WASHINGTON –The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Forum 500 yesterday honored Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company Chairman and Founder Richard F. “Dick” Jones with the Distinguished Service Award.
The award is given annually to an ACLI Forum 500 member who has made significant contributions to the life insurance industry and the 90 million families it serves. The Forum 500 is composed of small- and medium-sized life insurance companies that serve consumers in communities across the United States.
“Dick's unwavering commitment to helping people secure their families’ financial futures exemplifies the core values of the life insurance industry,” said ACLI President and CEO David Chavern. “This award honors his contributions and the inspiration he has provided to generations of industry leaders.”
Mr. Jones signed the original incorporation papers for Fidelity Security Life while on leave from the Army in 1968. He joined the company in 1970 after leaving the service. Mr. Jones became President in 1982, succeeding his father in the family-owned business. Under his leadership, the company’s annual premiums grew over 100-fold to $1.6 billion, and capital grew from $9 million to $365 million.
Fidelity Security Life also is well known for community service through its support of charities in Kansas City, MO. For the past 15 years, they have partnered with OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to provide vision care to hundreds of local children. Other organizations they support include the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City’s financial literacy programs.
Mr. Jones earned an undergraduate degree from Westminster College in Fulton, MO and an MBA from Northwestern University. He currently serves on the ACLI Forum 500 Board of Governors.
The American Council of Life Insurers is the leading trade association driving public policy and advocacy on behalf of the life insurance industry. 90 million American families rely on the life insurance industry for financial protection and retirement security. ACLI’s member companies are dedicated to protecting consumers’ financial wellbeing through life insurance, annuities, retirement plans, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, reinsurance, and dental, vision and other supplemental benefits. ACLI’s 275 member companies represent 93 percent of industry assets in the United States.