Life Happens Grows as a Consumer-Awareness Force
In October 1994, NAIFA collaborated with six other insurance producer organizations to form the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, now known as Life Happens. The nonprofit organization was dedicated to helping Americans take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products.
A year later, LIFE called on the larger insurance companies for support and raised over $30 million from more than 90 companies over the next three years. While Life Happens filled a need for the companies, it was also extremely popular in the field. The support from agents was important to Life Happens’s initial success. The organization was creating a more positive and receptive sales environment with its consumer-focused advertising strategy.
Real Life Stories, which provide poignant presentations on how life insurance and other products benefited real families at times of crisis and great loss, have become an important Life Happens feature. These emotional stories reached new audiences and amplified Life Happens messaging on the importance of life insurance, disability or long-term care insurance, and annuities.
In September 2004, Life Happens launched its first awareness campaign – Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM). The month-long campaign provided the industry with resources and support while educating the public about life insurance. The campaign was wildly successful. Life Happens has added to its array of awareness campaigns over the years. In addition to September’s LIAM, Life Happens coordinates the Insure Your Love campaign in February and the Disability Insurance Awareness Month campaign in May and assists with Long Term Care insurance awareness efforts in November.
In 2023, Life Happens returned to its roots and joined with NAIFA as a NAIFA community. Under the NAIFA umbrella, Life Happens maintains its well-established brand identity and continues the great work it has done with Real Life Stories, LIAM, DIAM, Insure Your Love Month, Life Lessons Scholarships, collaborative research, and other programs.
Life Happens Board Chairs
1994 - 1995 Steve Shaw
1996 - 1998 Charles D. Marks
1999 Michael F. Padon
2000 Robert B. Plybon
2001 Raymond H. Moran
2002 John W. Cruikshank, III
2003 Dermot T. Healey
2004 Matthew S. Tassey
2005 Brian Ashe
2006 Mark D. Johnson
2007 Marvin H. Feldman
2008 Richard A. Koob
2009 Phillip C. Richards
2010 Jack Dewald
2011 Michael L. Weintraub
2012 Debra C. Newman
2013 Stephen Rothschild
2014 Cindy Gentry
2015 Mark D. Schwartz
2016 Cliff A. Wilson
2017 Pat Wedeking
2018 Robert C. Garneau
2019 Thomas Currey
2020 Jon Voegele
2021 Kim Harding
2022 Erik Miller
2023 Barbara Pietrangelo
