Delivering on NAIFA’s Membership Promise to Educate and Differentiate

sk any successful advisor about steps they took on the way to the top, participating in professional development programs will likely top the list. Most advisors with thriving practices are well aware of the fact that they need these programs to acquire the critical knowledge they need to successfully serve their clients.

Here are a few of the top-notch educational programs provided by NAIFA to help you move ahead:

• NAIFA Live: The National Monthly Membership Meeting featuring top speakers.

• Virtual Centers of Excellence:

■ The Talent Development Center (tdc.naifa.org) The TDC focuses on providing resources to accelerate your personal growth. It is home to our Young Advisor Team, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Leadership in Life Institute programs.

■ The Business Performance Center ( bpc.naifa.org) BPC is a content & event hub focused on topics within practice management. It is home to our Advanced Practice Symposiums as well. These events focus on the use of insurance and financial plans in complex cases.

■ The Limited & Extended Care Planning Center (lecp.naifa.org) is a content and event hub focused on bringing together experts and advisors on a wide range of topics within care giving and long term care. It is the result of NAIFA’s collaboration with a group of founding sponsors, which represent multiple categories of businesses that exist in the long-term-care sector of the financial services industry. These sponsors include education and certification experts, as well as insurance carriers and corporations.

■ The NAIFA Advocacy Center (naifa.org/advocate) allows you to quickly contact your legislators, take part in campaigns and report your relationships. It is available to NAIFA members and members of NAIFA’s advocacy partner organizations, as well as to other members of the insurance and financial services profession.

Access all Centers of Excellence by visiting www.naifa.org.

Differentiate

In addition to these educational offerings, NAIFA has first-rate programs that give members a competitive edge in today’s crowded market. The purpose of Differentiate in NAIFA’s Membership Promise is to empower members to use NAIFA as a platform to leverage their brand. Differentiate is all about a NAIFA member using NAIFA to get published, become a speaker or become a top volunteer leader.

NAIFA has created a designation and a certification — the LUTCF and the LACP — to help you stand out in today’s highly competitive market and empower you to serve your clients more effectively.

NAIFA’S LACP

NAIFA developed the Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) certification based on feedback from NAIFA members and others in the industry who saw a need for an accredited certification to distinguish extraordinary life insurance and annuities practitioners.

As an industry leader in education and professional development and with growing consumer outreach, NAIFA is well-positioned to advance the LACP as a standard for the industry.

“Having the LACP next to your name tells clients and industry insiders you are a successful advisor, dedicated to your career and committed to providing knowledgeable, ethical client service,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “It differentiates you in a crowded marketplace and can be a meaningful part of your personal brand.”

More than 90% of insurance and financial professionals find value in industry certifications and designations, according to a recent NAIFA survey, with 43% finding them “very valuable.” More than three-quarters expressed some interest in obtaining additional professional designations and certifications.

Why Members Value The Lacp

Reasons participants gave for valuing certifications like the LACP include:

• “They give you credibility with clients and show your desire to learn.”

• “In addition to contributing to continued education, they are a ‘separator’ in a competitive industry.”

• They provide “credibility with other professionals, including lawyers and CPAs.”

• They “communicate a commitment to excellence.”

The LACP is accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies and is recognized as such on the FINRA website.

NAIFA has obtained explicit approval from companies and broker-dealers for their affiliated producers to use the LACP certification.

These organizations include:

Cambridge Investment Research

Country Financial

FSC Securities

Guardian

Kansas City Life

The Leaders Group

MassMutual

Nationwide

New York Life

Principal

Royal Alliance

SagePoint

Western & Southern Life

Woodbury Financial

“Life and annuity products are the foundation for plans protecting the financial security of tens of millions of American families,” Mayeux added. “These products can be complicated, but the LACP lets consumers know they are working with a professional they can trust and who has the experience and understanding to help them meet their financial goals.”

Learn more about the LACP certification at tdc.naifa.org/lacp today, and start making plans to earn this ultimate mark of distinction.

NAIFA’S CONSUMER-FACING SITE

In its ongoing efforts to help you stand out from other advisors, NAIFA has also created a consumer-facing website at www.financialsecurity.org.

In addition to featuring content designed to enhance the financial-literacy levels of consumers, the site has a Find a NAIFA Member feature, which helps consumers locate a NAIFA member near them.

The site is three-pronged. It aims to:

1) Increase financial literacy of American consumers,

2) Increase financial security through access to a NAIFA advisor,

3) Increase awareness of financial services as a career option for Americans.

For information on how you can provide content for this site and make it an even better resource for you and your clients, please visit us at www.financialsecurity.org.

Happy 20th Anniversary, LILI!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Leadership in Life Institute (LILI), NAIFA’s flagship, leadershipdevelopment program.

LILI is a six-month course designed to advance your personal growth, business practices and professional skills. Since its inception in 2000, more than 3,000 NAIFA members have graduated from the program.

LILI is housed within our Talent Development Center. For more information, visit tdc.naifa.org/lili.