2022 General Agent's Conference

We continue to be inspired by your passion for helping people and this industry and we were delighted to be together again to honor your collective achievements.

“We all have the same goal in this room, the same purpose, to deliver on our promises to our clients and to help shape the future of Guardian. And thanks to you, our future has no limits.” - Leyla Lesina

Hall of Fame
‍For 2021, our newest addition to Guardian’s Hall of Fame is Steve Ferrara.

After joining Guardian in the 1970s and running his agency like a family, Steve is retiring. His career of more than 45 years has spanned three generations and the Ferrara family shares a lot of history with Guardian. He has worked with seven Guardian CEOs and has served on the Field AdvisoryBoard numerous times.

Steve’s greatest honor was when his son, Christopher, joined his agency — making it a third-generation Guardian firm. In honor of Christopher’s work ethic and love for our profession, Guardian renamed the New Agent of the Year Award in his name.

Steve Ferrara and family, joined by Leyla Lesina on the left, and Dan Ellen on the right

Retirements

Congratulations to our seven retirees on their illustrious
careers with Guardian:

• David Allen of South Central
• John Driscoll of Southwest
• Bob Fashano of Upstate New York
• Steve Ferrara of Short Hills
• Dave Parsels of Short Hills
• Larry Plumb of Portland
• Joe Limongelli of Baldwin

Field Service Award

This award provides the field with the opportunity to single out and honor a home office colleague. The Field Service Award recognizes someone who has continually provided exemplary service to the field — not just for a given year, but over the course of a career.

The 2021 Field Service Award winner was Leyla Lesina. Leyla was noted for her accomplishments in her eight outstanding years at Guardian. She’s led the way in agency footprint and succession, recruiting and development, agent and sales productivity, and the list goes on. Her colleagues praise her intelligence, sense of humor, adventurous spirit, global citizenry, and the vital role she plays as a leader and engaged, devoted participant in the team’s successes.

Rewarding Achievement‍

Platinum Agencies
Achieving the Platinum Agency designation is a crowning achievement for any Guardian agency. Congratulations to those who have achieved success across the growth trifecta — recruiting, production, and leadership. You inspire us at the home office and your peers to reach for greatness!

Strategies for Wealth: Led by Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz, and Jeff Neeck
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‍Lifetime Financial Growth: Led by Earl Luttner, Sandy Aderson, Matt Roddy, MaryLou Rodgers, Tom Wyatt, Danielle Swann, Joe Lucido, Mike Morris, Brandon Harlan, and Greg Kreiner

‍California Pacific: Led by Kelly Kidwell, Eric McDermott, Matt Shipman, Larry Plumb, and Misty Weltzien

Brooklyn: Led by Josh Becker, Yoel Felberbaum, Jerry Harnik, and Nat Perlmutter

‍Western Pacific: Led by Nash Subotic, Phil Kang, Travis Scribner, and Jeff Pawlowski

‍North/Central Florida: Led by Stewart Davis and Chris Roussel

‍Southeast: Led by Corky Dawes, Brad Stonecipher, Andy Meehan, and Dustin Dawes

‍National Financial Network: Led by Tony Mazzei, Mike Maresca, Gary DeStefano, and Brett Amendola

‍Certified Financial Services: Led by Tom Ciardella, Craig Feinberg, Bob Worgaftik, Rich Gribinas, Adam Katzman, and Pam Mellor

‍Forest Hills Financial Group: Led by Nat Perlmutter, Tom Petrone, David Perlmutter, Andie Perlmutter, and Amy Salo

‍Short Hills: Led by Mike Salvatore and John Limongelli

Platinum Agency Award winners

President’s Award

The President’s Award is the ultimate recognition at the GA Conference. Each year, we recognize the one agency that, through outstanding production and growth, exemplifies excellence in leadership. To earn it, General Agents must demonstrate performance in all the foundations of our success. It takes extraordinary dedication, focus, and hard work.

This year’s recipient was Strategies for Wealth, led by Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz, and Jeff Neeck

First Runner-Up: California Pacific, led by Kelly Kidwell, Eric McDermott, Matt Shipman, Larry Plumb, and Misty Weltzien

Second Runner-Up: Western Pacific, led by Nash Subotic, Phil Kang, Travis Scribner, and Jeff Pawlowski

Strategies for Wealth led by Josh Becker, Lyle Domenitz, Jerry Harnik, and Jeff Neeck. Joined by Andrew McMahon on the left.

Gold Medallion Award winner: Southeast. Led by Andy Meehan, Brad Stonecipher, Dustin Dawes, and Corky Dawes. Joined by Leyla Lesina on the left, and Ed Youmell on the right.

Medallion Awards

The Medallion Awards are presented to the agencies with the best overall performance in the categories of production, recruiting, agent development, training, and persistency.

Bronze Agency: Chicagoland, led by Scott Hunken and Van Ewing

‍Silver Agency: Fort Myers/Naples, led by Mike Kochis and Jerry Hemmer

‍Gold: Southeast, led by Corky Dawes, Brad Stonecipher, Andy Meehan, and Dustin Dawes

‍Platinum: Strategies for Wealth, led by Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz, and Jeff Neeck

New Agency of the Year Award

This award goes to Flushing, led by Derek Chan, in recognition of its great promise as a new agency, as well as its ability to balance growth in the equally vital areas of recruiting, production, and agency retention. National New Agency Recruiting Award winner is also Flushing, led by Derek Chan, with a record of five quality hires appointed.

New Agency of the Year & Recruiting Award winner: Derek Chan joined by Emily Viner, left, and Leyla Lesina

Agency Cross-Offering Award

The Cross-Offering Award represents agencies with the highest growth of clients owning two or more products from different lines of business from the previous year. This year’s Platinum/Gold winner, South Central — led by Tom Purcell, George Moore, David Allen, and Camille Allen-Snyder — saw a 1.01% increase in clients owning 2+ lines of business to 15.24%. And the Silver/Bronze winner, Upstate New York — led by Jim Fashano, Barb O’Neill, and Matt Vahue — saw a 0.602% increase in clients owning 2+ lines of business to 14.4%

Life Brokerage Agency of the Year Award

The Life Brokerage Agency of the Year Award is presented to Guardian’s agency leader in brokerage life premium sales, as reported on the year-end Brokerage Premium Report, in the qualifying production year. The 2021 winner, Forest Hills Financial Group — led by Nat Perlmutter, Tom Petrone, David Perlmutter, Andie Perlmutter, and Amy Salo — achieved over $5.6 million in Life Brokerage Annual Premium.

Disability Brokerage Agency of the Year Award

The Disability Brokerage Award is presented to Guardian’s agency leader in brokerage disability premium sales, as reported on the year-end Brokerage Premium Report. The Disability Brokerage Award is presented to the agency with the highest amount of annualized premium on new disability income business in the qualifying production year. The Disability Brokerage Award was presented to the Wayne Agency, led by David Alter, Jerry Clericuzio, and Anthony Campanile. The agency generated nearly $2.5 million in brokerage disability annual premiums.

National Disability Insurance Awards
‍
‍Lifetime Financial Growth took home the National Multi-Life Disability Award with over $1.63 million in annual premiums and the Agency Productivity Award, as 66% of their FRs met MPR, and 51% of their FRs have achieved four-year retention.

