Joshua Shaver, CFP, ChFC®, CBEC, RICP, has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2008 and is currently a Senior Partner and Wealth Manager at Diamond Financial Group in Newark, DE, where he specializes in retirement. He graduated magna cum laude from the Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware where he was actively involved with the Financial Manager’s Association. Joshua currently holds a series of designations and certificates including his Series 7, Series 66, and Series 24 registrations, as well as his Life, Health, and Ethics Insurance licenses.
Joshua’s interest in financial services stems from his passion for “helping others with [their] financial stresses [...] and working with people.” He recalls how, as a child, his parents often worried about money and his career has “afforded him the ability to do meaningful work that lasts generations while doing the same for [his own] family.” Joshua’s interest in financial services was sparked during his studies at the University of Delaware where he took a “sales class and loved the idea of being involved with both [finance and sales].” Joshua stresses to those considering a career in financial services that the tales of success and what you hear about the industry is indeed true. Specifically, you are able to have entrepreneurial independence while earning an honest and substantial income. The opportunities his career offers including networking and traveling are note-worthy perks.
In addition to his traditional advisory work, Joshua is also an advocate for the industry’s interests as a whole. Currently, he is ensuring that issues that threaten the industry in general, and potentially even his own career, are being addressed appropriately by independent advocacy, as well as through his role as Chair of the Insurance Commissioner’s Agent Advisory Board. Joshua stresses the importance of advocacy in our industry and warns those who may have reservations about getting involved stating:
State, local, and federal government[s] need revenue—so political advocacy helps with too much revenue being taken from our client’s savings through taxes. That, in turn, makes us more valuable to our clients. Recently, we helped get an Annuity Best Interest Rule in place through the insurance department. We knew it was coming so it was good to be proactive with it, and have our preferred language involved. The next challenge is that the State of Delaware is trying to implement a state-run retirement plan. [My associates and I] have banded together with other organizations to make sure that the plan is not dangerous or cumbersome to our business. Do not underestimate how uneducated our representatives and political leaders are in our industry. Without our education, they are left to follow their colleagues and the media. You must help in making sure they are knowledgeable before they vote or put out legislation. There are a lot of folks in government and not enough of us, so we need you.
Ensuring that Delaware’s newest legislators are up to date on all things relative to the financial section is also a task that Joshua feels cannot be understated. As the Government Relations Chair for NAIFA-Delaware, he notes that he is often pushing to get legislatures to speak with him via Zoom calls “so [that] they know who we are and what we do.” Joshua makes sure his efforts in education in the industry go full circle through his role as a Managing Director, where he currently trains and mentors advisors that are in the early stages of their careers.
Joshua explains that his “favorite part about his role is his ability to be an educator and resource—whether it be to clients, advisors at the firm, or other partners in business.” Joshua credits NAIFA for his ability to be on the Chair of the Insurance Commissioner’s Agent Advisory Board. He mentions the significance of NAIFA in the industry as a whole stating “[Once] you’re more experienced, you realize it is the most influential organization in our industry that is keeping your career and lifestyle safe. I joined because I felt I owed it to my industry to make a small contribution toward making a big impact in numbers.”
Thank you, Joshua, for your loyal service to our industry and association. We’re #NAIFAproud to call you one of our own.