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New Jersey Life & Casualty Associates, LLC

  

  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • Insurance Planning
    • Life Settlements
    • The Critical Link
    • Tailoring the Fit
    • Navigating Policy Pricing
    • Bridging Policy Expectations with Results
    • Case Study
  • Estate Planning
    • Overview
  • Business Succession
    • Advantages
    • Getting Started
    • Key Steps
  • Executive Compensation
    • Competing for Top Talent
    • Getting Started
    • Does Your Plan Recruit, Retain, Reward?
    • Planning That Performs As Intended
    • Other Compensation Strategies
  • Retirement Planning
    • Overview
    • Accumulating Wealth for Retirement
    • Managing Wealth In Retirement
    • Employee Benefit Plans
 

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  1. Home
  2. About Us
  3. Our Team

Our Team

Our professionals are keen observers and careful, empathetic listeners accustomed to working with successful individuals and business owners, and have vast experience addressing the unique requirements of managing personal and business wealth.

When you work with NJL&C, you have the assurance of working with an integrated team of financial specialists whose backgrounds, experience and credentials span multiple disciplines.

By examining your unique circumstances through the lens of various wealth and risk management disciplines, we can provide a seamless, holistic solution for managing all aspects of your financial situation.

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Michael B. Dranoff

Principal | Director of Estate and Business Planning

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Michael, as the firm’s Principal, brings an in-depth knowledge of taxation, business structure, estate planning and insurance solutions for high net worth families and entrepreneurs. Through the years he has developed several proprietary software programs that convey complex legal and estate planning issues in layperson's language.

Michael joined NJL&C in 1992 after serving as the estate planning coordinator for a firm in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University in 1987 and has served on many Advisory Boards over the years. Michael is a member of the insurance industry’s prestigious Advanced Association for Life Underwriting.

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Michael Amoia, JD, LLM (Tax), CLU®, ChFC®

Vice President, Advanced Markets

Michael Amoia, Vice President of Advanced Markets at our strategic partner Valmark Financial Group, works with our clients and our clients' advisors to implement advanced wealth transfer and business planning techniques that leverage the use of life insurance. With over 28 years of experience and a deep understanding of complex estate planning techniques, Mr. Amoia works closely with Michael Dranoff, NJL&C's Principal and Director of Estate and Business Planning, to create client deliverables that help illustrate how these techniques and strategies can maximize the ability for clients to efficiently transfer intergenerational wealth. Mr. Amoia is a frequent national speaker on various estate planning topics and an author of numerous industry articles. He is also a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), Juris Doctor (JD) which he earned from University of Baltimore's School of Law, and holds a LL.M in Taxation and Certificate in Estate Planning from Georgetown University Law Center.

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Lawrence Singer

Partner

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Larry has more than 30 years of professional experience in finance, insurance and risk management. He has been a member of NJL&C since 1992. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Director of the Office of Public Finance for the State of New Jersey. Before that, he was an investment banker on the origination side of the municipal bond business.

Larry became interested in the life insurance business after the sudden death of a close friend at the age of 42 who had never thought about the possibility of dying or the potential financial consequences his death would have on his wife and three children. He had just a small group life policy provided by his employer. That experience made Larry a passionate believer in the importance of life, disability and long term care insurance. The next week, Larry called his own insurance agent at NJL&C and asked how he could become an agent. Shortly after, he had his license, left his job and joined the firm. He has dedicated the rest of his life to guiding the financial choices that people make so they include proper risk management decisions.

Larry still dedicates part of each week to basic family security issues. Much of his practice, however, now involves insurance for business transitions: Buy-Sell Planning, Stock Redemption in Closely-Held Businesses, Insuring of Employment Agreements and other contractual obligations, Key Man Protection and Incentives, and Estate Planning and Equalization.

Larry has a B.A. from Syracuse University and a Master's Degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is an active member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.

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Joseph Villa

Partner

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Joe joined NJL&C in 1999.  He specializes in assisting business owners and entrepreneurs in the areas of:

  • Wealth Accumulation
  • Asset Protection
  • Qualified and Non-Qualified Retirement Plans
  • Executive & Employee Benefit Planning

Joe is an investment advisor with FINRA and holds Series 6, 7 and 63 securities registrations. He is a registered representative of Valmark Securities, Member FINRA, SIPC.