National Innovative Underwriters
Products Award

This award is given to the agency with the highest amount of annualized commissionable premium. For 2021, the winner was California Pacific, led by Kelly Kidwell, Eric McDermott, Matt Shipman, Larry Plumb, and Misty Weltzien. They had $1.05 million in annualized commissionable premium (ACP).

National Annuity, National Investments, Platinum Trident and Platinum Medallion Awards

For 2021, the winning agency with bragging rights to these four awards was Strategies for Wealth, led by Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz , and Jeff Neeck. They produced $18.8 million in proprietary annuity sales and an extraordinary $35.9 million in Total GDC.

National Life Insurance and Life Face Value Awards

This year’s winner of both awards was Brooklyn — led by Josh Becker, Yoel Felberbaum, Jerry Harnik, and Nat Perlmutter — with nearly $45.5 million in life annual premiums and more than $5.7 billion in life face amount.

National Recruiting Award

This recognition is presented annually to an agency having been in operation for more than three years and having the highest number of quality recruits of all the agencies. This year’s National Recruiting Award was presented to Lifetime Financial Growth — led by Earl Luttner, Sandy Aderson, Matt Roddy, MaryLou Rodgers, Tom Wyatt, Danielle Swann, Joe Lucido, Mike Morris, Brandon Harlan, and Greg Kreiner — with a record 34 quality hires appointed.

National Group Insurance Award

The Group Insurance award is presented to the agency with the highest amount of group business, based on a point formula, which includes case counts, group life volume, and combined group premium. The 2021 winner was Red River, led by John McGurran, with more than $2.6 in premium sales (ranked #1), $117,025,700 in life volume (ranked #1), and 70 plans (ranked #1).

2021 Client Builder Award

The Client Builder Award (CBA) contest is focused on supporting newer FRs in getting their careers off to a strong start, particularly within the first 90 days, and then at the 1- and 2-year milestone marks. Winners received a $5,000 reimbursement toward training for their agency.

Gold: South Central — led by Tom Purcell, David Allen, George Moore, and Camille Allen-Snyder — with 43% CBA qualifiers.

‍Platinum: California Pacific — led by Kelly Kidwell, Eric McDermott, Matt Shipman, Larry Plumb, and Misty Weltzien — with 28% CBA qualifiers.

The Trident Awards

The Trident Awards were developed to promote competition among agencies based on their metal standing — and go to the agencies with the best overall growth in terms of Life, DI and GDC within their respective category.

‍Non-Metal: Flushing, led by Derek Chan

Silver: Fort Myers/Naples, led by Mike Kochis and Jerry Hemmer

Gold: Southeast, led by Corky Dawes, Brad Stonecipher, Andy Meehan, and Dustin Dawes

Platinum: Strategies for Wealth, led by Jerry Harnik, Josh Becker, Lyle Domenitz, and Jeff Neeck

The Guardian Quality Award

This award distinguishes general agencies doing a significant amount of above-average, quality business by meeting the following requirements:

1 Prior 3-year life premium actual lapses, as measured in the new GA contract, must be less than the prior 3-year life premium expected lapses.

‍2 The agency must be in existence for at least three years as of the end of the qualifying production year for which the award is being given.

‍3 The current Agency Head must have headed the agency for the 3-year period and must currently qualify for Leaders Club based on Tier I or Tier II criteria.

Boston
Seth Medalie, Kevin Schneider, Thomas Harmon, and John Brady
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‍Certified Financial Services
Tom Ciardella, Craig Feinberg, Bob Worgaftik, Rich Gribinas, Adam Katzman, and Pam Mellor
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‍Charlotte
Andy Brincefield
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‍Chicagoland
Scott Hunken and Van Ewing
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‍Des Moines
Kim Weaver and Aaron Brinks
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‍Forest Hills Financial Group
Nat Perlmutter, Tom Petrone, David Perlmutter, Andie Perlmutter, and Amy Salo

‍Fort Myers/Naples
Mike Kochis and Jerry Hemmer
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‍Lifetime Financial Growth
Earl Luttner, Sandy Aderson, Matt Roddy, MaryLou Rodgers, Tom Wyatt, Danielle Swann, Joe Lucido, Mike Morris, Brandon Harlan, and Greg Kreiner
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‍National Financial Network
Tony Mazzei, Mike Maresca, Gary DeStefano, and Brett Amendola

‍North/Central Florida
Stewart Davis, Chris Roussel
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‍New York Gotham
Howard Elias and Adam Kaufman
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‍Pacific Advisors
Kelly Kidwell, Eric McDermott, Matt Shipman, Larry Plumb, and Misty Weltzien

‍Philadelphia
Dan Linehan
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‍Red River
John McGurran
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‍Short Hills
Mike Salvatore and John Limongelli
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‍South Central
Tom Purcell, David Allen, George Moore, Camille Allen-Snyder
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‍South Florida
Jeff Newman and Robert Newman
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‍Southeast
Corky Dawes, Brad Stonecipher, Andy Meehan, and Dustin Dawes
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‍Strategies for Wealth
Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz, and Jeff Neeck
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‍Texas PRS
Patrick Dickson, Rick Ray, Shawn Arrington
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‍Toms River
Frank Congilose
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‍Upstate New York
Jim Fashano, Barb O’Neill, and Matt Vahue
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‍Wayne
David Alter, Jerry Clericuzio, and Anthony Campanile
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‍Western Pacific
Nash Subotic, Phil Kang, Travis Scribner, and Jeff Pawlowski

2022 President's Council

Sunshine and ocean views greeted Guardian’s top FRs as they gathered in July 2022 at a coastal California paradise to celebrate the previous year’s President’s Council qualifiers. It was a wonderful year too, as there were a record number of qualifiers in several award categories — including 21 first-time President’s Council qualifiers!
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The July event celebrated important milestones that these top FRs have reached in their careers. Leyla Lesina delivered opening remarks at the awards ceremony, thanking everyone for their partnership, dedication, and collaboration that make what we do in The Guardian Network^TM possible.

“It is our values, our collective promise to our clients and communities that keeps us connected, whether this is your first, twelfth, or thirty-sixth time at council.”

Leyla Lesina

Head of Agency Distribution

Chairman’s Council qualifiers

Michael Ferik joined Leyla onstage to recognize those FRs who achieved the highest bar Guardian sets for achievement, the Chairman’s Council. These professionals represent the essence of Guardian and the best-of-the-best.

Name

Agency

CC qualifications

PC qualifications

Ken Alter

Wayne

Rich Aronwald

Certified Financial Services

Joe Biondolillo

Short Hills

Eric Bouskila

National Financial Network

Ross Brannon

North/Central Florida

Berel Bronstein

Brooklyn

Jeremy Dicker

California Pacific

Rafael Ekstein

Brooklyn

Elie Engel

Brooklyn

Michele Lee Fine

Strategies for Wealth

Randy Fine

Strategies for Wealth

Matthew Gaglio

Strategies for Wealth

Asghar Kazim

NY Gotham

Keith Knell

Southeast

Matt Lipscomb

South Central

K.C. Mink

California Pacific

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

Marty Nachemson

Strategies for Wealth

Wolf Perl

Brooklyn

Eric Rothman

Strategies for Wealth

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

From left to right, back row: Eric Rothman, Rich Aronwald, Michael Ferik, Ken Alter, Mark Murphy, Asghar Kazim, Ross Brannan, Marty Nachemson, Rafael Ekstein, K.C. Mink, Elie Engel

Middle row: Leyla Lesina, Wolf Perl, Joe Biondolillo, Jeremy Dicker, David Simkowitz

Front row: Randy Fine, Michele Lee Fine, Matt Lipscomb, Berel Bronstein

Those who have qualified for Chairman’s Council for 10 years or more.

