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This post originated from our 100,000th FLMI celebration that took place in 2015. In honor of Life Insurance Awareness Month this year, we'd like to share this story with you. 

Not everyone knows this, but some colleges and universities grant credit for LOMA courses toward academic degrees. And of course, the knowledge gained during study for the FLMI helps overall business acumen and ability to excel in related areas of study. So some FLMIs have gained additional benefits in their pursuit of professional development. Read these stories for some examples, and if you’re someone who is interested in finding out more about applying LOMA credit toward a college degree, click the link at the bottom of the page. Congratulations to these FLMIs on their success. We thank them for sending in their stories.

At the age of 21, I decided to drop out of college, which I soon after saw to be an unwise decision. To make myself feel better, I decided to pursue the FLMI designation. My employer paid for the exams as long as I passed, and especially for that reason, I made sure I read every textbook cover to cover.

All that studying for the FLMI helped me develop the habit of reading. I’m grateful for that, because now I’m an avid reader of business and leadership books.

Years after finishing my FLMI, I decided to return to college while remaining employed full time. Southern Nazarene University accepted my FLMI coursework for credit. This counted for nearly a year’s worth of credit, saving me a lot of time and money!

Corey A. Jones, FLMI
VP, Marketing, Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company

Receiving my FLMI designation benefited me in several ways:

Fostered commitment through studying and passing tests based on a variety of subjects related to the industry.

Leveraged LOMA courses for college credit to help obtain my four year degree!

Made all the studying and testing worth it when I could add the designation to my name and continue my involvement through the FLMI Society quarterly meetings.

Insurance education coupled with standard subject materials (e.g. Accounting, Investments, etc) helped promote a well-rounded understanding of each course and helped me to advance from one of the lowest positions in the company to a managerial level. Thanks.

Katherine C Stickler, FLMI
Manager, Group Technology/Quality Assurance, Group Cust. Serv & Technology, Securian Financial Group

I graduated from high school in 1973, and attended a university for the next year or so. I was a Liberal Arts major, and couldn’t see that going anywhere, so I dropped out and began working. After trying several jobs, in the early 1980s, I started working for a life insurance company in an entry level premium accounting position. My supervisor recommended that I take LOMA exams to increase my insurance knowledge. Somewhere around the same time, I got interested in getting a college degree again, and started taking evening classes at a local junior college.

I continued taking the exams because the designation was a definite goal, and I am one of those people who actually likes taking tests. I earned my FLMI. At the time, the FLMI/M (masters level) was offered, so I took the additional classes and received that designation also.

As far as a college degree went, I still needed to figure out how to complete upper division classes while working full time. In the early 90s, I found an online organization that allowed you collect accredited courses that you had taken all in one place. They accepted the FLMI and FLMI/M courses as counting towards a business degree.

So I only needed a few classes to complete a business degree, and I was able to do this through self-study. I received a B.S. in General Business in 1994. I always joke that it’s with a specialization in insurance, although that couldn’t be included in the official degree.

In the meantime, I had begun taking programming classes, and had transferred to the IT department of my company. Then I was able to get a job with an insurance software development company, which is now part of Concentrix Insurance Services. Being hired for this position required a degree, which I had because of the accreditation for the FLMI exams.

Debra L. Piggott, FLMI
GIAS Technical Lead, Concentrix

Have an FLMI story of your own? Email us with your thoughts, memories, and experiences.

• Email shareyourstory@loma.org