By Julius D. Lewis
After the 2020 COVID-19 experience, many have realized the importance of having a nest egg as early as possible. People are looking to add and update insurance policies more than ever. Stock and investment discussions at the dinner table are becoming typical, even if the discussions are just “your average Joe” trying to learn more about the way it all works.
Julius D. Lewis of JDL Financial has been serving the community as a financial adviser and banking professional for over 18 years. Currently Mr. Lewis works as an independent financial consultant and a tax-free retirement specialist, with the flexibility of representing over 200 life products and retirement saving plans. He has the knowledge of the contractual side of the life products, which provides his clients the education and recommendations they would need to make the best choices and get the most value on their premiums. Julius has been a musician since a very young age and when he realized Barry Gordy wasn’t going to be knocking on his door, he went back to college at STCC in Springfield. As class Valedictorian, he obtained degrees in Liberal Arts and Business Management. He went on to get his Bachelors in Business Management from UMass where he was voted Time Magazine’s Student of the Year. From there, Julius began his career at Lincoln Financial Group. According to Lewis, “It was through the tutoring and mentorship of a 40-year veteran in the Life Insurance industry, Estate Planner Scott Bergman, who trained hundreds of agents nationwide, that I learned to be an independent agent and received the training of insurance products from an actuary and contractual understanding.” Julius is a co-host on the radio show, The Lewis and Morrow Financial Hour, which airs weekly (Wednesdays at 9 a.m.) on 90.7 WTCC, with his partners, accountant Tom Morrow, and local entrepreneur Jimmy Mitchell. You can find the show/schedule at www.wtccfm.org.
Ironically, like many African Americans, Julius knew very little about finances growing up. With an arsenal of knowledge, his passion became educating his community about the importance of insurance. Unlike the average Insurance Salesperson, Julius strives to give his clients a deeper understanding of the different types of insurance and the tools to determine what would be best for them. Customers aren’t his only focus. Like his mentor, Julius desires to inspire others to consider a career in insurance. “In this industry, 83% of captivity agents (agents working under the umbrella of an insurance company) quit within three years; however for an independent agent, it is even harder to maintain a lengthy and successful career. Those percentages are even higher for minorities. It is my mission to continue what I’ve learned by training more agents to be independent.” He goes on to say, “Being knowledgeable of the pros and cons of various products, providing better service to clients, and ultimately having ownership of their personal book of business that was built on their efforts and hard work is my ultimate goal.”
Julius is available as your “Insurance Concierge” for 1-on-1 consultations on topics such as tax-free retirement strategies, employee plans rollovers, life insurance and annuities.
JDL Financial is located at 11 Preston Street, Springfield Ma 01109. Julius can be reached at 413-204-9661 and at www.jdl-financial.com. ■