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Michele Lee Fine, Mark Murphy, Rafael Ekstein, Wolf Perl, David Simkowitz, Michael Ferik

President’s Council
First-time qualifiers

• Adam Boyer, National Financial Network
• Brandon Capps, California Pacific
• Joe Fitzgerald, Short Hills
• Mendy Goldberg, Brooklyn
• Andrew Guyton, Boston
• Yisroel Halpert, Brooklyn
• Pat Hauge, California Pacific
• Justin Holley, California Pacific
• Isaac Jacob, Brooklyn
• Craig Katz, Strategies for Wealth
• Yosef Moskowitz, Forest Hills Financial Group
• Nick Novakovic, Western Pacific
• Dan Paikin, Strategies for Wealth
• Alex Quantin, National Financial Network
• Jared Rothbard, Certified Financial Services
• Vladi Sasic, Western Pacific
• Robert Schlesinger, Strategies for Wealth
• Matt Van Maanen, Des Moines
• Shmuel Wolvovsky, Brooklyn
• Larry Keller, NY Gotham
• Cedric Sage, National Financial Network

Special milestones

Once an individual has qualified for the President’s Council 10 times or more, Guardian recognizes them on special milestones every five years.
‍
10-year
‍Asghar Kazim, New York Gotham
‍Jason Giorgio, California Pacific
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15-year
Jeff Benowitz, Certified Financial Services
‍Mark Smiley, Strategies for Wealth
‍Samuel Posen, Brooklyn
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20-year
Rafael Ekstein, Brooklyn
‍David Simkowitz, Brooklyn
‍Earl Rubinoff, Chicago
‍
25-year
Gary Sirak, Lifetime Financial Growth

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Asghar Kazim, Rafael Ekstein, David Simkowitz, Earl Rubinoff, Dan Ellen

Life Quality Business Award

This award recognizes the career agent who has written the largest amount of life annual premium business (excluding variable life) over the last five production years. The winner must also attain life persistency of 90% or better, have qualified for Chairman’s Council in the same calendar year, and qualified for at least President’s Council in all of the last five years.

• Eric Bouskila, National Financial Network

Leaders in total Life/DI commission credits

Name

Agency

Credits

Eric Bouskila

National Financial Network

3,406,355

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

2,276,590

Ken Alter

Wayne

1,742,110

Keith Knell

Southeast

1,472,041

Wolf Perl

Brooklyn

1,309,063

Elie Engel

Brooklyn

1,225,831

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

1,056,724

Joe Biondolillo

Short Hills

1,044,544

Berel Bronstein

Brooklyn

963,007

K.C. Mink

California Pacific

910,703

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Wolf Perl, Joe Biondolillo, Mark Murphy, K.C. Mink, Elie Engel, Ken Alter, Berel Bronstein, David Simkowitz, Marianne Caswell

Top 10 Leaders in total commission credits for Life, Disability, and PAS

Name

Agency

Credits

Eric Bouskila

National Financial Network

3,406,355

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

3,207,616

Ken Alter

Wayne

2,160,933

Michele Lee Fine

Strategies for Wealth

2,011,803

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

1,946,442

Paul Vecchione

Wayne

1,771,598

Keith Knell

Southeast

1,474,617

Wolf Perl

Brooklyn

1,311,298

Elie Engel

Brooklyn

1,226,324

Asghar Kazim

NY Gotham

1,204,571

From left to right: Marianne Caswell, Michele Lee Fine, Mark Murphy, Elie Engel, Asghar Kazim, Wolf Perl, Ken Alter, David Simkowitz, Leyla Lesina

Pinnacle Council qualifiers

Those who were both Pinnacle and President’s Council qualifiers in attendance were recognized:

Name

Agency

GDC

Tony Bonanno

Indianapolis

$2,587,589

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

$2,387,787

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

$1,998,351

John Lentz

North/Central Florida

$1,823,860

Anthony Domino, Jr.

Strategies for Wealth

$1,809,554

Michele Lee Fine

Strategies for Wealth

$1,684,023

Jay Hochheiser

NY Gotham

$1,408,457

Ashvin Chheda

Red River

$1,365,868

Mark Connely

Texas PRS

$1,293,740

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Jay Hochheiser, Michele Lee Fine, Marianne Caswell, Ashvin Chheda, Mark Connely, Anthony Domino, Jr., John Lentz, David Simkowitz, Mark Murphy, Tony Bonanno

Centurion Club qualifiers

These award winners produce a significant number of new paid cases each year. One needs at least 100 new policies a year to qualify. The ceremony recognized first-time qualifiers, qualifying members who have qualified more than once, and life and qualifying members who have qualified for five or more consecutive years.

Name

Agency

Years

Ross Brannon

North/Central Florida

Justin Holley

California Pacific

Jared Rothbard

Certified Financial Servies

Pat Hauge

California Pacific

Joel Heller

Brooklyn

Mendy Kaufman

Brooklyn

Jon Rosenbaum

Strategies for Wealth

Ryan Brace

Lifetime Financial Growth

Hui Liang Lee

Western Pacific

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

Mike Schwartz

Short Hills

Ivan Watanabe

Strategies for Wealth

Kim Butler

Red River

Jim DesRocher

Strategies for Wealth

Andrew Guyton

Boston

Name

Agency

Years

Larry Keller

NY Gotham

Yosef Moskowitz

Forest Hills Financial Group

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

Ben Glancz

Brooklyn

Joe Fitzgerald

Short Hills

Shmuel Wolvovsky

Brooklyn

Tyler DeStefano

National Financial Network

Ashvin Chheda

Red River

Elie Engel

Brooklyn

Wolf Perl

Brooklyn

Jeff Benowitz

Certified Financial Servies

Eric Studley

National Financial Network

Marc DiFiore

Strategies for Wealth

Erin Rubinoff

Chicago

Randy Fine

Strategies for Wealth

First-time Centurion Qualifiers

From left to right: Jared Rothbard, Justin Holley, Leyla Lesina, Ross Brannon, Dan Ellen

Centurion Club Qualifying Members

From left to right: Ivan Watanabe, Jim DesRocher, Mike Schwartz, Ryan Brace, Mark Murphy, Andrew Guyton, Jon Rosenbaum, Schmuel Wolvovsky, Dan Ellen

Front row, from left to right: Leyla Lesina, Pat Hauge, Joel Heller, Mendy Goldberg, David Simkowitz

Centurion Life and Qualifying Members

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Randy Fine, Ashvin Chheda, Ben Glancz, Yosef Moskowitz, Joe Fitzgerald, Wolf Perl, Elie Engel, Earl Rubinoff, Dan Ellen

Praetorian Club qualifiers

These award winners produce an even greater number of new paid cases each year — at least 200 new policies a year are needed to qualify.

