NAIFA-MO President Craig Wright, MBA, CFP®, ChFC®, has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2014. A NAIFA Quality Award winner, Wright has dedicated his career to serving the individuals, families, and small businesses that make up Main Street USA.

Reverse mortgage loans are widely misunderstood, and many homeowners and advisors have a strong negative bias against them. Unfortunately, those misconceptions and preconceptions hold back many ideal candidates from ever considering a reverse mortgage.

Today’s reverse mortgage loans are not the same as they were even a decade ago, and it is to your advantage as a trusted financial professional to take a fresh look at them, as they can often be a viable solution to many of the financial challenges that retirees face.

The aim of this piece is to help you understand both common, and somewhat less common, questions about reverse mortgages. Armed with the facts, you will have a much clearer picture of whether a reverse mortgage might be right for older-adult homeowners you advise.

Note: Most, but not all, reverse mortgages today are a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), the only reverse mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). This article refers only to the HECM reverse mortgage.

Join Dan Mangus, VP of Growth and Development at Senior Marketing Specialists, for an Advisor Today webinar on Wednesday, January 25 at 12 pm eastern. In "Buying or Selling an Agency - A Focus on Medicare," Dan will guide you through the ins and outs of buying or selling an agency, and the top things you need to know when it comes to Medicare.

Bryon Holz is the President of NAIFA, providing investments and insurance to successful individuals and business owners throughout the Southeast with Bryon Holz and Associates, which he oversees as President and Registered Principal. He has obtained numerous designations and certifications over the years, including Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC^®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU^®), Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL), and his LUTCF designation and LACP certification.

Bryon is a graduate and Presidential Scholar from the University of Tampa. He is also a graduate of Leadership Brandon and NAIFA's prestigious Leadership in Life Institute (LILI).

Join NAIFA's Business Performance Center for a webinar on Tuesday, January 24 at 1 pm eastern. Hear from NAIFA Coaches Circle leader Joe Templin to learn how you can reliably get your foot in the door and get your name out there.

Entering the financial services industry in 2006, Dave Gannett quickly adapted and enjoyed working with other financial professionals by providing them with various investment vehicles and equipping financial advisors with information that helps benefit their clients. Eventually, he found himself serving as an advisor, focusing on global wealth and investment management.

The NAIFA Foundation for Financial Security is pleased to announce that Gregory Jean Baptiste and Brooke Bastiaans-Brooks are recipients of the inaugural NAIFA Foundation Diversity Scholarship.

Jean Baptiste holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in finance from Brigham Young University-Idaho and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in financial planning and analytics at Utah Valley University. A first-generation Haitian immigrant, Jean Baptiste knows the value of a solid financial plan and is motivated to help all Americans achieve financial security. He is currently employed at a Wells Fargo branch in Lindon, UT.

Understanding whether you are an Extrovert, Introvert, Ambivert, or Omnivert will help you to get through Behavioral and Economic Highs And Lows.

Behavioral research goes back to 400 B.C. when Empodocles stated that behaviors have four elements or roots; Fire, Air, Earth, and Water.

The elements of Fire and Air are said to be Extroverted.

The elements of Earth and Water are said to be Introverted.

Gone are the days of the plain old vanilla Extroverted or Introverted behavioral styles.

NAIFA and Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS) have agreed to continue to work closely together and support their mutual goals in the areas of professional development; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and political advocacy. The two associations have signed an expanded partnership agreement. Under the agreement, NAIFA and WIFS share resources and NAIFA represents WIFS’s political advocacy interests.

When Refine Wealth Strategies founders David J. Klein, CFP^®, CLU, ChFC^®, RICP; Brian Kelly, CLU, ChFC^®, RICP, CASL; and Larwin W. Kauffman CFP^®, CLU, ChFC, met in the early 2000s, they didn’t anticipate starting a business together. Fortunately, fate intervened—with a bit of help from 41-year NAIFA member Terry McTigue, CLU, ChFC^®, who recruited all three to Northwestern Mutual.