Meet Robert Petrocelli the Founder and Managing Director of Petrocelli Financial Services in New York City and a loyal NAIFA member since 1979. He is also the 2021-2022 Chair of the influential New York Life Agent Advisory Board of Directors, a group of high-level agents who provide their perspectives to company leadership on corporate strategic initiatives.

Rodrigo Menendez, MBA, CRPC, LACP, has been a NAIFA member since 2011. He began his career with State Farm in 2011, taking over a book of business from a retiring 30-year veteran of the insurance industry. He was recruited by a family friend who was looking for Spanish-speaking agents.  

Early on, Menendez could tell it was the right fit for him. The most important thing in Menendez’s work, he says, is helping people. He builds relationships with his clients and their families that last years. “Being able to provide them some sense of relief, financially, in a situation when they’re grieving - I think that's one of the reasons we focus on life insurance so much in my agency,” he explains. 

NAIFA-FL Immediate Past State President Joseph Chalom, CLU, RICP, LUTCF, LACP was recently installed as the Program Chief for the Coral Springs-Parkland Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Congratulations to the 86 NAIFA members who have been recognized by Forbes magazine in its list of the Top Financial Security Professionals in the United States. NAIFA members stand out from the crowd, adhering to NAIFA's Code of Ethics and differentiating themselves by providing top-notch financial services.

Join us in congratulating Christopher L. Gandy and Brian Haney, winners of this year’s ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES Award in Diversity and Inclusion.

NAIFA Trustee, Wes Booker, LUTCF, loyal member since 2004 can be spotted all across SEC country when he is not serving his clients out of Maumalle, AR. Booker is an NCAA Football referee for the Southeastern Conference. Recently, he had the honor of serving as an official during the 12th Annual Congressional Football Game.

Swapan Munshi, LACP, is a principal with Council Financial & Insurance Services in San Francisco and a member of NAIFA California. Born in the United States to parents who immigrated from India, Munshi grew up watching his father develop and maintain a successful financial services practice by building great relationships with his clients. But Munshi’s father never tried to bring him into the business. Instead, he encouraged him to chart his own path. Munshi found his purpose and initial career helping people through difficult times as a mental health care professional working with individuals in Veterans Administration hospitals and the state prison system.

Leadership, confidence, adaptability, and integrity are traits possessed by veterans of U.S. military service and also skills that help insurance and financial professionals succeed in their careers. So, no one should be surprised that veterans very often make great agents and advisors.

Steven Saladino, LUTCF, a Managing Director with Principal Financial Group in Tampa, FL, is just one example. Steve was a sergeant in the United States Army and a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, serving from 1986-1990. He has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1991 and currently serves on NAIFA’s Board of Trustees.

Many prominent surveys have shown that most employees want a permanently hybrid work environment – or at least more flexible workplaces. This is a shift that has been coming for some time – the pandemic simply accelerated it.

For employees, hybrid workplaces combine in-person work and telecommuting. For organizations, this shift brings many questions about how to manage the new hybrid workplace. For many leaders, managing a distributed team of people engaging in various work modes – such as in-office, hybrid, remote and outside sales – is unfamiliar.

Shane Grau is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of families and small business owners in his community.

Grau got into insurance and financial services at a young age. He moved from Mayetta, KS to Topeka in his early 20s and worked in sales for a short time. However, after losing his father to a heart attack and helping his mother form her financial plan after a terminal illness diagnosis, he realized the need for better financial literacy in his community. He highlights the difference between his prior career in sales and his current work in financial services. “I knew that I wanted to work for myself, or at least companies that represent what’s in the best interest of people they’re helping,” he explains. “I wanted to be a resource for friends, family members, and community in helping them through the same type of process that I dealt with, with my own parents.”