‍First-time qualifier
• Pat Hauge, California Pacific

‍Qualifying members
• Elie Engel, Brooklyn, 2 years
• Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network, 6 years

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Pat Hauge, Elie Engel, Dan Ellen

2022 Leaders Club Awards

“There’s been a seismic shift in how we gather, how we collaborate, and how we meet,” Leyla Lesina kicked off the 2022 Leaders Club Awards session with these words, reflecting the great changes we’ve all been through over the past two years. And that’s why this Leaders Club Awards was particularly special and took the time to recognize all the family, friends, and support people who helped FRs achieve this accomplishment.

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Hall of Fame FR Inductees

The Hall of Fame recognizes producers who have a long-standing track record of superior results. Requirements include attaining Leaders Club at least 30 times or President’s Council 20 times — a hallmark of a successful career with Guardian

2021

Tony Bonanno and family joined by Leyla Lesina and Dan Ellen

Russ Carpentieri and family joined by Leyla Lesina and Dan Ellen

Prior award winners: 2019

Rich Aronwald and family joined by Leyla Lesina and Dan Ellen

Andy Rosenbaum and family joined by Leyla Lesina and Dan Ellen

2019

Richard Pope (no photo)

2019

Jim Javaras (no photo)

Centurion Club qualifiers

Centurion club recognition is earned by those with 100 or more new paid cases in a calendar year, of which 75 or more must be from individual life and disability income. The award also requires a minimum 90% persistency rate.

First-time qualifiers

2021‍

Ross Brannon, North/Central Florida

Alexander Collins, California Pacific‍

Edward Dennis, South Florida

Gary Franke, California Pacific

Lovepreet Ghotra, Forest Hills Financial Group

Adam Gordon, Lifetime Financial Growth

Justin Holley, California Pacific

Ryan Jewell, California Pacific

Shaye Katz, Brooklyn

Zalmen Lowin, Brooklyn

Israel Neiman, Brooklyn

David (Cason) Parker, North/Central Florida

Jared Rothbard, Certified Financial Services

Avrohom Stauber, Brooklyn

Shmuel Wachtel, South Florida

Gershon Weber, Brooklyn

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Edward Dennis, Pat Hauge (2 time qualifier), Gary Franke, Ryan Jewell, Zalmen Lowin, Israel Neiman, Shaye Katz, Jared Rothbard, Sam Wachtel, Cason Parker, Avrohom Stauber, Gershon Weber, Ed Youmell

Qualifying members

2021

Patrick Hauge, California Pacific
2 years

Len Cohen, Forest Hills Financial Group
2 years

Jason Frederico, Western Pacific
2 years

Joel Heller, Brooklyn
2 years

Mendy Kaufman, Brooklyn
2 years

Rick Lunetta, National Financial Network
2 years

Jeff Malone, Charlotte
2 years

Yossi Marsow, Brooklyn
2 years

Jon Rosenbaum, Strategies for Wealth
2 years

Ryan Brace, Lifetime Financial Growth
3 years

Gregg Fishman, NY Gotham
3 years

Eli Friedman, NY Gotham
3 years

Marc Mirabella, Hudson Valley
3 years

Todd Salac, Lifetime Financial Growth
3 years

Benzion Weinfeld, Brooklyn
3 years

Abraham Wieder, Brooklyn
3 years

Hui Liang Lee, Western Pacific
4 years

Mark Murphy, Forest Hills Financial Group
4 years

Mike Schwartz, Short Hills
4 years

Ivan Watanabe, Strategies for Wealth
‍4 years

Kim Butler, Red River
5 years

Jim DesRocher, Strategies for Wealth
5 years

Andrew Guyton, Boston
5 years

Larry Keller, NY Gotham
5 years

David Simkowitz, Brooklyn
7 years

Shmuel Wolvovsky, Brooklyn
8 years

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Shmuel Wolvovsky, Len Cohen, Joel Heller, Rick Lunetta, Mendy Kaufman, Jon Rosenbaum, Ryan Brace, Yossi Marsow, Eli Friedman, Marc Mirabella, Benzion Weinfeld, Abraham Wieder, Mark Murphy, Mike Schwartz, Jim DesRocher, Andrew Guyton, Ed Youmell

Life and qualifying members

These members represent those who have met the criteria for five or more consecutive years:

Aba Berkowitz, Brooklyn
5 years

Dustin Peltier, Northern States
6 years

Ever Gonzalez, Financial Growth Partners
6 years

Yosef Moskowitz, Forest Hills Financial Group
6 years

Ben Glancz, Brooklyn
7 years

Joe Fitzgerald, Short Hills
7 years

Josh Ketchie, South Central
8 years

Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
10 years

Ashvin Chheda, Red River
‍11 years

Elie Engel , Brooklyn
11 years

Wolf Perl, Brooklyn
12 years

Jeff Benowitz, Certified Financial Services
‍16 years

Eric Studley, National Financial Network
21 years

Marc DiFiore, Strategies for Wealth
22 years

Earl Rubinoff, Chicago
25 years

Randy Fine, Strategies for Wealth
29 years

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Randy Fine, Joe Fitzgerald, Ever Gonzalez, Aba Berkowitz, Ben Glancz, Yosef Moskowitz, Josh Ketchie, Elie Engel, Tyler DeStefano, Wolf Perl, Ed Youmell

Praetorian Club qualifiers

Elite performers in this group have 200 or more paid cases in a calendar year, of which 150 or more must be from individual life and disability income. The award also requires a minimum 90% persistency rate.

First-time qualifiers

Pat Hauge, California Pacific

Lovepreet Ghotra, Forest Hills Financial Group

Qualifying members

Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
6 years in 2021

Elie Engel, Brooklyn
2 years in 2021

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Leadership Awards

Cross-Offering Award

Andreane Frazier, Southeast
40,000 Total Cross-Offering Credits

Combined Group Sales Award

Mouzon Bass, Red River
106 plans for a total of $182,631,860 in volume and $2,649,502 in premium

Annuity Sales Award

Ariel Stern, Short Hills
$5,378,357 GIAC Variable Annuities, SPDA, and SPIRA sales

Disability Income Premium Award

Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
$639,125 Disability Annual Premium

Lives Award

Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
339.62 Total Life/DI/Group Lives

Life Face Value Award

David Simkowitz, Brooklyn
$570,569,722 Life Face Value

Life Premium Award

Eric Bouskila, National Financial Network
$7,874,307 Life Annual Premium

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Top Producer in Park Avenue Securities Gross Dealer Concessions ‍

Robert Votruba, National Financial Network — $2,991,518

Three-Time Client Builder Award (CBA) Winners

This award recognizes those FRs with exceptional starts to their careers. These individuals achieved CBA levels at three milestones — their first 90 days, their first-year anniversary, and their second-year anniversary. In recognition of their achievements, they receive $1,000 to donate to the charity of their choice.

