NAIFA 100% Agencies ensure that every eligible producer within their ranks is a current and active NAIFA member.

NAIFA is proud to recognize KHI Solutions of Fort Dodge, Iowa, as the recipient of the 2025 NAIFA 100% Agency of the Year Award.

KHI Solutions, led by owners Brenda Eckard and Lynn Schreder and VP of Finance & Operations Misty Bethel, exemplifies the values and professionalism that define NAIFA’s membership. With over 30 NAIFA members across their team, KHI’s ongoing commitment to excellence, ethical service, and full participation makes them a standout example of what it means to be #NAIFAProud.

The Fortis Agency has once again raised the bar — becoming NAIFA’s first-ever Dual 100% Agency with every member participating in both NAIFA membership and NAIFA’s network of PACs (Political Action Committees). This landmark accomplishment represents more than full engagement — it’s a bold statement of what it means to lead with purpose.

The Fortis Agency Receives Inaugural 100% Agency Award at Apex/National Leadership Conference

When NAIFA President Bryon Holz graduated from college during the recession of the early 1980s, career opportunities were few and far between. So, when his high school biology teacher, who had left teaching a few years earlier to become a financial advisor, offered to have Holz come work with him, Holz accepted. He planned on staying until he found his “real” job, but he fell in love with helping families plan for their financial futures. Four decades later, it’s safe to say he’s found his calling.

The firms' advisors join the #1 professional association for financial security professionals and prepare to participate in NAIFA’s unmatched state and federal advocacy success under an agency-wide membership program.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce that Bryon Holz & Associates in Brandon, FL, has become a NAIFA 100% Agency. Under the membership program, all advisors within Bryon Holz & Associates became NAIFA members and active participants in NAIFA’s grassroots advocacy programs at the state and federal levels.

When Refine Wealth Strategies founders David J. Klein, CFP^®, CLU, ChFC^®, RICP; Brian Kelly, CLU, ChFC^®, RICP, CASL; and Larwin W. Kauffman CFP^®, CLU, ChFC, met in the early 2000s, they didn’t anticipate starting a business together. Fortunately, fate intervened—with a bit of help from 41-year NAIFA member Terry McTigue, CLU, ChFC^®, who recruited all three to Northwestern Mutual. 

In 2003, Kevin Bontrager hit a ceiling in his sales career. He wanted to help people in a more direct way, so he decided to become a financial advisor and created an independent firm. A few years later, Bontrager joined Randall Lehman, CLU^®, ChFC^®, AEP^®, RICP^®, and Rob Hayworth, CLU^®, ChFC^®, CASL^®, AEP^®, RICP^®, CFP^®, to create Summit Financial Group, a Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group. Now, Summit Financial Group has three Indiana offices in Fort Wayne, Angola, and Marion.

Lifetime Financial Group Owner Jay Meneely has been a loyal NAIFA member since 1983. Now, his whole team benefits from NAIFA membership. 

Education First

Lifetime was founded on giving financial education workshops. As Meneely says, “We're an educational firm that specializes in the delivery of financial products.” Meneely and his team work with employers to educate employees about their group benefits.

In 1978, Gary Havir, LUTCF, was ready for a career change when a client suggested he work in the insurance and financial services industry. At first, he wasn’t interested. However, after a few conversations, he decided to give it a shot. He interviewed with nine insurance companies, but chose Horace Mann because of his passion for serving teachers, educators, and school employees. 

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.