Tell us about Modern Woodmen of America. What is it and what do you do?
Modern Woodmen of America has been here since 1883. Established as a fraternal society, we work for our members, not for profit.

Our offerings include life insurance, retirement planning, and financial services, with securities offered through our wholly owned subsidiary MWA Financial Services, Inc. We take a holistic approach to financial planning and work with individuals to craft a plan unique to them.

We have more than 730,000 members nationwide and our solvency rate is currently $1.15 (meaning, for every dollar we have committed, we have $1.15 in assets). We’re a solid organization who prides itself on keeping our promises.

I’m a relatively new Financial Representative, but I have an MBA and received licensure in Health and Life Insurance, as well as my Series 6. I’m sincerely blessed to work alongside David Pereira in our Gilford office. He is a FIC, LUTCF, CFFM, CFP, CLU, ChFC, so between the two of us there’s LITERALLY no one we cannot help!! David is a Certified Financial Planner™practitioner who has been in the industry for more than 30 years. He’s a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and has won the NAIFA Quality Award several times.

Who do you typically work with?
I love to work with women-owned businesses, but that’s simply because I’m a woman and I own my own business, so I want to support other women in their ventures as much as I possibly can.

Truly though, I enjoy working with anyone who’s READY to tackle their financial health. Finances are tied to everything; when people discuss their overall health or wellness, finances must be taken into consideration.

Financial health is critical to all other aspects of health–people transferring into new jobs; who just got married and are considering the purchase of a new home; who plan to retire in five years and need help making decisions about what to do with their current savings to maximize and stretch it during retirement; and who have already retired and are now facing increased costs of Medicare and supplemental plans, medications, medical bills, or the loss of a spouse (and therefore a smaller Social Security income).

Do you have any offerings specific to business owners that might be of interest to CNHCC members?
For businesses, we offer comprehensive business planning and provide essential products for business success and transferring of ownership:

• Qualified & non-qualified retirement plans (SIMPLE, SEP, 403b, 401k, Salary Allotment Plans);
• Employee benefits plans;
• Executive bonus plans;
• Key person insurance;
• Cross-purchase and buy-sell agreement funding; and
• Supplemental executive retirement plans.

What’s different about working with business owners rather than individuals?
Part of working with businesses is the direct tie to its owners. Each business is unique, but most small to mid-sized businesses all have a similar characteristic: Much of their earnings go straight back into the business. We like to work alongside owners (and their accountants) to determine how to help them save for retirement and lower their taxable income, while supporting their employees.

We also work with them to create a business continuity and/or succession plan and protect their BIGGEST asset–themselves. Most business owners insure their location, they purchase liability insurance, and they insure the vehicle that gets them from home to the office. But they do not insure their biggest asset–THEMSELVES.

How does Modern Woodmen differ from other financial investment organizations?
What makes us unique is that we offer all the same “things” everyone else offers, but we do it VERY differently. Our focus is on relationships with local individuals, families, and business. We believe in representatives who call people back, follow up, provide options and resources, and give back to their communities. We do not do high pressure sales; instead, we provide resources and information to help individuals, families, and businesses make the best decisions possible, within their current budget, while considering future opportunities/obstacles.

Tell us more about how Modern Woodmen gives back to the community.
We dedicate significant funds and service hours into our local communities across the country. Our focus is local, local, local.

In 2021, for example:

• Modern Woodmen members and staff dedicated more than 230,000 volunteer hours nationwide.
• We have 2600 local chapters and more than 600 youth clubs nationwide.
• We contributed almost $38 million dollars to worthy causes, through approved fundraisers (most in conjunction with Chambers, local businesses, hospitals, churches, etc.).
• We contributed more than $16 million dollars in support of members’ communities through fraternal programs, benefits, and activities.

Speaking of being involved in the community, you’ve been a CNHCC member for the last two years. What inspired you to join?
As a business owner, I cannot say enough about becoming part of your local Chamber. Chambers provide an immediate network (I like to say “business family”) to lean on while growing your business. It’s far more cost-effective than participating in other networking groups and you have access to extensive resources for such a small investment. As a business owner, joining a Chamber immediately garners you clients/customers if you take advantage of the opportunities to meet other chamber members. I, for one, call other Chamber members regularly to check in and see how we might benefit one another. I also reach out to them if I bump into an issue since many of them have been in business longer than I have and rather than re-create a wheel, I borrow one of their wheels. It saves me time and money and allows our community to become even more tight-knit (hence, the business family).