Tommy Bohanon, Fort Myers/Naples

Jed Goldberg, NY Gotham

Michael Huskey, Charlotte

Jim Kachmar, National Financial Network

Justin Law, North/Central Florida

Chuck Nettles, Lifetime Financial Growth

T.J. Pearce, Chicagoland

Valentin Polyakov, National Financial Network

Richard Sherwin, Strategies for Wealth

Guardian Network Talent Introduction Program Top 5

This award recognizes the top FRs who exemplify our values and show us the true meaning of the power of community by attracting and referring quality candidates to our profession. In honor of their achievements, these winners are awarded money to give to the charity of their choice. See the Top Honor Awards article on page 30 to learn what charities these winners chose and why.

Stephen Peterson, California Pacific,
$10,000, American Heart Association
Chuck Nettles, Lifetime Financial Growth,
$5,000, Timothy E. Nettles Memorial Fund
Justin Law, North/Central Florida,
$5,000, Baller Dream Foundation
Jim Cunningham, Red River,
$2,000, Family for Life
Vince D’Addona, Strategies for Wealth,
$2,000, FINSECA Foundation

From left to right: Meg Vecchi, Jim Kachmar, Justin Law, Valentin Polyakov, Jed Goldberg, Chuck Nettles, Leyla Lesina

From left to right: Leyla Lesina, Vince D'Addona, Jim Cunningham, Justin Law, Chuck Nettles, Emily Viner

2022 Presidential Citation Awards

Presidential Citation Award (PCA) winners are invaluable Guardians who are having a profound impact on the lives of their clients and their FRs. Only 35% of Managing Directors and Recruiting Directors qualify for PCA. And in 2021, this year’s PCA honorees generated over $47 million in total unit production and attracted 386 new advisors to The Guardian Network^TM.

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Here are those winners:

STARs

The award winners in this category are those individuals who have taken the Managing Director role to the next level:

Greg Kreiner, Associate General Agent, Lifetime Financial Growth
Dustin Dawes, Associate General Agent, Southeast
Trip Higginbotham, Associate General Agent, North/Central Florida
Ben Teichman, Career Development Manager, Financial Growth Partners

Platinum Level qualifiers

These winners earned at least 500 points in FR recruiting and productivity. Altogether, they brought in 101 recruits and over $15.4 million of unit production:

Ryan Jewell, California Pacific
Jill Van Nostrand, Certified Financial Services
Michael Fraiman, National Financial Network
Steve Eisner, National Financial Network
Dustin Dawes, Southeast
Peter Klay, Boston
James Gnefkow, Southeast
Michael Longo, Fort Myers/Naples
Joe Long, Strategies for Wealth
Tom Freeman, California Pacific
Bobby Angel, Strategies for Wealth

Gold Level qualifiers

These Managing Directors have earned at least 300 points. In 2021, these winners brought in 246 recruits and over $29.8 million of unit production:

Christian Dapolito, Short Hills
Ben Teichman, Financial Growth Partners
Paul Barone, National Financial Network
Jonathan Codispoti, Lifetime Financial Growth
Marc Bregman, California Pacific
Ian McGurran, Red River
Lee Sanders, New Orleans
James Higginbotham, North/Central Florida
Jonathan Douglas, Lifetime Financial Growth
Becky Thompson, Charlotte
Steve Constantine, Upstate New York

Silver Level qualifiers

These individuals have achieved 225 points. The winners in this category brought in 20 recruits, with unit production credits of more than $1.3 million:

Russell Auyeung, California Pacific
Mindy De St Germain, North/Central Florida

Bronze Level qualifiers

Leaders in this group earned a minimum of 150 points and in 2021, had 19 recruits and accounted for over $852,000 in total team production credits:

Lauren Pastore, NY Gotham
Tom Passante, Philadelphia

Recruiting Directors

This award recognizes those who have recruited 15 FR hires for their agency:

Angie Kilidjian, Central Texas
Michelle Cupido, Red River
Laura Mendoza, California Pacific

Managing Associates

To qualify for this award, Managing Associates must recruit a minimum of three hires:

Jim Cunningham, Red River
Justin Law, North/Central Florida
Gregory Montejo, California Pacific
Ryan Burklo, California Pacific

Qualifying agency –

The Producers Group

This was the first year for this award, which honors agencies that recruit a minimum of 30% of the prior year’s net field force, grow the agency’s start of the current year net field force by 15%, and have half of its Managing Directors, Recruiting Directors, and managing associates qualify for PCA.

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Frontline Leaders

Since 2007, Guardian has been recognizing superior frontline leaders who are directly responsible for recruiting, launching, and leading new advisors. Their leadership contributes substantially to the growth and success of The Guardian Network^TM. During the 2022 awards ceremony, we recognized the recipients for the last two years:

2020 Frontline Leader:

Joe Long, Strategies for Wealth

2021 Frontline Leader:

‍Bobby Angel, Strategies for Wealth

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First-time PCA qualifiers

Angie Kilidjian, Central Texas
Jill Van Nostrand, Certified Financial Services
Thomas Passante, National Financial Network
Chuck Nettles, Lifetime Financial Growth
Christian Dapolito, Short Hills
Greg Montejo, California Pacific
Ryan Jewell, California Pacific
Marc Bregman, California Pacific
Russell Auyeung, California Pacific
Justin Law, North/Central Florida
Erik Johnson, Boston
Lauren Pastore, NY Gotham

2022 Advanced Disability Meeting

The 2022 Advanced Disability Meeting recognizes top producers who consistently produce high-volume, high-quality disability income business. “Thank you for your business, for your drive to serve your communities and clients, and for your consummate integrity,” said Ed Youmell, Head of Life, Disability and Annuity Sales, as he opened the awards dinner.

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Here are the year’s winners:

New DI Circle of
Excellence inductees

In recognition of qualifying for DI Inner Circle a minimum of 10 times, having a minimum of $1 million of in-force disability income premium and a minimum of 500 in-force DI cases:

Greg Balogh, Certified Financial Services
Gregg Fishman, New York Gotham
Dustin Peltier, Northern States
David Richards, Denver
Eric Tiedtke, Red River

Pictured: winner Greg Balogh, joined by Ed Youmell on the left and Larry Hazzard on the right

Pictured: winner Dustin Peltier, joined by Ed Youmell on the left and Larry Hazzard on the right

Triple Crown Award

These triple crown winners qualify for DI Inner Circle, President’s Council, and Centurion Club in the same year:

Jeff Benowitz, Certified Financial Services
Ryan Brace, Lifetime Financial Growth
Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
Elie Engel, Brooklyn
Randy Fine, Strategies for Wealth
Pat Hauge, California Pacific
Justin Holley, California Pacific
Lawrence Keller, New York Gotham
Yosef Moskowitz, Forest Hills Financial Group
Jared Rothbard, Certified Financial Services
Eric Studley, National Financial Network
Ivan Watanabe, Strategies for Wealth

From left to right: Ed Youmell, Ivan Watanabe, Jared Rothbard, Justin Holley, Pat Hauge, Randy Fine, Yosef Moskowitz, Elie Engel, Tyler DeStefano, Jeff Benowitz, Leyla Lesina

DIS of the Year

This category recognizes the Disability Income Specialist (DIS) who has the highest unit production and has growth from the prior year: Jason Klunder, Des Moines

