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Meet the 50,000th FLMI (1995)
9/3/2020
This post originated from our 1000,000th 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.
In the July 1995 issue of LOMA Resource magazine, we published an article spotlighting the 50,000th FLMI Designee, Terrie Kay Rosonke of AEGON USA in Cedar Rapids. The main portion of this article follows, so while we prepared to award the 100,000th FLMI designation in 2015, we took a trip back to an earlier milestone.
Remember the last time you sat for an FLMI exam? Remember anxiously waiting for your grades? Wouldn’t it have been nice if, out of the thousands of students who sat for exams, LOMA had singled you out, and telephoned you weeks before grades were distributed to let you know you had passed your exams and earned the FLMI? How about if LOMA had thrown in an expenses-paid trip to the Annual Conference and FLMI Conferment? Oh, and how about a free pass to Walt Disney World, just for fun?
On May 26, 1995, Terrie Kay Rosonke of AEGON USA, Inc. in Cedar Rapids, IA, received just such a phone call. Is LOMA playing favorites? No. We’re proud of all the students who earn the FLMI designation, of their commitment to professional development, and of the contributions they make to the insurance industry.
But Rosonke is special. Not just because she earned the FLMI with distinction. She’s the 50,000th person to earn the FLMI designation. “Thanks for calling me and telling me the great news!” she says. “I felt good about my last two exams, but I’m always anxious to see the final results. And to find out I was the 50,000th FLMI was really exciting!”
How it All Started: Rosonke took her first FLMI exam in Fall 1992. “I planned on getting my FLMI from the beginning because I enjoy learning, and with the insurance industry, learning is a continuous process,” she says. “Our company encourages education in many ways and I want to improve myself.”
"I have worked in the insurance industry with AEGON USA, Inc. since September 1991,” Rosonke says. “I work with small group health, group dental, and disability income products. I am responsible for producing marketing materials, such as brochures, rate guides, and flyers, and for communication to our field force. I also train agents through agency meetings or seminars on the benefits of our products. I work closely with the compliance, actuarial, and administration departments. It has been, and will continue to be, a great and challenging experience, especially with all of the healthcare reform and legislation.”
Rosonke earned the FLMI in only 3 years, taking two exams during most cycles. She says, “Preparing for two exams at once was not that difficult. I had talked with others about which courses they found to be the most challenging and I tried to balance my load. The biggest challenge I faced was setting a schedule each week to sit down and take time to study… I usually studied with a couple of other people, which made the process more enjoyable.”
“I’m glad AEGON encouraged me to take these courses. After paying my own way through college, it’s fantastic to get paid to learn,” she says. "Besides the monetary awards, it is great to receive recognition and praise from your superiors and co-workers."
What’s Next? Rosonke’s future professional development plans include ACS, ICA, and HIAA courses. She adds, “… I want to broaden my knowledge of other products that I do not work with currently, and to broaden my knowledge of the industry as a whole.”
Would she recommend earning the FLMI to others? “Yes,” she says. “I believe people should always be looking for ways to improve themselves and build their resumes. These courses gave me a better understanding of how the many different aspects of insurance work. I learned about life insurance, health insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and more. The bottom line—taking FLMI courses is a great way to learn and I am proud to be an FLMI!”
Original article by Stephanie M. Crumley, ACS, Education Publications Editor. Published in the Education section of the July 1995 issue of LOMA Resource magazine.
Note: These days, Terrie Kay Rosonke is better known as Terrie Rethamel, FLMI, CLU, V.P. Specialized Distribution at Transamerica, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Have an FLMI story of your own? Email us with your thoughts, memories, and experiences.