We are poised to continue our decade-plus of responsible growth, propelling National Life to the top tier of life insurance companies in America.
The message that CEO Mehran Assadi delivered as he kicked off 2020 was very basic: It’s because what we do matters.
The life insurance we sell, the retirement security we provide, and the causes that we support are fundamental to who and what National Life is.
The annual employee kickoff was also a celebration for all that we accomplished in 2019 with record sales and core earnings that are likely to follow suit when the books are closed on the year.
“We were memorable,” Mehran told overflow crowds in Vermont and Texas. “You set a record for this 172-year-old company and you were amazing. You competed in a challenging, tough market. You were responsible and the growth was sustainable.
“I’m here to tell you that the movement that we created within the life and annuity business is unique. As a purposeful and mission-driven organization, you have created a movement in this industry which is fueling the growth that we have experienced. Without you this would not have been possible. What fuels the success of this organization is the spirit of the people of National Life. The way you treat each other. The way we treat our agents.”
Employees can check out the event video on National Life Today for the many statistics in Mehran’s slide show that show how we are posting impressive top-line and bottom-line results, serving our communities and supporting one another.
As you’ll also see in the presentation, we have more to do. Our 2020 Vision goals were aggressive. We’ve met or exceeded some of them, but we need to match or better them again this year. And there are other measures that we haven’t yet met and are still striving to achieve.
We will aim to exceed $300 million WNAP in life sales again. We chalked up an amazing $161 million in annuity flow sales and will aim for the aggressive $200 million we set for 2020. Our core earnings will be strong when they’re tallied for 2019, but we’re looking to do even better this year.
Mehran said he appreciates all that we’ve done. And he’s challenging us to exceed ourselves another time in this more than decade-long run.
“It takes all of us to deliver the results you have delivered in 2019,” he said. “2020 is going to be challenging, demanding year for a variety of reasons. … We ain’t perfect. But we are getting better every day.”
And why do we do it? Because it matters. You’ll hear plenty of this messaging this year. What we do each and every day matters in lives and families protected, promises kept, and peace of mind we provide.