DIS Growth Award

This award recognizes the Disability Income Specialist (DIS) who has reached $1 million unit production and has the top growth percentage from the prior year: Dale Forsythe, Northern States

Pictured: winner Dale Forsythe, joined by Ed Youmell on the left and Travis Christy on the right

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Platinum qualifiers

This category recognizes and rewards the very best producers of high-volume, high-quality disability income business:

Bob Bhayani, Wayne
Insmed Insurance Agency Inc., represented by Morten Sorenson
Pattern Life, represented by Dustin Karas, Aaron Brooker, Andrew Bundy, and Peter Olson
Len Cohen, Forest Hills Financial Group
Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network
Eli Friedman, New York Gotham
Pat Hauge, California Pacific
Robert Kaplan, California Pacific
Larry Keller, New York Gotham
Dustin Peltier, Des Moines
Todd Salac, Lifetime Financial Growth
Eric Studley, National Financial Network

From left to right: Ed Youmell, Tom Wong, Todd Salac, Dustin Karas representing Pattern Life, Len Cohen, Tyler DeStefano, Dustin Peltier, Elie Friedman, Morten Sorenson representing Insmed Insurance Agency, Pat Hauge, Catherine Cackowski, Travis Christy

Top 3 Corporate Total
New Paid DI Production

Pattern Life — represented by Dustin Karas — $1,639,410 New Paid Premium
Insmed Insurance Agency, Inc. — represented by David Blake — $405,451 New Paid Premium
Rivetti Financial Group LLC — represented by Steven Rivetti — $313,069 New Paid Premium

Pictured: winner Dustin Karas, joined by Ed Youmell on the left and Larry Hazzard on the right

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Diamond Level Agencies

Agency must have a minimum of $1,500,000 new combined IDI and multi-life premium. The top 3 are:

Lifetime Financial Growth — $6,393,037
California Pacific — $4,893,918
Wayne — $3,017,217

And these agencies also qualified for Diamond Level:

Boston
Certified Financial Services
Des Moines
Financial Growth Partners
Mid-Atlantic
National Financial Network
New York Gotham
North/Central Florida
Northern States
Red River
South Central
Strategies for Wealth
Western Pacific

From left to right: Larry Hazzard; Lifetime Financial Growth represented by Greg Kreiner, Danielle Swann, and Matt Roddy; Ed Youmell

DI Inner Circle qualifications

DI Inner Circle recognizes top producers who consistently produce high-volume, high-quality disability income business. Individuals must have at least 80 in-force cases, 25 new paid cases, and $65,000 in new paid premium. The producers below were recognized for the many years they have achieved this qualification:

Name

Agency

Years

Mark Crites

Red River

Robert Kaplan

California Pacific

Steve Willis

Kansas City

Warner Issacs

Kansas City

Tony DeLuca

National Financial Network

Jeff Benowitz

Certified Financial Services

Anjali Singh

California Pacific

Washington Dentists Insurance

California Pacific

David Richards

Denver

Larry Keller

New York Gotham

Eric Studley

National Financial Network

David Washkowiak

California Pacific

Chuck Kofoed

Salt Lake City

Anthony George

California Pacific

Randy Fine

Strategies for Wealth

William Olmsted

Mid-Atlantic

Amy Dickenson

Lifetime Financial Growth

Jennifer Loyall

Red River

Mark Matia

South Central

Insmed Insurance Agency, Inc.

Wayne

Treloar & Heisel, Inc

Lifetime Financial Growth

Tiedtke Marketing Group

Red River

Keith Bowman

Denver

Gerald Lee

California Pacific

Lisa Scholnick

Lifetime Financial Growth

Gregory Lough

Lifetime Financial Growth

DI Inner Circle Qualifiers for 15-19 years. From left to right: Ed Youmell, Chuck Kofoed, Mark Matia, Randy Fine, Insmed Insurance Agency represented by Morten Sorenson, Kevin DeGray

DI Inner Circle Qualifiers for 20 or more years. From left to right: Larry Hazzard, David Richards,
Tony DeLuca, Jeff Benowitz, Ed Youmell

First Timer Inner Circle

Elie Engel, Brooklyn
Ivan Watanabe, Strategies for Wealth

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DIS qualifiers

These award winners have $575,000 of unit production of Individual and multi-life DI and no greater than a 10% drop in new paid premium.

John Bechtel, Lifetime Financial Growth
Donald Beattie, Red River
Matthew Berard, Boston
Michael Bourassa, Certified Financial Services
Michael Burke, Chicago
Daniel Dambroff, New York Gotham
Kara DeStefano, National Financial Network
Sarah Dozier, Southeast
Matthew Finn, Mid-Atlantic
Dale Forsythe, Northern States
Vince Gallo, First Financial Group
John Gerard, Wayne
Michael Hagedorn, California Pacific
Sarah Hampton, Charlotte
Michael Hecht, Lifetime Financial Growth
Tasha Hill, Lifetime Financial Growth
Shannon Hsu, Ashford Advisors
Robert Jaffe, Certified Financial Services
Jason Klunder, Des Moines
Greg Kreiner, Lifetime Financial Growth
Robert Newman, South Florida
Andie Perlmutter, Forest Hills Financial Group
David Richards, Denver
Domingo Rodriguez, Wayne
Thomas Sherry, North Florida
James Steidel, New York Mazzei
Keith Tison, Lifetime Financial Growth
Howard Udoff, Wayne
Paula Zonin-Crowley, National Financial Network

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Next Gen qualifiers

DI Next Generation rewards new producers in their first three contract years, who show a strong and growing commitment to selling individual disability products. These are the producers who will lead us into the future.

Kelly Eng, Western Pacific
Edward Hodge, Red River
Christopher Jackler, Baton Rouge
Roxy Kiessling, Western Pacific
Yossi Marsow, Brooklyn
Chase McCune, Lifetime Financial Growth
Jayrald Rabago, Western Pacific
Caleb Reed, North/Central Florida
Bryan Schod, Lifetime Financial Growth
Cason Smith, North/Central Florida
David Tarella, Strategies for Wealth
John Wells, South Central
Ryan Willis, Kansas City

From left to right: Ed Youmell, John Wells, Christopher Jackler, Kelly Eng, Caleb Reed, Jayrald Rabago, Bryan Schod, Cason Smith, Kevin DeGray

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Top 5 Total New Paid

DI Production winners

Agency must have a minimum of $1,500,000 new combined IDI and multi-life premium. The top 3 are:

Bob Bhayani, Wayne — $767,933
Robert Kaplan, California Pacific — $662,532
Tyler DeStefano, National Financial Network —$639,125
Eric Studley, National Financial Network — $598,499
Larry Keller, New York Gotham — $452,346

Pictured: winner Tyler DeStefano, joined by Ed Youmell on the left and Larry Hazzard on the right

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Top Multi Life producers

Michael Gallo, Wayne — $222,311
Fred Kettler, Fort Myers — $161,678
Douglas McRae, Southeast — $152,500

2022 Pinnacle Awards

Pinnacle Council Award winners are the Top 20 Registered Representatives in GDC — and are recognized for their excellence in wealth management and their success in meeting clients’ investment needs. This year, we celebrated Pinnacle Council at Cliff House Maine in Cape Neddick, Maine. Congratulations to all our qualifiers and award recipients!

