NAIFA is proud to announce that Shane Westhoelter, AEP, CLU, LUTCF, LACP, the Founder and CEO of Gateway Financial Advisors, LLC., Gateway Insurance Group, Inc, and Gateway Insurance & Financial Services, LLC in Albuquerque, N.M., is the 2025 recipient of NAIFA’s Terry Headley Lifetime Defender Award.

When I first stepped into a leadership role at NAIFA, I did it as a volunteer. What I didn’t realize at the time was how rewarding, energizing, and impactful the experience would be. Serving as a volunteer leader has not only been gratifying on a personal level, it has also been one of the best investments I’ve made in my career, my leadership skills, and my ability to serve our profession.

Cognitive decline is one of the greatest challenges individuals and families may face, with conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia bringing lasting impacts on health, finances, and caregiving. For financial professionals, understanding the role of lifetime long-term care coverage is essential to guiding clients through this difficult journey.

Small business owners often make critical decisions based on instinct or short-term needs, while larger companies lean on dedicated data analysis teams. Yet, as Kevin Tacchino, MSTFP, points out in his recent Journal of Financial Service Professionals article, even the smallest businesses are quietly collecting valuable data through their websites, sales systems, inventory tools, and customer relationships. The challenge is not in gathering the data, it’s in using it wisely.

To help NAIFA celebrate Life Insurance Awareness Month, a dedicated NAIFA member since 1975 share how the life insurance business has changed over his career.

Certified Financial Services (CFS), a proud NAIFA Financial Security Champion, is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and small business owners pursue lasting financial security. While the world is constantly changing, CFS believes in the lasting power of relationships and community. The firm understands that each person they serve has goals—some financial, others personal—but at the heart of every plan is a focus on the people who matter most. That same people-first mindset is what fuels the firm’s long-standing commitment to giving back.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is thrilled to announce that Richard “Rick” Demko, CLU, ChFC, RICP, AEP, LUTCF, LACP, has been named the 2025 Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year. This award celebrates outstanding leadership, dedication, and impact within the financial advisory industry, recognizing individuals who exemplify the highest standards of excellence.

André M. Williams’ path into the insurance and financial services industry began with a lesson in resilience. As a freshman at Ohio University, he started out on track to become a CPA—but a little too much fun and not enough discipline led to an academic dismissal. A stern two-hour call from his mother, an 8-page letter to the Dean, and a heartfelt plan for the future earned him a second chance.

Gut feelings, prayers, and even “pure vibes” are shaping some of the most important decisions in Americans’ lives. That’s the eye-opening takeaway from a new Life Happens survey conducted by Talker Research for Life Insurance Awareness Month and recently featured in both the National Enquirer and the New York Post.

As a proud Florida Gator, September brings me all the anticipation, hope, and excitement of a brand-new college football season. As the CEO of the oldest and most influential association for insurance and financial professionals in the United States, it brings me the pride and heightened sense of purpose of Life Insurance Awareness Month.

LIAM was created and continues to be coordinated by Life Happens, a NAIFA community. It is a time when we shine a spotlight on the importance of life insurance products and educate consumers about this foundation of many comprehensive financial plans. Financial professionals understand that life insurance provides vital protection to more than 80 million American households (even if many are underinsured) and that coverage is available to fit the budgets of families at most income levels.