Rob Wild has a passion for serving his clients and his community.

When Wild came to the United States in 2013 to work in a summer camp for children with disabilities, he never imagined he would be an insurance agent in Kansas nearly a decade later. Meeting his now-wife Sarah at that camp changed his plans. Growing up in the United Kingdom, Wild had no experience with the American insurance industry. However, Wild’s father-in-law was an American Family agent and Wild decided to give it a try. His passion for building relationships and helping others led him to a fulfilling career protecting families in his community.

Kim Braud is a woman of many talents. An entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader, she focuses her efforts on serving underserved communities as Managing Partner of Jayde Life Investment Group, President of Grand Champions Foundation, and Founder and Owner of the candle company Fleurty Wick.

Getting Started

Braud’s career in the insurance industry can be traced back to her father—a racecar driver and enthusiast. She learned about cars from her father and used that expertise to become a trainer with Nationwide Insurance. Over the years, she played several roles, including training, marketing, sales, and community outreach. When she founded the boutique candle manufacturing company Fleurty Wick, she didn’t think she would ever go back to insurance. Then, a mutual friend introduced her to LA Lakers player Dwight Howard.

When Christopher Faulk started out in the financial services industry, he could tell there was something missing. As a commercial loan officer, he was helping people, but there were other aspects of his clients’ financial pictures that weren’t being addressed. He wanted to offer a more comprehensive financial service. 

In 2019, Faulk joined New York Life, and their holistic approach to addressing clients’ needs was exactly what he was looking for. Now, he protects families as an insurance agent and helps clients with their investment needs as a registered representative.

For Glenn Walker, providing guidance and hope to his community is what it’s all about. 

Getting Started

When Walker entered the financial services industry, he already knew the importance of planning ahead. Two years earlier, his father passed away from lung cancer without life insurance. He saw his family’s financial struggles and knew he needed to do something to help families like his own. He prayed for an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than himself and found that opportunity at Primerica.

Scott Blake, MBA, knows the value of political advocacy. After a career in the political sphere, he now works to protect the interests of Main Street Americans as well as insurance and financial professionals.

From Politics to Financial Services

Blake transitioned from politics to financial services at the suggestion of his own financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual. Now, he's also a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual. Working primarily with upwardly mobile millennials, Blake says he likes helping driven, motivated people achieve their dreams and goals. He talks about one such instance when he helped a millennial client buy their first home. “It's about serving your client. I get to wish for the best for them and help them achieve their dreams.” That's his favorite part of being a financial advisor—he gets to be everyone’s cheerleader.

Brad Noller is all about building relationships, both with his clients and with other insurance and financial services professionals.

Making a Difference

Noller didn’t start his career in the insurance industry, but he found he was good at it and excelled quickly. Just nine months after starting an Agent in Training position with American Family Insurance, he opened his own agency—an accomplishment that normally took between 18-24 months at the time.

Johnny Craven, LUTCF, is a stalwart of the NAIFA community and a veteran of the insurance and financial services industry.

Craven joined the insurance and financial services industry over 20 years ago, but that’s not where he started out. He spent 13 years in the grocery industry, but when one of his coworkers became an insurance agent and suggested he give it a try, he decided it was worth exploring. His coworker called Craven on a Saturday night and they planned to meet the next morning. Not realizing it was a formal interview, Craven showed up in shorts and a t-shirt and met the man who would become his boss. Fortunately, he saw potential in Craven and decided to give him a shot.

Nicholas “Nick” Romo knows the impact life insurance can have and works to protect families every day.

Romo didn’t start out in the insurance and financial services industry, but he was drawn to it by two factors. First, he saw two of his friends who opened successful insurance offices. They were helping people who weren’t being served by large investment companies, and he knew that he, too, could make a difference. Second, he saw the real-life effects of not having insurance, as several family members passed away unexpectedly without life insurance—or without enough coverage. He knew that, if they had been covered, it would have been much easier for their families. “I thought it could be my role to help people in those situations,” he says.

Dale Handley is a financial planner with a mission: to provide peace of mind to clients through building comprehensive financial plans. 

Getting Started

Handley has been in the financial services industry since 2011. Growing up in small-town Iowa, he always had a head for numbers. When he got a college internship in investing, he knew he had found the right place. “I was really drawn to financial services because I felt like there is an incredible amount of noise in our industry,” he begins. “I wanted to help simplify that for people because I feel like it can be extremely confusing." He watched his parents trying to find answers to their questions about their finances, but not getting the help they needed.

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.”