“... WE HELP TEACHERS , PROFESSORS , HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES , FIREFIGHTERS , POLICE — ANYBODY IN GOVERNMENT THAT HAS SOME TYPE OF A FEDERAL , STATE , MUNICIPAL , OR UNION PENSION — AND WE HELP THEM IDENTIFY AND , IF APPROPRIATE , CLOSE THEIR ‘ INCOME GAP .’ ” - BRENT TYCKSEN
WHEN AFORTUS * officially opened its doors on January 1 , 2003 , there were only two doors to open : Brent Olson ’ s in Arizona and Rick Dixon ’ s in Utah . Today , Afortus is an agent-owned company with approximately 170 agents , seven Area Managers , and 13 Regional Managers . The Afortus executive team consists of Brett Olson , CEO ; Brent Tycksen , COO and President ; Michael Lysenko , CFO ; Jesse Woodcox , VP of Recruiting ; Heath Thompson , VP of Sales ; and Ryan Jacobs , Chief Information Officer .
Via email and phone , we were able to interview Brett , Brent , and Michael to get their insights into how they ’ ve grown and where they ’ re going .
Brett Olson ( CEO ) pulls no punches when it comes to explaining what Afortus is focused on . “ Our core value is to transform the financial and emotional well-being of people ,” says Brett . “ That includes the customers we serve and the professionals we work with .” Brett continues , “ It all starts with supporting our agents . Afortus delivers weekly preset appointments to our agents without any cost to them . We typically promote from within , based on performance and production , and there is no limit to areas or regions . We ’ re an agent-owned company , so , depending on their production , agents earn ‘ ownership units ’ and own a percentage of the company .” Brent Tycksen ( COO ) adds , “ Being an agent-owner essentially means that from the moment you write a certain amount of business , you can become an owner of Afortus , and you ’ re able to grow with Afortus from the standpoint of ownership . This basically manifests two ways : First , in ‘ profit-sharing .’ As we are profitable , the more volume you write in production , the more profit you receive from the company . Second , through actual monetization , which happens via sale or buyout of your ownership . We feel very strongly that agent-ownership benefits both the agent and the company .”
As for the immediate future , Brett says , “ Our company goals for 2021 are to create 15 new Regions and grow to a total of 15 Areas . We ’ re planning a total volume of $ 10,000,000 by the end of 2022 .”
So , how does Afortus plan to get there ? Brent explains , “ Since fall of 2018 , we ’ ve been working with pension appointments , where we help teachers , professors , hospital employees , firefighters , police — anybody in government that has some type of a federal ,
state , municipal , or union pension — and we help them identify and , if appropriate , close their ‘ income gap .’ We typically use life insurance and annuities to supplement existing retirement plans and fill the gap between what the client is making now and what the pension is forecasted to provide at retirement . We help them take steps to make sure that their retirement funds will outlive them versus them outliving their funds , and that they ’ ll have at least what they ’ re making now for retirement .”
And how does the Global Atlantic Insurance Network ( GAIN ) play into Afortus ’ s ambitious plans ? Michael Lysenko , CFO , shares these insights : “ I ’ ve been on GAIN ’ s Advisory Council for the last four years , which is great because it ’ s nice to be able to contribute ideas from the field , from people that are tuned in to what the clients need and what they , as agents , need . Through GAIN , Global Atlantic is very responsive to this input , and we can help shape policies and products that really fit the needs of both the clients and agents . The Global Atlantic Insurance Network has played a big role in the great relationship we ’ ve developed with Global Atlantic over the years .” Brent adds , “ Our relationship with Global Atlantic has very deep roots , going back into predecessor companies . In fact , for the first quarter of this year , we were the number one producer in the Global Atlantic Insurance Network distribution channel . Every time we bring on a new agent , we ’ re getting them appointed with Global Atlantic ’ s affiliated companies for both life and annuities .”
While Afortus is laser focused on delivering the best for both its customers and agents , the company also has a long history of charitable and community involvement . Brett sums it up this way : “ Over the years we have supported many charities , including Rising Star Outreach : Lifting Those with Leprosy , to which we have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars serving the leprosy-affected in India . This includes supporting the education of the children of lepers , who are ostracized . People don ’ t realize that leprosy is still a prevalent problem in some parts of the world . Countless thousands , even hundreds of thousands of lives have been affected and changed . Our individual agents and reps have taken it upon themselves to sponsor individual children every year , and we ’ ve watched them grow up , go to school , and do some things that they could never have gone on to accomplish . Our agents are also very involved in their own communities . That was one of our founding principles — we want to give back to the communities that we live in .”
Whether they ’ re focused on serving the needs of their clients , supporting the professional development of their agents , or reaching beyond the insurance industry to assist those in need , Afortus remains focused on the same goal — transforming lives .
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* Afortus is not affiliated with Global Atlantic Financial Group or its affiliated companies .
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