Featured New York Life Insurance Agent Archives

Greg Barnhart

“At New York Life, we talk about insurance being a selfless gift and it really is. As an agent, I listen to my clients to help them make the appropriate choices. I try to incorporate that same sense of selflessness into every aspect of my work as well.”

Fred Barone

“I was referred into the business by my own New York Life Agent,” says Barone. “I really wanted to be my own boss. I was ready for a career change, but wanted to be sure I worked for a Company that offered great training and had a great history of strength. New York Life was the answer.”

Barbara Bobbin-Wilkinson

“I made the decision to join New York Life 18 years ago, and I am so glad that I did — our Agents stay in it for the long haul. For me, the experience cemented that New York Life Agents and their families are just as committed to the Company as I am, and the longevity and spirit of the it is as strong today as it was in 1934.”

Delma Bolden

Although she grew up in Columbia, South Carolina — a city rich in culture, educational opportunities and diversity - New York Life Insurance Company Agent Delma Bolden wanted more. "I joined the Navy in 1964 - Vietnam-era - straight out of high school," she explains. "I decided that was a good place for me to grow, learn about life and decide what I wanted to do next."

The Brinton Family

Retired New York Life Insurance Company Agent Reed Brinton, who received his 70-year plaque at the Company’s Chairman’s Council meeting last October, has inspired many Agents with his success. Two of them especially: his son, Steve Brinton, of the Utah General Office (GO), and his grandson, Taylor Brinton, who recently joined the Company in the same GO.

Mike Brown

“I was fortunate enough to have a great mentor in John Himmelberg, a well-respected leader in our community who passed away in 2005. It was through John that I really came to appreciate my chosen career. Because really, it’s the people that I enjoy the most — working with my clients, helping to protect their families and to protect and grow their retirements. That’s what it’s all about.”

Lorraine Buck

Joining New York Life Insurance Company in 1981, New York Life Insurance agent Lorraine Buck, from St. Louis, Missouri, General Office, celebrated her 25th anniversary a few years ago. As one of the first female, African American agents in this particular office, establishing herself in the field has been an uphill battle at times.

Frank Chiovaro

With some previous experience working as an Agent’s assistant, Chiovaro enjoyed the work, but resisted being recruited. Finally, his best friend’s father, long-time Baltimore General Office Manager Charlie Herneker, convinced him to give it a try. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Gary Chipurnoi

Taking care of people, including his own three daughters Emily, 13, Morgan, 16, and Elizabeth, 23, is something that Chipurnoi incorporates into his daily life. Working with police departments from all over the country, he donates his time to several charity events sponsored by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Kathy Davenport

Davenport knew she wanted independence in her career. Her parents operated their own seafood business and were their own bosses, as were her grandfather and great-grandfather. “Our family has a rich tradition of being self-employed. Because they worked from home, Mom and Dad were always available to me. That was something I wanted with my own children,” says Davenport.

Wendy Edwards

Growing up in Jamaica, Wendy Edwards learned the value of education and independence at an early age. “I studied at a private school for girls that stressed the importance of discipline and self-reliance, later moving to New York with my brother to attend Queens College. My parents encouraged my brothers, my sister, and myself to come to the U.S. to pursue the American dream,” explains Ms. Edwards. “They believe that with hard work and determination, the United States can offer tremendous opportunity for anyone."

Irv Flamer

Thirty-five-year-veteran agent of New York Life Insurance Company, and member of its’ prestigious Chairman's Council. Singer and dancer. Husband, father, friend. With a myriad of interests, Irv Flamer, Long Island General Office, can certainly not be described in just one word. And despite his diverse activity list, he's found a balance that's reaped success.

Stuart Grossman

Grossman, who joined New York Life in 1964 after his grandfather fatefully suggested he “look into the insurance business” says, “After many years in the profession, I’ve had many death claims, but nothing quite as dramatic as that. It really makes you think of how important this job is when something like that happens.”

Mary Lou Hamill

Flashback to 1991: With a degree in accounting and a career spent working first as General Manager of a new car and truck dealership and then as Vice President and General Manager of the Car Sales Division of Budget Rent-A-Car, New York Life Insurance Agent Mary Lou Hamill, Greater Chicago General Office, was ready for a change.

