To Our Members
Meeting Families Where They Are
Honoring the vision of the women of 1891 through multicultural outreach, technology and connection
As we celebrate 135 years of 1891 Financial Life, I continue to think about the women who founded our organization in 1891. They saw a need in their communities and chose to act. At a time when women could not vote or incorporate, our founders found another path forward, building an organization dedicated to protecting families and strengthening communities. That spirit of determination and innovation remains part of who we are today.
Their world looked very different from ours, but the fundamental need they sought to address has not changed. Families still want financial security. They want to protect the people they love, prepare for retirement, build a legacy and know they have a trusted organization standing beside them.
What has changed is how, where and when families want to have those conversations.
Meeting families where they are means recognizing that today’s families represent different generations, cultures, languages, and financial experiences. Our communities are increasingly multicultural, and our responsibility is to ensure more families understand how life insurance and annuities can help provide financial protection and confidence for the future.
That means listening first. It means building relationships within communities, expanding the ways we communicate, and making financial education understandable and relevant. It also means ensuring that the values that have guided 1891 for generations — faith, family, service, and looking out for one another — remain at the center of those relationships.
Technology gives us another powerful way to meet people where they are. Families increasingly expect information to be available when they need it and the ability to connect with us in ways that fit their lives. Digital tools can make it easier to learn about our products, communicate with our team, and begin important financial conversations.
But technology should never replace relationships. It should strengthen them.
That balance is important as 1891 continues to evolve. In this issue, we celebrate our history while looking toward what comes next. Our Member Summit brought generations together in fellowship and service, our members continue making an extraordinary difference in their communities, and we are providing practical financial education — from life insurance for real life to strategies for building retirement income.
Our founders could not have imagined smartphones, virtual meetings, or digital financial tools. But I believe they would recognize the purpose behind them: finding better ways to reach people, strengthen families and serve communities.
Innovation at 1891 has never simply been about technology. It is about responding to the needs of the people we serve.
As we begin the next chapter of our story, we will continue honoring the courage of the women who began this organization — not simply by remembering what they built, but by carrying their vision forward.
New generations. New communities. New tools. The same commitment to looking out for one another.
Lisa M. Bickus
Chief Executive Officer
1891 Financial Life