Being a great financial planning firm simply wasn’t enough for Centric Advisors in Houston, a NAIFA 100% Agency. Zac Majors, CFP^®, RICP, CLU^®, CLF, and his partner Oscar Mondragon, CFP^®, zeroed in on what their clients really needed and built an innovative firm that provides families, business owners, and retirees with what Centric calls “financial life management.”

Roger Sims CLU^®, LUTCF, has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2001 and currently practices with New York Life in High Point, NC, where he specializes in long-term care and retirement. 

Roger is a second-generation insurance agent, something his father always wanted but not something that he had planned for himself. He first began to consider a career in the industry when his father’s office moved into the building he worked in. There, he was able to observe his father’s line of work and found it “really appealing.”

Joshua Shaver, CFP, ChFC^®, CBEC, RICP, has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2008 and is currently a Senior Partner and Wealth Manager at Diamond Financial Group in Newark, DE, where he specializes in retirement. He graduated magna cum laude from the Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware where he was actively involved with the Financial Manager’s Association. Joshua currently holds a series of designations and certificates including his Series 7, Series 66, and Series 24 registrations, as well as his Life, Health, and Ethics Insurance licenses.

Vanessa Bucklin is a financial advisor based in Conrad, MT, that has built her flourishing practice using a three-pronged approach of trust in self, trust in the process of building relationships, and trust in paying it forward for future advisors.

Trent Bryson has been a loyal NAIFA member since 2002 and manages his own firm, Bryson Wealth Management, in Long Beach, California. 

In 2000, Bryson was training for the Olympic trials in track & field for the Nike Farm Team in Palo Alto when Merrill Lynch recruited him through their development program.  Although Bryson was new to the industry himself, he grew up admiring his father’s career as a general agent for Mass Mutual. He explains, “I kind of grew up in the business and got an appreciation for him [and] the agents that surrounded him, so I grew up looking to my dad as a mentor.” It was also his dad who encouraged him to join NAIFA and eventually into leadership roles.

Daniel Irizarry has been a loyal member of NAIFA since 2012. He currently practices in Manasquan, NJ, with Allied Wealth Partners.

Although Irizarry was referred to the industry by another professional who mentioned he would be “perfect for this line of work.” The ability to control his own scheduling and operate autonomously in order to “maximize efficiency in [his] life and spend as much time with [his] family as possible while earning a modest living” is what appealed to him most.

Mark Acre, LUTCF, is a Missouri State Alumni and has been a member of NAIFA since 2009. Acre owns his own company in Missouri, One Insurance Group, which he describes as a “one-stop shop” for all your financial planning needs. Housing 23 advisors under one roof with each specializing in a different field truly is an anomaly in the industry.

Dave Skutnik has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1984 and today is eagerly helping his clients prepare for retirement while simultaneously enjoying the freedom that being your own boss has enabled him to have. Working from his lake-side home in Grand Island, NE, Dave credits this solely to his career as a financial advisor.

Carol Rappaport, CLU^®, ChFC^®, CLTC, is a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual and a loyal NAIFA member since 1983.

Carol began working in the clothing sales business at an early age. She enjoyed providing a customized service for her clients and helping them select items based on their style preferences. Her clients and friends recognized her talents and recommended that she consider outside sales opportunities, and more specifically, financial services. Initially, Carol thought, “I am more of a creative type of person, not a math person. Will I be able to do this well?” However, she remained open-minded and decided to give it a shot. After all, she had experience listening to clients and making recommendations and customizations based on their best interests.

Thomas Yannetti is a Financial Services Professional at thinkWealth, LLC, and a new NAIFA member.

A 2020 graduate of Ramapo College in New Jersey, Yannetti earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Accounting. When Thomas received the discouraging news that classes were transitioning online due to COVID-19, Yannetti saw this minor setback as an opportunity. While finishing up his coursework online, Thomas decided to transition from part-time to full-time to jumpstart his career in financial services.