Veronica Hamiliton

Georgia Life Insurance agent Veronica Hamilton has worked at New York Life for nearly 12 years. While attending Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, she was a track and field star, where she held her school’s record-breaking time in the 100- yard dash — 11 seconds flat — for 15 years.

Frank Jordan

Frank Jordan, of the Greater San Francisco General Office, cares about the big stuff: like war, peace, life, and death. So, when he’s not financially guiding his customers from the Bay Area, he is leading trips to world war battlefields across Europe.

The Kho Family

Move to New York. Get a job within two months. Become a success within a year, a top achiever in two years. For most people, the odds of such good fortune are small. But New York Life Insurance Company Agent Jenny Kho, Greater New York Office, never wasted much time thinking about odds. She just did it.

Bill Kimbrough

When New York Life Insurance Company Agent Bill Kimbrough talks to prospects about buying life insurance, he isn’t shy about revealing the details of his own life. Kimbrough, now 64, was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease right after he started as a New York Life agent in 1987.

William Louie

Agent Bill Louie has been with New York Life for nearly 20 years and a martial arts champion since he was nine. Louie has won 575 national and international Karate tournaments, been the New York State Karate Champion for the last four years, starred in six Kung Fu movies, and been featured in numerous martial arts magazines. He’s also a Grandmaster and founder of Chinese American Goju Karate.

Sandra Manzanilla

“After working for WIC for a few years, Manzanilla felt she needed a change in order to grow, both personally and professionally. She landed a job at a financial services firm, but stayed for only a few months. “I liked the idea of helping people with their money and helping them plan their financial future, but I didn’t like the environment,” she recalls. “But when I interviewed at New York Life, I really liked what the Company stood for and I was happy with the character of the people who worked in this office.”

Jennifer Miller

“You want to make sure that you’re not trying to figure out how to pay for expenses that are attributable to a loved one’s death at a time when you are emotionally devastated…there are things you don’t think about that you’re going to need if this should happen to you.”

Sonia Montana

Agent Sonia Montana, South Florida Office, is no stranger to change, in fact, she embraces it. When a climate of terror forced her, along with her husband, Mauricio Mutis, and three children, to flee her native Colombia back in 1999, she had to adjust to a new culture and career. “At that time, in my country, it was very dangerous. There were kidnappings…murders, it was very scary,” says Montana.

Emily Montgomery

“In December 2007, life for Mississippi-Office-based Agent Emily Montgomery’s 21-year-old client could not have been much sweeter. On a daily basis, he was able to do the three things he enjoyed most: play basketball, work as a front desk clerk at a local hotel and plan the next steps in his promising life.”

Jose Narvaez

Back in 1989, when agent Jose Narvaez finished his Bachelor of Science in finance at Long Island University, he expected to go straight to Wall Street. But an interview with New York Life Insurance Company set him on a different path, and he has never looked back. “As an Agent with New York Life and a registered representative with NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA SIPC), I offer business and estate strategies to help meet my clients objectives. I also make my own hours and run my own business. Why would I have needed to go to Wall Street?”

Earlene M. Neidert

Earlene Neidert recently celebrated her 41st anniversary with New York Life. Driven to play hard, she played field hockey at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. Undefeated, her team was ultimately inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame. When she joined New York Life in 1967, Neidert was one of only two women in eastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley employed in the insurance business. “I couldn’t believe there weren’t more female agents at that time,” says Neidert. “It seemed to me to be the perfect career — allowing flexibility, and time to spend with my children.”

Jayshree Patel

For Jayshree Patel, a career as an agent at New York Life Insurance Company is about helping ensure her clients’ futures are secure and certain. Growing up in a small town in India with her widowed mother and four sisters, security and certainty were scarce. “I lost my dad when I was just 3 years old.

Ken Quan

Opportunity is something in which Quan is well versed, having emigrated from his native Hong Kong alone at just 14 years old. “I came to San Francisco, joining my father and sister, to seek better opportunities. It was pretty challenging for me. I spoke very little English at the time,” recalls Quan.

Don Robinson

New York Life agent Don Robinson exudes elegance in his appearance and the décor of his Livingston, N.J., office. Sandwiched in between art collected on his worldwide travels hangs a picture of himself with a long-standing client, one of the best-known singer-song writers.