision that is now materialized via the Coalition of Annuity Awareness.

Vanessa Bucklin is a financial advisor based in Conrad, MT, that has built her flourishing practice using a three-pronged approach of trust in self, trust in the process of building relationships, and trust in paying it forward for future advisors.

NAIFA is pleased to announce the recognition by InvestmentNews of Aprilyn Chavez Geissler as a 2020 Woman to Watch. Aprilyn Chavez Geissler is one of our favorite NAIFA leaders who gives tirelessly to NAIFA Nation. From her work as a National Trustee, her work on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity task force and her leadership at Gateway Financial Group as the first female Executive Vice President. Through Aprilyn's leadership at Gateway, Gateway Financial Group also became a supporter of our financial literacy initiative through financialsecurity.org.

The Young Advisor Team of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is proud to announce the launch of a new Future Leaders program for students interested in careers in the financial services industry. The new program is under the oversight of NAIFA National’s Young Advisor Team Committee, chaired by Blake Gillies, DIA, Brokerage Director, Acacia Financial Group.

The new Future Leaders program expands the offerings of NAIFA’s Talent Development Center of Excellence, launched in Q2 2020. The Talent Development Center is a new initiative of NAIFA to create a content and event hub focused on topics of personal and professional performance during every stage of the advisor business lifecycle. In addition to the Young Advisor Team, which focuses on programs for advisors under the age of 40 or with less than 5 years in the business, The Talent Development Center also houses NAIFA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion work and award programs.

In sports, it's known as a hot streak and there can be little doubt that Chris Gandy is on one...again. According to the NCAA, the chances of going pro in men's basketball is 1.2% beyond high school, but Gandy did it. The chances of making it through the first years in the financial services industry is often cited as less than 15%, but Gandy did it. Being featured in GQ? Done that. Top producer in OneAmerica? He's got that accolade, too. Making the cover of your industry's magazine? Check. President of NAIFA-Chicagoland? Game on. Key stakeholder in the future of the premier association in the financial services industry that is the voice of the American advisor? He's our guy.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) will hold a new hybrid event called the “Belong Event” on November 17, 2020. The new event has a three-pronged purpose:

-To serve as the association’s annual business meeting, during which the new Board of Trustees will be sworn into office

-To serve as the platform to celebrate the more than 1,700 volunteer leaders and staff that power NAIFA’s 50 state and 35 local chapters

-To conclude the year-long celebration of NAIFA’s 130th anniversary.

Cammie Scott, NAIFA National President, will oversee the business meeting as she formally calls the association’s annual meeting to order. The meeting will include the election of five National Trustees, election of the national secretary and re-election of NAIFA’s national officers as follows.

National Trustees to elect:

-Wes Booker, LUTCF, Owner of the Wes Booker Agency in Maumelle, AR, (NAIFA member since 2004)

-Aprilyn Chavez Geissler, LACP, First Executive Vice President with Gateway Financial Advisors in Albuquerque, NM, (NAIFA member since 2005)

-Dennis Cuccinelli, LACP, Financial Representative, Certified Financial Services in Paramus, NJ, (NAIFA member since 1986)

-Doug Massey, CLU, ChFC, FSS, Owner of Doug Massey Financial Services in San Angelo, TX, (NAIFA member since 1987)

-Brian Wilson, Sales Director with Mutual of Omaha Advisors in Lexington, KY, (NAIFA member since 2000)

National Officers to elect:

-Lawrence J. Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP, Director of Insurance and Advanced Sales at Fortis Lux Financial in New York, (NAIFA member since 1990), will stand for election as President-Elect

-Brock Jolly, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, CASL, CFBS, Founding Partner of Veritas Financial LLC/MassMutual Financial Group in McLean, VA, (NAIFA member since 2001), will stand for re-election as Treasurer

-Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, Founder of Bryon Holz & Associates in Brandon, FL, (NAIFA member since 1987), will stand for election as Secretary