NAIFA-CA member Rahim Solehdin uses his passion and experience to train the next generation of agents and advisors at New York Life.

Making a Difference

When Solehdin joined New York Life as an agent in 2013, he found the balance he was looking for—the opportunity to help people provide for their families while making good money. He always knew he wanted to be in management, and New York Life provided that career path for him. Driven to succeed, he became a partner with New York Life in 2016. "I knew what I had to do to get there, and I did it,” he says. “[At New York Life], I knew that I could do the hard work and get what I wanted.”

In 2022, Joe Simon, LUTCF, will celebrate 27 years in the insurance and financial services industry. He’s learned a lot in that time and is eager to share his knowledge and expertise with his community.

A Changing Industry

When Simon began working as a group health representative, the world of employee benefits was in a time of transition with the advent of managed care. Despite the changing landscape, Simon learned as he went and quickly rose through the ranks. He became a regional sales representative and worked with top brokerage firms before transitioning to being a broker himself. As a broker, Simon took a two-pronged approach, continuing to sharpen his skills with group benefits while simultaneously learning the ins and outs of executive benefits.

Yuka Nakahara-Goven traveled 7,000 miles to pursue her dream. Now, she uses her experience and compassion to help empower other women to pursue theirs.

Perseverance in the Face of Adversity

Nakahara-Goven¹ grew up in Japan and Taiwan and dreamed of becoming a diplomat. Bilingual in Japanese and Chinese, she had everything she needed to succeed. She worked hard, studied harder, and passed the first exam needed to enter government service. Her hopes were dashed, however, when a professor revealed that it would be difficult for her to be hired as a diplomat because she was a woman.

Jacqueline (Jacquie) Proffit is a financial advisor and marketing expert dedicated to making a difference in her community.

Getting Started

Proffit built her early career in marketing but decided after a decade that it was time for a change. That’s when she found her calling in financial services. She knew she needed to get her finances in order, so she attended a financial literacy seminar that taught financial skills from budgeting to planning for retirement. The experience made her realize the need for more financial education. “If more people only knew how to do money, the world would be such a different place,” she says.

For Bob Kelly, insurance runs in the family. Kelly’s father was an insurance salesman and a family man through and through. He instilled in Kelly the importance of using your talents to help others. “He'd bring various instances where he’d sold policies, and something happened a short time afterward and the family was taken care of,” Kelly says. “They didn’t have to worry about anything."

American National’s Jarod Morgan has dedicated his career to protecting families and businesses in his community in Henderson, Nevada.

Morgan decided he wanted to work in sales in the financial services industry while studying business administration and marketing in college, but it didn’t hit home for him until his parents set him up with an appointment with their insurance agent to get life insurance. He was young and healthy and didn’t see a need for life insurance, but he went anyway, and the conversation helped shape his career for the next two decades and counting.

For Dean Germain, serving Main Street USA isn’t just a job—it’s a calling.

After growing up in Michigan and Illinois, Germain found his way to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1989. He was a network engineer for about ten years, but his work required him to travel often, and he wanted to spend more time with his family. That’s when a friend suggested that he work with her husband at Allied Home Mortgage. Germain signed up on October 31, 2002, and began his journey into the mortgage industry.

Jack Mander, of NAIFA-AK, protects Alaskan families with insurance, financial planning, and a heart for service.

Getting Started

Mander grew up in Nassau County, New York, but found himself on the opposite side of the country for a summer job during college: commercial fishing in Alaska. A life-long nature lover, Mander fell in love with Alaska’s beauty and decided to make his home in Anchorage. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Russian Language and Economics from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Mander began his career in insurance and financial services.

Chadd Watson, LUTCF, RICP, is an unabashed people person with a passion for helping others achieve their goals.

Watson was born and raised in Utah. He spent his early career as a high school football coach and photography and multimedia teacher. After he started a family, however, he began looking for other opportunities and found one through a close friend who was a claims manager with State Farm. Watson wasn’t sure if insurance was a good fit for him at first. However, after he started talking to agents, he was impressed to find them genuine and caring, so he decided to give it a try. He became a State Farm agent in 2007. After five years, State Farm asked him to lead a team of agents in Northern Nevada, where he and his family have stayed since.

Belle Ives is a financial advisor and high school field hockey coach with a passion for supporting women and serving the LGBTQ+ community.

Ives entered the financial services industry by way of serendipity. Her father was a member of a gym in the same building as Northwestern Mutual’s Boston office. Knowing that athletes tend to be well-suited for financial services, her father’s gym acquaintances suggested Ives apply to work with Northwestern Mutual. It turned out to be a perfect fit.