NAIFA is pleased to join our members and industry partners, including Life Happens, to commemorate May as Disability Insurance Awareness Month (DIAM). Disability insurance is an essential part of a solid financial plan and DIAM is a great opportunity to start educating your clients and prospects about the importance of disability insurance coverage. 

On June 30, 1965, President Johnson signed H.R. 6675, which led to the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Under this bill, Medicare Parts A and B were created and today these benefits are commonly referred to as “Original Medicare”.

To understand Medicare, it’s important to start with Original Medicare, because Parts A and B are often considered its building blocks. Having a solid understanding of the costs and benefits of Original Medicare is important since almost everyone is required to enroll in Parts A and B when seeking post-retirement health benefits. For example, to enroll in additional benefits such as a Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage plan, enrollment in Original Medicare is a must. Additionally, many employer-retiree plans, Tricare, and other corporate-sponsored retiree programs require enrollment into Original Medicare as part of your post-retirement health benefits.

Kameron Caldwell, President and CEO of Caldwell Wealth Management, is dedicated to protecting families and advocating for Main Street USA.

Getting Started

When a friend first approached Caldwell to become a life insurance agent, he wasn’t interested. He thought it would be too hard, but his friend encouraged him, saying, “You’ve got the gift of gab; you’re good at sales. Why not give it a try?” Caldwell agreed to enroll in an apprentice course and take the exam to become an insurance broker. He failed the exam on his first try, but that only fueled his determination. He kept studying and, the next time he took the test, he passed.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Next Level Founder and CEO Danny O'Connell moved to Dallas and started his career at an investment firm, but he didn’t find his passion until he was recruited into insurance and employee benefits. Once he found his niche, he never looked back.

In 2016, O’Connell founded Next Level Insurance Agency. Next Level takes a holistic approach to employee benefits covering all employer needs from startups to companies with hundreds of employees. With a growing firm, Next Level has the ability to adapt to each client’s needs. While many larger agencies use a one-size-fits-all approach to their clients, the Next Level team tailors their services to each client’s needs. “We want to be nimble and bring the right solution to our clients, not just try to fit them all into the same round hole,” O’Connell says.

We are increasingly aware of the importance of staying secure in a world where cyber threats increase day by day. Heightened awareness around the Ukraine-Russia geopolitical tensions has taken cybersecurity to the next level. There are alerts and notices coming across multiple sources from regulatory bodies to industry-specific regulators, government agencies, consulting firms, and more. Samples include White House Cybersecurity Briefing,  CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency), NYDFS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity Intelligence Warning, and Accenture’s Cyber Threat Intelligence group.

Alongside these continued tensions between Russia and Ukraine is the potential for increased cyber threat activity. With military attacks, we should assume there will be accompanying cyber attacks.

Steve Cain is a self-described “LTC insurance nerd” dedicated to being a lifelong learner and advocating for Main Street USA.

Getting Started

A 25-year veteran of the insurance industry, Cain started his insurance career after playing two years of minor league baseball. When he returned home to Los Angeles, he took a temporary job providing support for a company specializing in long-term care (LTC) insurance. He learned about LTC from his job, but he learned its value from watching his mother handle LTC events for both of her parents. He saw the impact dealing with LTC without proper planning had on her and knew he needed to help families like his own.

Stephen Kagawa, FSS, LUTCF, founder and CEO of The Pacific Bridge Companies (TPBC), has a vision—to help families protect what they love through TPBC’s platform, Aloha Financial Advisors. As Kagawa explains, “Aloha Financial Advisors is all about doing good and having advisors who are rooted in their vision of a better world driven by their core values.”

Where It All Began

The story of Kagawa’s passion for reaching underserved communities goes back nearly a century. In 1933, his grandfather, Lawrence Takeo “L.T.” Kagawa, was disappointed to learn that life insurance companies either refused to write policies for people of color or demanded higher premiums than that of their Caucasian neighbors. He partnered with A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America and Transamerica, and helped bring affordable life insurance to all people of color.

LIMRA and Life Happens have published the results of their 2022 Insurance Barometer Study. The new study surveyed 8,517 individuals and shows two key trends: life insurance is key to financial security and gender gaps extend to life insurance coverage.

Financial Security with Life Insurance

While financial insecurity affects all age groups, more life insurance owners (68%) report feeling financially secure than non-owners (47%). Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic had increased awareness of the need for life insurance and 31% of those surveyed say they are more likely to buy life insurance this year.  

Alex Parker is dedicated to serving everyday citizens and helping underprivileged youth in his community.

Parker started his financial services career with Northwestern Mutual in 2019, providing comprehensive financial planning for Americans in over a dozen states. He works primarily with young professionals, helping them navigate their finances and manage wealth. The best thing about his career, he says, is seeing the impact he has on his clients’ lives and helping them become financially secure.

John Becker, MBA, CMFC, is a self-described people person and analytics nerd. It’s the perfect combination for a career that requires both empathy and financial acumen.

Getting Started

While studying for his MBA at the University of Florida, Becker knew he wanted a career in financial services. He considered becoming a financial analyst but decided against it. As an analyst, he would exclusively manage assets for high-net-worth individuals. He wanted to make an impact on Main Street Americans, so he decided to become a financial advisor instead.