NAIFA’s 8th Annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Symposium: REPRESENT was a resounding success! With more than 175 participants, the program featured top speakers sharing their experiences with diversity, how to recruit more diverse talent into the insurance and financial services industry, and strategies to reach underserved populations.

The event kicked off with remarks from NAIFA President Bryon Holz, NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, and OneAmerica President of Individual Life and Financial Services (ILFS) Dennis Martin. Martin addressed the ongoing efforts to increase diversity, saying, “DEI is a journey, not a destination.”

The premier association for agents and advisors in the United States encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion in the insurance and financial services industry and promotes financial security for all Americans.

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to announce NAIFA’s 8th Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium on May 22, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Presented by NAIFA’s Talent Development Center, the Symposium will focus on the importance of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the insurance and financial services industry to provide opportunities for financial security to all Americans. 

The National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA), a NAIFA advocacy partner, has issued a new report showing that, while insurance and financial services companies have increased diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, many fail to address inequity at a foundational level.

On December 6, NAIFA-National Trustee and Gateway Insurance and Financial Services Vice President Aprilyn Chavez-Geissler will be a featured speaker for the webinar "Beyond Sentiment: The Business Benefits of DEI," presented by Financial Planning magazine. 

The webinar will discuss how recent research can help you craft a strategy for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that is well-defined, driven by company leaders, and connected to business outcomes.

This month, NAIFA leaders attended the ringing of the Nasdaq opening bell. NAIFA-NM President Chad Cooper, MBA; NAIFA-National Trustee Aprilyn Chavez Geissler, LACP; and NAIFA-CA Past President Shane Westhoelter, AEP, CLU, LUTCF, LTCP, appeared in support of THRIVE, which aims to educate and activate 1 million Black and Latino investors to build wealth.

NAIFA is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15. 

As the leading association for insurance and financial professionals in the United States, NAIFA promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its NAIFA 2025 Strategic Plan, and strongly supports increasing opportunities for diverse professionals to join the profession and advance their careers in the insurance and financial services industry.  Through its decades-long Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative that is part of its strategic plan, NAIFA works to create a diverse force of skilled, ethical agents and advisors that reflects the changing composition of Main Street USA.

On August 10, 2022, tune in for "DEI Success: From Making a Great Hire to Serving a Wider Audience."

Presented by InsuranceNewsNet, this special webinar will feature two NAIFA members: Toni L. Gonzales, MBA, LACP, VP of Sales at Ohio National Financial Services and VP of Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS) and Kristen Hall Eskew, VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at OneDigital.

NAIFA is a proud member of the Coalition for Equity in Wholesaling (CEW), a group founded by Equitable to increase the number of diverse professionals in the role of insurance wholesaler. Wholesalers play an important role by building relationships with insurance and financial advisors and providing them with insurance and investment products that meet the specific needs of consumers. These partnerships are key to ensuring that all Americans have access to insurance and financial products, services, and advice. 

What’s your money story? 

In California Broker, Win Havir, CPCU, CLF, LUTCF, LACP, tells her “money story” of growing up in East Los Angeles as the child of an immigrant. Her father, who immigrated from China as a child, would often say “We don’t have any money.” Havir talks about the effect this mantra had on her developing inner narrative, saying, “I was embarrassed and didn’t understand why we stood in line to get huge blocks of orange cheese, powdered milk, and a loaf of white bread.” However, this mindset helped her be empathetic and help others develop financial literacy. 

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased to return in-person for our NAIFA’s 7th Annual Diversity Symposium on May 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Presented by NAIFA’s Talent Development Center, NAIFA’s 7th Annual Diversity Symposium will focus on the importance of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the insurance and financial services industry to provide opportunities for financial security to all Americans.