The winner of NAIFA-CA's Norman G. Levine Distinguished Service Award is Jill M. Judd, LUTCF, FSS, RICP. Judd is a Past President of NAIFA-CA and NAIFA-National. She has been a State Farm Agent serving her community in Capitola, California, for the past 20 years.

Your company’s workplace culture and brand are permanently linked. Business leaders often view it as a one-or-the-other undertaking, but that’s a mistake. If you want to build or refresh one, you should couple them both together.

Impossible, you say? Too much of a heavy administrative lift? Keep reading, you’re in for a surprise.

For financial advisors, referrals are—and will probably always be—the primary method of generating new business. It seems like every business blogger out there has the best, top, greatest, or most unique ideas for generating referrals. Personally, my favorite book title proclaiming its best ways to get referrals is this one: Endless Referrals, Third Edition.

I guess the previous editions didn’t result in endless referrals as promised.

To capitalize on the referral market, there are only two aspects of your business that are worth focusing on: delivering an exceptional client experience and continuously developing relationships with clients and spheres of influence.

Congratulations to Richard "Rick" Stamm on his retirement after 48 years in the financial services industry. Stamm has been a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual since 1974 and a loyal NAIFA member since 1978. His passion and commitment to his community in Brookfield, Wisconsin, is an inspiration to all of us.

When looking at a company you admire, you may question how a top executive attained their position within the organization. Typically, there is a track record of hard work and dedication to supporting the executive’s career trajectory within the industry and their company.

On December 6, 2021, NAIFA partner OneAmerica announced strategic leadership changes in its Individual Life and Financial Services (ILFS) line of business aimed at strengthening distribution, recruiting, and business development operations. By building upon its leadership core, the ILFS business is well-positioned to effectively execute on its distribution vision focused on accelerated growth and operational excellence.

New ILFS appointments include: 

• Chris Coudret, vice president, Career and Independent Brokerage 
• Kristin Dorm, vice president, Agency Growth and Development 
• David Junker, vice president, Business Development 

Jeff Levin, vice president, Care Solutions Distribution 

Join us on January 11, 2022, at 1 pm eastern for "Financial Technology that Builds Long-Term Relationships for Long-Term Care," a special webinar presented by Carefull co-founder Todd Rovak and product strategy lead Michael Rubel.

Rovak and Rubel will discuss the challenge of client engagement and how Carefull's technology can help overcome it. The webinar will also feature a Q&A with NAIFA-National President-Elect Bryon Holz speaking on his own experience with long-term care insurance and how it has affected his family.

While the stock market tends to dominate news cycles surrounding any current large-scale event, too many average Americans are uneducated when it comes to investing. When many people see reports of record market highs and losses, massive government bailouts, and changing legislation regarding interest rates and taxes, they do not have the educational background or investing experience to translate these headlines into meaningful analyses and applications for their daily lives. Investing education is critical for all Americans, particularly in times of economic turmoil. Consider these benefits of investing education when making financial decisions with your clients.

Robert Quinlan, MBA, LUTCF, LACP, has been in the insurance and financial services industry for over 35 years and plans to stay for many, many more.

A Family Tradition

Quinlan is the second in a three-generation tradition of military service. After college, he followed in the footsteps of his mother, who served as a U.S. Army Captain in World War II. Quinlan served three years as an active-duty Field Artillery Officer. His daughter, NAIFA-CO Past President and West Point graduate Kathleen Owings, also served as a U.S. Army Captain, earning the Bronze Star Medal for her service in Iraq.

Apply today to take the LACP exam during January! The final deadline is December 15, 2021. NAIFA members receive a $200 discount on the application. There is a $50 late sign-up fee, but NAIFA members can use the code Late50 for a $50 discount when applying.