NAIFA and the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA)

As NAAIA is a NAIFA advocacy partner, NAIFA members can be proud of the progress of insurance and financial services companies with improved diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. However, we may also feel some concern as NAAIA’s follow-up to their 2018 study noted some areas where DEI initiatives fall short. Significant findings are a lack of influence on career advancement despite sustained efforts through increased DEI-related training, support for resource groups (ERGs), and mentorship programs. In addition, an increasing percentage of respondents in the study reported racial and gender bias as top barriers to entry into the industry of insurance and financial advisors than the study completed in 2018.

Eric Bottolfsen, MBA, is a Vice President at GoldBook Financial and a financial planner with a passion for protecting the medical professionals and small business owners who make up Main Street USA.

Getting Started

Bottolfsen knew from an early age that he wanted a career in financial services. When he played Monopoly as a kid, he insisted on being the banker. In high school, he loved his finance classes and read old issues of the Wall Street Journal in his free time.

NAIFA President Bryon Holz is speaking today at the 2023 NAIFA-TX Annual State Conference. Bryon is working to get more insurance and financial advisors to experience their NAIFA first times:

NAIFA will join our Limited & Extended Care Planning Center (LECP) partner, ILTCI, for the 2023 ILTCI Conference in Denver, CO, from March 12-15, 2023, at the Sheraton Downtown Denver.

ILTCI’s annual educational conference is for representatives of the long-term and extended care planning community and other strategic allies, including providers, public policy institutions, professional organizations, federal, state, and local government agencies, and the public. 

With almost 30 years in financial services, there is one aspect of the industry that John Profitlich understands very well: every day is a new market. This key understanding is what keeps him motivated to deliver customized banking and lending solutions to financial professionals as Director and Northeast Regional Business Development Officer for The Bancorp Institutional Banking business.

In our fast-paced, ever-evolving world, it can be easy to lose sight of what really matters.

However, ikigai can help you bring more meaning and purpose into your life. The Japanese philosophy provides valuable guidance on achieving balance and living a meaningful life.

Ikigai is a powerful concept that has been gaining traction in recent years, providing people with an effective way to find meaning and purpose in their lives. It's no surprise that people are increasingly turning to ikigai to improve their overall well-being and happiness.

In this article, we explore the power of ikigai to recession-proof your business and provide readers with simple steps to apply it in their own lives.

NAIFA leaders Jeff Chernoff, MS, LUTCF, LACP, and Danny O'Connell, LACP share their “big case stories” and advice on winning your own big case in the month's InsuranceNewsNet magazine.

For O'Connell, the key was persistence. He shares two stories of when his tenacity paid off. In the article, he shares, “If somebody goes dark on you and you don’t hear anything, you know people want to do business with someone they know, like, and trust. And that doesn’t come overnight. That takes time."

Chernoff won his big case with patience. “First of all, ‘no’ does not mean ‘never.’ Second, if you keep a relationship positive, you never know the opportunities you will generate from that," he says in the article.

Scott Blake, MBA, is dedicated to protecting young professionals, small business owners, and families through holistic financial planning and political advocacy.

Learning From the Best

After earning his MBA from Capital University, Blake transitioned from politics to financial services. He founded Blake Wealth Partners with Northwestern Mutual in 2016 and, since then, has learned from some of the top producers in the country. One of Blake’s first mentors was Bob Roach, CLU, ChFC, a 54-year veteran of Northwestern Mutual and the recipient of NAIFA’s inaugural Terry Headley Lifetime Defender Award. Roach introduced Blake to NAIFA, where he met another mentor who helped shape his career—NAIFA-Columbus Past President Patrick Cannon. In 2020, Blake joined the NAIFA-Columbus Board of Directors at his suggestion. Now, Blake is taking the lead as NAIFA-Columbus President and continuing in his role as the chapter’s Vice President of Advocacy.

Ike Trotter began his journey in the insurance world when he was 22 years old. Ike is highly skilled in analyzing long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement coverage, disability insurance, life insurance, and retirement planning. As a Financial Services Professional for Ike Trotter Agency, he provides healthcare, risk management, and "basic" estate planning solutions to families and small businesses. He is an active member and volunteer of NAIFA.

Ike holds a multitude of educational credentials including Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) from The American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, PA. He is also credentialed through The National Association of Estate Planning Councils as an Accredited Estate Planner. Ike is also a recipient of the NAIFA Quality Award.

Matt Wagner of NAIFA Business Performance Center Partner, Client Focus, shares what agents and advisors need to know about AI and what it means for the industry.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the masses came online in December. It’s called ChatGPT. You can communicate with it at openai.com. It gives impressive answers to hard questions in seconds. Many think it will put Google search out of business. Maybe put schools out of business. AI is coming like a wrecking ball for repetitive, commodity work.

What about insurance agents? I was going to share my thoughts, but then it hit me.

Why not just ask AI?

So I did.