Carina Hatfield, LUTCF, CLCS, LACP, is the owner of Weigner Insurance & Financial Services Inc. and recently served as a subject matter expert in the development of the new LACP online prep course. Located in Pottstown, PA, Hatfield's practice serves small businesses and young families in southeastern Pennsylvania. Her clients are quintessential Main Street USA.

A third-generation insurance agent, Hatfield joined NAIFA the day she received her life insurance license. “NAIFA is everything to me,” she says. “It is my family outside of my blood family. The professional association I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have.” 

That passion and her hard work within the association led to Hatfield being recognized as NAIFA's 2020 Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year.

It was Hatfield's father who brought her into the industry, and it was her father who emphasized the value of NAIFA membership, the importance of staying current in the industry, and the need to demonstrate professionalism to the community. Hatfield's first industry credential was the LUTCF designation. As a multiline agent, she followed the LUTCF with the Commercial Line Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designation. When NAIFA introduced the Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP) certification, she knew it was a credential she wanted to earn. “I was excited to see the conversation and excitement about it coming out,” she says. “A lot of people in my community know me more as the person who insures the classic cars and the auto and home. I wanted to further solidify the life and annuity side of things, so I thought LACP would be a good fit.”

Now that she holds the LACP, Hatfield is making sure to promote the credential to her clients and prospects. As of July 2020, Hatfield's agency has gone independent. As part of the revamping of the agency website and other promotions, they are highlighting that they are a 100% NAIFA Agency with all its agents enrolled as NAIFA members along with promoting the credentials they hold and what they mean. “Anything that goes out has LACP on it,” she says.

As an exam-based certification, the LACP is different than designations based on completion of specific coursework. To earn the LACP, candidates who meet the experience and eligibility requirements must pass an exam designed to test essential knowledge for a professional in the field. Advisors earn this knowledge through the breadth of training and experience achieved in their careers. The LACP exam is accredited by the independent National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

When asked about the experience of sitting for the LACP, Hatfield says, “I actually enjoyed the exam.” She described it as validating. “The questions were very practical in your business…. If you are in this space and you do life insurance and you sell annuities or explain them or have conversations about those products on a regular basis, it’s something that you can easily understand.”

Recently, Hatfield contributed her time, knowledge, and experience as a volunteer subject matter expert to help create the new online LACP prep course. She was one of a group of agents brought together to review this new offering which is available to help LACP candidates prepare for the exam. Describing the benefit of the course, she said, “You are reminded of a lot and refreshed of a lot as you are going through the prep class to take the exam.”

It is because of the knowledge, experience, and dedication of NAIFA members like Hatfield that NAIFA can offer this credential for advisors to demonstrate to clients and prospects their professionalism in the life insurance and annuity space.