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David Konikow, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, RICP®, REBC®, CASL®

Partner

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David joined NJL&C in 2002 and has over 30 years of experience working with individuals and businesses. One of the key areas of his practice focuses on retirement planning. In addition, his practice includes family and estate planning, and life insurance, disability income and long term care insurance.

David is a strong believer in a collaborative approach to planning. He is especially attentive in his relationships with other advisors to help clients achieve their business and family planning objectives. David is a 1978 honors graduate of The Northeastern University Business School. He has continued his education by earning various professional designations through The American College.

He is a Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, Accredited Estate Planner, Registered Employee Benefits Consultant, and Retirement Income Certified Professional. David serves on the Boards of the Estate Planning Council of Bergen County, and the Northern New Jersey Society of Financial Service Professionals. He is a registered representative of Valmark Securities, member FINRA, SIPC.

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Jamie Cohen, MS, MBA

Partner

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Jamie joined NJL&C in 2004.  Jamie’s estate and financial planning practice includes life insurance, disability insurance and long term care insurance.  With over 20 years of management experience, Jamie understands the importance of planning for business owners and families. For over 10 years, Jamie was President and CEO of Selby Fifth Avenue Shoe Salons located in the New York metropolitan area.

He received a B.A. from Rutgers University, an M.S. in Labor and Industrial Relations from the New York Institute of Technology and an Executive MBA from Pace University.

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Phillip Rothman

Partner

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Phillip has been in the life insurance industry since 2009 when he graduated from Tulane University with a major in Finance. Focusing on wealth preservation not accumulation, he uses life insurance to help transition wealth from one generation to the next. He also conducts basic planning for young families making sure they have flexibility so their portfolio can grow with their changing needs.

He partners with Investment Advisors, Attorneys, Accountants as well as Property & Casualty Brokers.

When not working, Phillip enjoys meditation and spending time with his growing family.

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Clark Crawford

Vice President, Marketing

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Clark is the Vice President of Marketing at NJL&C and longtime veteran of the life insurance industry. Since 1999, Clark has been deeply involved with advanced case design, market analysis and business development. Clark’s experience in the boutique life insurance brokerage industry helps NJL&C to deliver high level, holistic recommendations for each individual client’s needs.

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Gaea Meola

Vice President, Underwriting

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Gaea joined NJL&C in 2013 as the Vice President of Underwriting after spending three years running a regional insurance agency. Prior to entering the insurance industry Gaea worked as a Project Manager in the architecture, design and construction industry. As a key member of the Executive team, she has become an important part of the company’s continued growth and success.

Gaea holds an ALU designation (Academy of Life Underwriters) and is also a licensed Life Insurance Producer in the State of New Jersey.


 

Our Back Office Specialists

Through our relationship with the ValMark Companies, we have access to an experienced support team, with credentials spanning multiple financial disciplines – from legal, accounting, tax and financial advisory expertise to life insurance, retirement planning and securities. This team of over 100 professionals serves as our back office support staff. A sample representation of the team’s credentials includes:

AN UNDERWRITING ADVOCACY TEAM with several former insurance company underwriting vice presidents, directors and medical directors, a licensed physician, and a senior staff of case management, business processing and policy service specialists.

PRODUCT / PLANNING SPECIALISTS AND ADVANCED CASE ADVISORS, including a team of attorneys, accountants, MBAs, Certified Financial Planners™, Chartered Life Underwriters®, and Chartered Financial Consultants®, many of whom are FINRA Registered Principals who provide independent assessment and analysis of recommended product sets.

AN INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY DIVISION that is fully integrated with some of the industry’s top providers as well as custodians such as Schwab Institutional, TD Ameritrade and Pershing.

Connect with us 
354 Eisenhower Parkway
Suite 2700, Livingston, NJ 07039

973.535.0955 |  info@njlc.com
   

Securities offered through ValMark Securities, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC. Advisory Services offered through ValMark Advisers, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. 130 Springside Dr., Ste. 300, Akron, OH 44333. 800.765.5201. NJL&C is a separate entity from ValMark Securities, Inc. and ValMark Advisers, Inc.

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