NAIFA President Lawrence Holzberg, LACP, LUTCF, and President-Elect Byron Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, are representing NAIFA's Office of the President in upcoming speaking engagements around the country. NAIFA thought leaders offer insights into the state of NAIFA, the financial services industry, and the community of agents and advisors.

NAIFA Members Recognized as Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals 2022

Once again Forbes and SHOOK Research have selected the industry’s premier financial security professionals, answering the question “Would we recommend these professionals to a family member or friend?” The answer this year has resulted in 27 NAIFA members who serve Main Street USA by actively promoting financial literacy in their clients’ best interests and following the NAIFA Code of Ethics. You can view the list of these professionals in Advisor Today. While these professionals clearly support each of the 9 obligations in the NAIFA Code, we can be sure they are reflections of obligations 2 and 5:

Angela White is committed to recruiting diverse talent into the insurance and financial services industry and making sure they have the resources they need to succeed.

Getting Started

After several years in sales, White took a job recruiting agents and fell in love with the industry. She’s motivated by a genuine drive to connect with people and have meaningful conversations. She seeks out underrepresented talent—women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals—and finds ways to set them up for success.

Life insurance is a crucial part of any solid financial plan, but 41% of Americans say they don’t have sufficient life insurance coverage. That's why NAIFA partner Life Happens created Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM) and why NAIFA strongly supports efforts to promote the benefits of life insurance during September and all year long. For agents and advisors, LIAM is the perfect time to meet with your clients to make sure their life insurance coverage meets their needs. 

In the past, I have written about lead generation solutions as well as tracking clients on customer relationship management tools (CRMs) and marketing programs, but there hasn’t been a focus on lead conversions. At an industry conference this year, I learned about Phonexa, the company working to bridge the gap to generate more sales from leads. It’s important that advisors, especially those who run agencies and invest heavily in lead generation through marketing, learn about maximizing those leads.  

Suzanne Carawan is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), the premier professional home for agents and advisors. She has more than a decade of experience working in fast-growth tech companies in social networking, events, CRM, and virtualization. She is passionate about establishing and growing technology companies globally and leverages her social and high-tech digital marketing background to provide insightful commentary to audiences worldwide. 

Suzanne holds an MBA in management of global information and high-tech marketing from the Kogod School of Business at American University and an MPH in international health economics and social marketing and research design from Tulane University. She also received her BA in philosophy with minors in biology and government and politics from the University of Maryland. 

Since he started his insurance and financial services career in 2006, Matt Georgopulos, LACP, has done it all—underwriting, futures trading, rock band management, and more.  Now, he specializes in helping families find the right home, auto, and life insurance. 

NAIFA leaders Bryon Holz, ChFC, CLU, LACP, and Stephen Kagawa, FSS, LUTCF, LACP, are presenting at the 2022 MDRT Global Conference in Sydney, Australia. Sharing their industry knowledge and experience with a global audience, Holz is NAIFA’s 2022 President-Elect and Kagawa, NAIFA’s 2020 Diversity Champion, is a member of NAIFA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

Each year, Forbes and SHOOK Research select the industry's premier financial security professionals. The Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals list aims to answer the question: “Would we recommend these professionals to a family member or a friend?”

Rather than focusing on performance and profits, Forbes selects candidates based on quantitative factors (including production, assets under management (AUM), and client-related trends and data) and qualitative factors (including adherence to best practices, use of team and team dynamics, and level of community involvement).

This year's Top Financial Security Professionals list includes 27 NAIFA members:

Andrew Holt is the Government Relations and Grassroots Manager at the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). NAIFA works on behalf of its members to promote a favorable regulative environment, provide professional education services, and ensure ethical professional conduct for insurance and financial advisors.

Andrew spent several years of his career in the political arena, getting his start as an intern for a senate race in South Carolina, where he found his passion for connecting voters with elected officials. This eventually led to his current position at NAIFA, where he influences public and elected officials on legislative priorities, engages volunteers in grassroots efforts, and leads grassroots lobbying efforts at the state level.