Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

I learned one of the simplest lessons of my career from half-moon cookies. You know those black and white cookies? The New York style cookies?

For the last 14 1/2 years, I’ve committed myself to achieving the best level of personal mastery that I can by maintaining a personal commitment to understanding the psychology of influencing others through our effective communication.

There’s a massive difference between influence and manipulation...

Having participated in the Leadership in Life Institute (LILI), NAIFA Past President Paul Dougherty discovered that leadership is something found within oneself, and it takes strong discipline to be successful at it. In an article in the Fall/Winter issue of Advisor Today, Dougherty discusses how LILI helped shape his ideas of success and strong leadership and how the program can benefit anyone in the insurance and financial services field.

How do successful NAIFA members stay energized and finish Q4 strong? Advisor Today asked the experts: Christine A. Cox-West, LUTCF, Partner, The Fortis Agency; John Nilmeier, CFP, CLU, Financial Advisor, Nilmeier Financial and Insurance Services; Joseph C. Chalom, CLU, RICP, LUTCF, LACP, Financial Advisor, Retirement Council, Inc.; Bellaria Jimenez, MBA, CFP, CLU, CDFA, ChFC, President and General Agent, MassMutual Tri State; and Thomas Palmeri, LUTFC, Financial Representative, Forest Hills Financial Group.

NAIFA’s Advisor Today reports on NAIFA's advocacy successes and challenges, as well as the association's fall membership campaign: "Taxation Needs Representation." The campaign highlights what you, as a NAIFA member, can do to strengthen NAIFA’s advocacy voice in the face of a daunting threat to our industry. While the "Taxation Needs Representation" campaign confronts the issue of federal taxation, its call to action — effective advocacy requires member participation — applies to interstate and state advocacy issues, too.

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.

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.

Meet Marti Mongiello, a professional chef whose career started with a “no.” Mongiello wanted to join the U.S. Air Force, and despite scoring on the top 95 percentile on the ASVAB, was denied due to an incident in his history. Mongiello ended up signing on with the U.S. Navy as a chef and his career took off from there. Now Mongiello is a successful chef, with career highlights that include military service, and being a chef for the President at the White House, entrepreneur, and business coach. He not only built success through his cooking but also developed other skills, such as learning six languages. Throughout his career, Mongiello developed multiple strategies for success, built through his successes and experiences.

Congratulations to NAIFA member Andy Dalka for being hired by Union Bank & Trust as vice president – business development officer in its Retirement Plan Services department. This NAIFA-Nebraska board member’s success is due to his plethora of successful experience in the financial services industry, and his experience with leadership roles, such as being the regional vice president of Nationwide and Ameritas.

Congratulations to NAIFA member Maureen Kirschhofer who won the W. Harold Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award for this year at the International DI Society Conference.

NAIFA’s New Mexico chapter has proven to be a strong promoter of NAIFA, whether it be through social media or events, this chapter does it all. Executive Director of the chapter, Lynda Turner, has called for her members to be more active with NAIFA, asking them to join one of NAIFA’s weekly onboarding and orientation Zoom meetings. There was a resounding response to Turner’s request from her members, showing strong support from this chapter’s members to NAIFA. The sessions are held every Monday at 3 p.m. eastern, and a registration form is online at the NAIFA members’ portal.