Top sales and deposits by product

401(k) sales — Gracio Garcia: nearly $3.5 million
Annuity sales — Tony Bonanno: over $20.1 million
Advisory deposits — Michele Lee Fine: over $221 million

Top 3 in overall sales and deposits

These triple crown winners qualify for DI Inner Circle, President’s Council, and Centurion Club in the same year:

Michele Lee Fine — $222.9 million
Gracio Garcia — $112 million
Mark Murphy — $105.6 million

From left to right: Joe Fuschillo, Mark Murphy, Gracio Garcia, Michele Lee Fine, Marianne Caswell

Pinnacle Council

Those who were both Pinnacle and President’s Council qualifiers in attendance were recognized:

Name

Agency

Credits

Robert Votruba

National Financial Network

$2,991,518

Tony Bonanno

Indianapolis

$2,587,589

Mark Murphy

Forest Hills Financial Group

$2,387,787

Gwen Chatham

California Pacific

$2,095,762

Annette Hammortree

Great Lakes

$2,036,777

Gracio Garcia

Boston

$1,998,351

David Simkowitz

Brooklyn

$1,823,860

John Lentz

North/Central Florida

$1,814,997

Adam Greenstein

NY Gotham

$1,809,554

Anthony Domino, Jr.

Strategies for Wealth

$1,775,365

Robert Koscik

Lifetime Financial Growth

$1,715,711

Don Sestrich

Lifetime Financial Growth

$1,684,023

Michele Lee Fine

Strategies for Wealth

$1,570,237

Scott Kaplan

Strategies for Wealth

$1,424,895

Jeff Howard

Charlotte

$1,408,457

Jay Hochheiser

NY Gotham

$1,402,824

James Hegland

Northern States

$1,365,868

Ashvin Chheda

Red River

$1,293,740

Mark Connely

Texas PRS

$1,279,767

Mark Smiley

Strategies for Wealth

$1,279,767

Coming next year!

Pinnacle Council will be expanded to the Pinnacle & Peak Council. While Pinnacle Council qualifiers will remain the top 20 Registered Representatives in GDC, the new Peak Council members will qualify by being one of the top 21-40 Registered Representatives in GDC.

Next year’s qualifiers will be based on production year 2022. Individuals who meet the requirement for Pinnacle and Peak will be invited to the annual Pinnacle & Peak Council. Pinnacle Council producers will receive an additional day at the Council.

We’re excited to announce that we’ll celebrate this expanded award in 2023 at The Breakers Palm Beach in Palm Beach, Florida!

Talent Introduction Program Top Honor Awards: Creating a lasting impact on FRs and charities

At the end of each year, Guardian chooses five Financial Representatives (FRs) to receive Top Honor recognition for their introductions in that year. The awards are based on several calculations, including the number of referrals and the productivity and retention of those referrals. Top Honor Award winners must also achieve Leaders Club in that year. The first prize is $10,000 for the winner’s charity of choice, $5,000 for the second- and third-place winners, and $2,500 for the fourth- and fifth-place honorees.

Stephen Peterson

Elevate Financial

FR Stephen Peterson earned the “Top Honor Award” for Guardian’s 2022 Talent Introduction Program, allowing him to choose a qualified charity to receive a $10,000 donation on his behalf from Guardian.

As a fourth-stage stroke survivor, Stephen chose the American Heart Association (AHA) — a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing death and disability from cardiovascular diseases like stroke. The AHA helped Stephen throughout his recovery process and occupies a special place in his heart.

“I believe my life story can motivate people and help them see that giving up on their dreams is not an option.”

“When I was paralyzed and blind, I would continuously say to myself that I will walk and talk normally again. I want people to know they can go through gnarly adversity, challenges, and obstacles and get through the other end of it. My mission is to be of service to those in need.”

This mission of never giving up has been a common theme throughout Stephen’s career. From selling knives, to shoes, to being an FR for a decade, Stephen is finally able to build out his entrepreneurial dream at Elevate Financial. His motivator for bringing new talent into the Guardian system is the belief that FRs have the most impactful career.

For those who want to be a successful FR? Stephen advises, “Use your past experience to make you hungry and succeed.”

“If you’re doing the right thing for people, they know it, and they feel it, and they’re going to give you referrals because they want their friends to meet you. That’s been my experience —and I love it.”

Chuck Nettles

Lifetime Financial Growth (LFG)

Chuck, an FR who began his career with Lifetime Financial Growth (LFG) in 2011, also has a personal connection with his charity — the Timothy E. Nettles Memorial Fund. This fund, which is dedicated to his father, raises money for charities focused on children, education, and golf. The organization holds an annual commemorative Pro-Am golf tournament and offers endowed scholarships for golf caddies in the local community.

Chuck is deeply grateful for Earl Luttner, Lou Valli, and Bill Gorman — individuals who changed the life trajectory of his family and himself. They welcomed him back to the life insurance and planning field after his father’s passing influenced him to change career paths.

“This career has provided me an opportunity to turn the worst day of my life into something good and I’m deeply grateful for that.”

That something good includes introducing the field to new candidates. “I think there’s no better business in the world where we can make an unlimited income while changing people’s lives for the better.” His advice to be a successful FR? “Be curious. It’s easy for a young person to go with the flow and just fall in line.
Ask good questions, step up, take a chance, and make mistakes.”

Reflecting on his career, Chuck resonates with a line from Bob Ball: “There might be somebody that loves permanent life insurance as much as I do, but there’s nobody that loves life insurance more than I do.”

“The donation from Guardian is making a big difference in the lives of young people in Western Pennsylvania
and beyond.”

Justin Law

North/Central Florida

Justin, an FR at North Florida Financial who just began his fourth contract year at Guardian, chose the Baller Dream Foundation (BDF) as his charity. He was inspired to do so after seeing the organization uplift children and young adults fighting cancer alongside their families. Justin resonated with founder Frank DeBlasi’s story about fighting childhood cancer and how that led to BDF’s mission.

“It’s called the Baller Dream Foundation because Frank doesn’t want to refer to people as patients. They came up with the name of referring to them with a positive connotation. He gets to know those Ballers on a personal level, with their families, and provides a life-changing experience.”

Justin also had the privilege to attend a 15-year-old Baller’s ceremony (an event to celebrate those who recently survived cancer).

Paying it forward is another way Justin makes an impact, specifically when it comes to talent introductions. As an FR, he loves being a student of the craft by finding new challenges and adventures, while improving his skill set.

“There are constantly new doors being opened with this career that have provided incredible blessings for my family. I can’t help but feel that it would be very selfish of me not to want to share that awesome opportunity with others,” said Justin.

“The more I learned about the charity, it spoke volumes. I wanted to make sure that I was donating and making a firsthand impact here in my local community.”

Jim (Robert) Cunningham

Red River

Jim, a second-time TIP Top Honor award winner, began his insurance career in property & casualty in 2000 and started Inspire Financial Group with his business partner Josh Wawrzonek about six years ago. Previously a Southern Baptist minister for 20 years, Jim’s charity of choice was Family for Life, a nonprofit child-placing agency based in Owasso, OK, that recruits and supports foster families.

