What are you thankful for this year? As a whole, AIP Marketing Alliance is very grateful for another growing year in our business, as annuity sales may set an all-time high in 2023 as more consumers are looking to protect their retirement dollars. We’ve also seen a rise in final expense insurance sales as an affordable way to cover funeral/burial/final expenses at a budget-friendly cost without the need for a medical exam.

AIPMA also wanted to take a minute to ask our employees about what they are thankful for this year. Here’s what a few of them shared about Thanksgiving 2023.

• Alice Spalding: I am most grateful for the strong foundation of my family and friends. I feel very lucky to have the love and support from the people that surround me and who I am very close to. I am very thankful for the love and companionship of my animal friends. Pets are the best! I am thankful and appreciative for past experiences that showed me the beauty of being alive. I am grateful for every day that I have the ability to open my eyes and greet a brand-new day. The smallest moments in our lives make the biggest difference and are life’s daily miracles.
• Alyssa Gavrilovski: I am thankful for my family. God has blessed me more than I could ever imagine, and I am so immensely grateful. I am so thankful for our health and the life we live. Each day, I see the blessings I receive and try to do good in return for everything I have. I am thankful to have both grandmothers still here with us so that they can enjoy their great-grandchildren and the memories made throughout the times spent together with the family, especially during the holiday time.
• Alyssa McClelland: I am thankful for my wonderful family and for phone calls and FaceTimes that help me stay in contact with them when I live so far away! I am also thankful for my husband and all that the Lord has blessed us with in this season of life.
• Colleen Bartoletti: I am thankful for the gift of good health, the gift of my family, my loving husband and son, and especially for all the hard work my sister does to care for my aging parents, who live so far away. She is a saint in the making! I’m thankful for my extended family at AIPMA and through my church. This year, I’m also grateful for my son’s smooth transition to high school and the new friendships and welcoming community at U of D Jesuit. I’m thankful for my neighborhood and the simple pleasure of morning walks and sunrises over Lake St. Clair. I am so blessed! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
• Darron Markwood: Thanksgiving always has been a tradition – a big dinner, watching football, and heading out Friday morning for some Black Friday sales (including Goose Island’s special BCBS release). I am thankful that I can still clutch onto some of those memories of family and friends, and I truly treasure every moment with my wife and adult sons. I miss those days even more on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning, but I feel very blessed to be able to share the food and time with my wife and sons, as there are many who don’t have the same luxury in their lives. I am also thankful for being able to spend some time with my best friend, Mike, who passed away from multiple myeloma last week after a three-year battle. I’m glad we could share some great memories together before he passed. Please take the time to enjoy moments with your loved ones (family, friends, others) and make the most of those special moments which are remembered a lot during the holiday gathering. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone – AIPMA’s family, friends, loved ones, wholesalers, agents, carrier reps, and everyone else who supports AIP Marketing Alliance.

• Emmy Giampa: I am thankful for every birthday that passes, knowing that I am still here on this earth, most importantly. I am also thankful for my son, spouse, family, and close friends. AIPMA has provided an environment that is professional yet fun and opportunities to do business as well as cultivate years-long relationships with members and agents alike, that I will always be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and I hope everyone gets to stuff their bellies with good food.
• Kurt Baumgartner: I’m thankful that I work with a great organization from top to bottom that shows us constantly that they care about us. The people I work with usually make every workday a great adventure!
• Kym Kisser: I am grateful to have wonderful people who surround me with love every day! I am truly blessed to have my husband, Adam, and our daughter, Layla, in my life! I am blessed that I was able to spend 48 years with the best mom ever! I am grateful for the time that she was able to spend with Layla; those special memories will forever be engrained in my mind, and will live a lifetime with Layla. I am grateful to have a wonderful father that would do anything for his family; I am grateful for his love and devotion. I am grateful to be able to come to work every day and truly enjoy my work family and what I do! Thank you to everyone who has come into my life and blessed me with your love!!!
• Lynn Crume: I am thankful for my family and friends and for all the blessings that God has given me.
• Nanci Murphy: As I get older, my gratitude comes from the most basic of things. Now more than ever, what matters most is health, as cliché as it sounds! It is so very important to take of ourselves both physically and mentally in this crazy world we live in! It takes time – necessary time. Happy are those who take life day by day, complain very little, and are thankful for the little things. These are words to live by, and every day, I try. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

From the AIPMA family to yours, we truly hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving this week. Our office will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd, and Friday, November 24th, in observance of the holiday, and back to regular hours on Monday, November 27th.