NAIFA is a proud member of the Coalition for Annuity Awareness, and CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, has joined fellow association CEOs to celebrate and promote June as National Annuity Awareness Month. He contributed statements on NAIFA’s behalf to a video presentation and a press release put together by the coalition.

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.

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.

When Bruce Palmieri, CLU^®, ChFC^®, CFP^®, applied for a life insurance policy in 1990, he didn’t expect to find a career—but that’s just what happened. His Northwestern Mutual advisor recruited him into the business and, over 30 years later, Palmieri is a stalwart of the insurance and financial services industry.

Serving Main Street USA

Palmieri primarily works with clients who are looking to retire soon and want to make sure they have their finances in order. He helps them plan for the future, delving into the details of their retirement accounts, employee benefits, life insurance, long-term care planning and more. By taking a holistic approach to each client’s unique circumstances, he’s able to help them build a strategy that works for them.

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.

John (Jack) Hawk, LUTCF, FSS, LACP, learned the value of life insurance at an early age. When his mother was 3 months pregnant with him, his father was killed in a car accident. Hawk’s great-grandfather had passed three days earlier. As neither had life insurance, the family had to deal with financial uncertainty while grieving two devastating losses.

Hawk admits he got lucky—his mother remarried when he was a year old, and Jack and his siblings were raised in a middle-class household. “I was this close to that not happening,” he says. “We got this opportunity because of stepdad.”

When Bryan Nester created Nester Insurance in 2010, his mission was simple—to help people understand their insurance options and make the best choice for their unique situations. Nester Insurance started as a solo operation offering group health, life, and disability plans for businesses but expanded staff in 2016 to help shape the group benefits agency it is today.

Increased awareness of long-term care (LTC) insurance means increased interest in LTC coverage. However, not all clients qualify for a traditional LTC rider.

Each week, NAIFA partner E4 Insurance Services presents Building Relationships Every Week (BREW) webinars with insights to help you grow your practice and serve Main Street USA.