His connection with the charity began after seeing Josh’s involvement with the organization. “Josh and his wife, Kelly, got into fostering and they took a child into their household."

He believes fostering spoke to him because it’s such a giving and selfless act.

“I see someone who has a foster child and how giving that family has been. The biological children in the household also learn so much when another child is brought into their home — they care for them like their brother or sister.”

For Jim, this sense of support and caring for others are also key characteristics to look for when recruiting successful FRs. “We look for people who want not a path where they can make a lot of money, but one where they know that this is for them — those who want to impact the lives of other people.”

“I watched what was going on from the outside and saw how it not only impacted their lives, but also the child’s life. I was blown away by that.”

Vincent M. D’Addona

Strategies for Wealth

Vince, a longtime FR, continues to be a contributor to the success of Guardian. He chose the Finseca Foundation as his charity grant recipient. The organization, which is dedicated to being a resource for those in the financial security profession, aims to create a community that supports top financial security professionals in their work.

As a board member of Finseca, Vince believes that the Finseca Foundation has a worthy message and he appreciates its involvement in the profession where he has built such a fulfilling career. “They promote the profession and they promote recruiting and messaging in the profession as well.”

Vince’s passion for financial services is second-to-none. With the challenges that come with being an FR, Vince’s advice to new candidates is to play the long game and understand that it’s a cyclical business.

“You have to be able to attract people to you, be a good communicator, and create value. When you do, your clients will let you be their guide.”

Another valuable insight? Be coachable. “When you first come into this business, your job is to learn, execute, and be honest about your results and activities. This way, your mentor can say, ‘We have a breakdown here... let’s take a look and see how we can make adjustments,’” Vince explained.

“This is a great business because it’s one of the few places where you can make a real difference in the financial outcomes for
a family.”

Shaping the next generation

Together, the five award winners for this year’s Talent Introduction Program Top Honor Awards share a common passion for shaping the next generation of FRs, while supporting charities that positively impact their local communities and beyond. By introducing new talent, Financial Representatives play an integral role in Guardian’s mission to help people protect what they love most and inspire their well-being for years to come. As North Florida Financial’s Justin Law puts it: “Bringing and attracting new talent into the career is such a vital piece for all of us in the Guardian family.”

Forbes recognizes our FR standouts

Congratulations to the Guardian Financial Representatives who have been recognized as some of the “best of the best” in our industry. Two years in a row, our FRs have proven they are standout financial professionals. In October 2021, Forbes announced its inaugural ranking of America’s Top Financial Security Professionals. Thirteen (13) FRs were honored on that list. Then, when Forbes released their 2022 list in July, 11 Guardian FRs made the cut.

The Forbes Top Financial Security Professionals list highlights those insurance professionals who develop meaningful client relationships — diligently working to help individuals, families, and business owners protect against risk, while striving to build and preserve their wealth.

Forbes works with SHOOK® Research¹ to select the winners. They evaluate candidates based upon various criteria, including best practices when working with clients, the client experience they provide (including service model, planning process, breadth of services, etc.), client persistency rates, community involvement, and more.

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Meet the 2021 honorees

In 2021, SHOOK® Research received nearly 33,000 qualifying nominations from agencies throughout the country. But ultimately, only 250 producers were chosen for this honor. Congratulations to these Guardian FRs who were selected for the first-ever Top Financial Security Professionals list:

Vincent D'Addona, Strategies For Wealth
Michele Lee Fine, Strategies For Wealth
Jason Giorgio, Pacific Advisors
Asghar Kazim, Wealth Advisory Group, LLC
Jeffrey W. Kirshner, Pacific Advisors
John Kenyon Lang, Strategies For Wealth
John W. Lentz, VII, North Florida Financial
Matthew G. Lipscomb, Ashford Advisors, Inc.
K.C. Mink, Pacific Advisors
Mark B. Murphy, Forest Hills Financial Group
Leonard Raskin, First Financial Group
David Simkowitz, Brooklyn Financial Group
Anjali Singh, Pacific Advisors

Meet the 2022 honorees

In 2022, 11 Guardian FRs distinguished themselves among a pool of more than 35,000 nominations. This year, the Top Financial Security Professionals list included only the top 100 professionals in the insurance industry. Congratulations to these Guardian FRs, eight of whom made a repeat appearance, after being honored in 2021:

Kenneth Alter, International Planning Alliance
Ashvin Chheda, Opes One
Vincent D'Addona, Strategies For Wealth*
Aleksandar Jakovljevic, WestPac Wealth Partners
Asghar Kazim, Wealth Advisory Group, LLC*
Jeffrey W. Kirshner, Pacific Advisors*
John Kenyon Lang, Strategies For Wealth*
John W. Lentz, VII, North Florida Financial*
Matthew G. Lipscomb, Ashford Advisors, Inc.*
Mark B. Murphy, Forest Hills Financial Group*
David Simkowitz, Brooklyn Financial Group*

* Repeat honoree

We continue to be inspired by your passion for helping people and this industry and we were delighted to be together again to honor your collective achievements.

2022 President's Council

Chairman’s Council qualifiers

Life Quality Business Award

Leaders in total Life/DI commission credits

Top 10 Leaders in total commission credits for Life, Disability, and PAS

Pinnacle Council qualifiers

Centurion Club qualifiers

Praetorian Club qualifiers

2022 Leaders Club Awards

Hall of Fame FR Inductees

2021

Prior award winners: 2019

2019

2019

Centurion Club qualifiers

First-time qualifiers

2021‍

Qualifying members

2021

Life and qualifying members

Praetorian Club qualifiers

First-time qualifiers

Qualifying members

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Leadership Awards

Cross-Offering Award

Combined Group Sales Award

Annuity Sales Award

Disability Income Premium Award

Lives Award

Life Face Value Award

Life Premium Award

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Top Producer in Park Avenue Securities Gross Dealer Concessions ‍

Three-Time Client Builder Award (CBA) Winners

Guardian Network Talent Introduction Program Top 5

2022 Presidential Citation Awards

STARs

Platinum Level qualifiers

Gold Level qualifiers

Silver Level qualifiers

Bronze Level qualifiers

Recruiting Directors

Managing Associates

Qualifying agency –

The Producers Group

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Frontline Leaders

2020 Frontline Leader:

2021 Frontline Leader:

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First-time PCA qualifiers

2022 Advanced Disability Meeting

New DI Circle of Excellence inductees

Triple Crown Award

DIS of the Year

DIS Growth Award

Platinum qualifiers

Top 3 Corporate Total New Paid DI Production

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Diamond Level Agencies

DI Inner Circle qualifications

First Timer Inner Circle

DIS qualifiers

Next Gen qualifiers

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Top 5 Total New Paid

DI Production winners

Top Multi Life producers

2022 Pinnacle Awards

Top sales and deposits by product

Top 3 in overall sales and deposits

Pinnacle Council

Coming next year!

Talent Introduction Program Top Honor Awards: Creating a lasting impact on FRs and charities

Stephen Peterson

Elevate Financial

Chuck Nettles

Lifetime Financial Growth (LFG)

New DI Circle of
Excellence inductees

Top 3 Corporate Total
New Paid DI Production

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding Guardian FRs for their impressive accomplishments!²