Humanity can survive anything. We’ve seen our economy sink and soar, our communities fight against disease, and despite the circumstances, find hope to carry on—not only carry on but thrive enough to build the world as we experience it today. Our families experienced The Great Depression, and you may have witnessed firsthand the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. While you may be experiencing the full effect of the fear-based language around an unavoidable recession from the news or family and friends, you know you’ll make it through.

Lifetime Financial Group Owner Jay Meneely has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1983. Now, his whole team benefits from NAIFA membership. 

Education First

Lifetime was founded on giving financial education workshops. As Meneely says, “We're an educational firm that specializes in the delivery of financial products.” Meneely and his team work with employers to educate employees about their group benefits.

In 2012, Nicholas Limongelli went into the family business and joined Northeast Financial Network. Now the Director of Insurance Brokerage, Limongelli helps his clients find the right disability insurance coverage and serves as a resource for other financial advisors who sell disability insurance. 

The NAIFA-FL Financial Advisors Sales Symposium featured nationally known keynote speakers, insightful educational breakout sessions, and a high-powered panel discussion by members of NAIFA’s top national leadership, including President Lawrence Holzberg, LUTCF, LACP, President-Elect Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, Secretary Tom Cothron, LUTCF, FSCP, and CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE.

NAIFA Invites Women and Hispanic Agents and Advisors to Two New Programs in August

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) has announced the addition of two programs that will run on Tuesday, August 16^th pre-conference to its upcoming Apex event being held in Phoenix, Arizona. The sessions focus on raising awareness for state, interstate, and federal advocacy and stress the importance of financial advisors to get involved, starting with voting, in the political process.

The first session focuses on women working in the financial services industry and emphasizes why now, more than ever, it is critical for women advisors to be the voice of the clients in their care. The session will be co-led by NAIFA and the Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS) and features Diane Boyle, Senior Vice President, NAIFA Government Relations, and Toni Gonzales, MBA, LACP, Vice President, Ohio National Financial Services, both of whom are members of both NAIFA and WIFS.

Whether you're new to political advocacy or a grassroots leader, NAIFA's Get Out the Vote is a great resource for everything you need to know about NAIFA's political advocacy. Find information on polling dates and locations, ballot measures, and your elected officials. Brush up on Government 101 or find the text of individual bills—this site has useful information for everyone.

A new survey by NAIFA’s industry partner LIMRA and EY found that about 75% of employers believe they will need to modify their employee benefits packages within the next five years to attract and retain top talent. Among the top benefits employers believe workers will be most interested in are: life insurance, paid family and medical leave, short-term disability, long-term disability, and physical wellness programs. The survey also found that a significant portion of workers place a greater value on workplace insurance benefits – particularly health insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance – than they did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an insurance advisor for individuals on Medicare, it is critical that you do everything in your power to give your clients access to care through a well-thought-out and comprehensive insurance package. You can help them stay healthy by utilizing Medicare’s preventive health benefits. It can be challenging for your clients to keep up with the preventive services they have received and when they are eligible for another service.

Do you ask your clients for trusted contacts?

Since 2018, brokerage firms have been required by FINRA Rule 4512 to ask their retail customers to provide the name and contact information of a trusted contact person. Although the rule applies only to broker-dealers, it’s still a best practice for all wealth management and financial advisory firms to gather this information from clients. 

Unfortunately, time-strapped advisors too often treat getting trusted contacts as an administrative task versus an opportunity to grow their practice. Trusted contact record-keeping should be thought of as a critical practice infrastructure, contributing far more than a list of emergency numbers. If you’re not already asking clients for trusted contacts, here are two key reasons why you should.

Brian Falconer, LUTCF, is a Managing Partner at Securian Advisors of New England with a heart for serving Main Street USA and mentoring the next generation of financial professionals.

Getting Started

Brian Falconer says that when he was growing up in Portsmouth, NH, financial literacy was non-existent in his family. His grandparents were immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, and Italy, and none of them graduated from high school. When he attended Fordham University, he became the first in his family to attend college. He had always been good at math but found that majoring in accounting wasn’t for him. When he took courses and finance and economics, however, he found his passion and graduated with a major in finance and a minor in economics.