The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce that State Farm has approved the Life and Annuities Certified Professional (LACP) certification for State Farm agents and is providing incentives for its agents to attain the LACP as evidence of their knowledge of and ethical approach to sales of life and annuity products.

State Farm’s support will allow agents to list the LACP certification behind their name and use the LACP mark in promotional materials to differentiate themselves in the financial services marketplace. State Farm has also agreed to promote the LACP and reimburse its agents for the LACP exam fee.

“This is a great opportunity for my fellow State Farm agents to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and demonstrate to clients and consumers that they are knowledgeable and experienced in the life insurance and annuities space while maintaining high ethical standards,” said Jill Judd, a State Farm agent in Capitola, California, and a Past National President of NAIFA. “The LACP is really the perfect certification for State Farm agents, highlighting the knowledge and skills that make us so valuable to our clients. I am please that State Farm is continuing its long history of partnering with NAIFA and approving the LACP.”

The LACP certification is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and complies with the NCCA’s rigid Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The LACP certification is officially listed in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) professional designations database, one of only eleven accredited certifications and designations of the hundreds listed with FINRA.

“The industry is recognizing that the LACP certification signifies professionalism, trustworthiness and expert knowledge – all characteristics consumers should look for in a financial professional,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux. “The LACP is a benefit to those professionals who are able to achieve it and to the clients they serve. It enhances the personal brand of professionals providing annuities and other life insurance products to clients.”

In addition to State Farm, the LACP has received approval from several other companies, including New York Life, Guardian, Country Financial, SagePoint Financial, Woodbury Financial, Royal Alliance, FSC Securities and Cambridge Investment Research. The consumer-education nonprofit Alliance for Lifetime Income (ALI) recognizes the importance of the LACP and features holders of the certification in its public information campaigns. NAIFA works with ALI to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of financial products that provide lifetime incomes and the risk many Americans face of outliving their savings during retirement.