The MDRT Academy, a New Kind of Association, Now Available for Financial Professionals in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media
OutReach – 4 January 2021 – Financial professionals in Malaysia will now have access to
resources and guidance to help them in their careers as MDRT — a global,
premier association founded in 1927 for financial services professionals — is
broadening its support and reach with a new kind of association: the MDRT Academy. The Academy’s aim is to help financial advisors who want to
reach MDRT’s top-level qualification requirements.

Without
the right resources, succeeding in the financial services profession is
extremely challenging. In fact, according to LIMRA[1],  a worldwide research, consulting and
professional development organisation, more than 80% of new professionals leave
the industry after just four years.

The
situation is made more difficult with the onset of COVID-19 and its far-reaching
impact across economies and livelihoods. MDRT created the MDRT Academy to help
change that, providing a borderless, digital support system for advisors around
the world.

Now
available to qualifying advisors in Malaysia, the MDRT Academy is a fully
digital association that provides its members with the resources they need to
learn best practices, sharpen and develop skills, increase their production and
achieve success.

Digital by design

While other industry organisations continue to adapt to the
virtual world, the MDRT Academy was built for it. All of its available resources
and community are accessed through a mobile application and website. The
concept was field-tested by financial advisors and corporate participants over
a three-year pilot phase. Throughout that time, beta members engaged with the
resources, provided feedback and helped shape new offerings.

“As a young financial advisor aspiring to get to the next level, the MDRT
Academy app was the perfect tool,” said Brandon Heckert, former MDRT Academy
member and current MDRT member. “It allowed me to keep track of my goals and
obtain the resources I needed to conduct my practice in a tech-focused world.”

Access to the best

MDRT understands that to help financial advisors grow, the MDRT
Academy’s offerings need to show them what it takes to succeed. The Academy
Assessment welcomes members and helps them better understand and identify their
strength and growth areas. Weekly Growth Plans then deliver personalised resources
based on the results.

MDRT Academy content, which includes articles, videos, podcast
episodes and Performance Guides, is all MDRT-original or MDRT-approved. The
content topics are broken up across four areas of focus that MDRT Academy has
identified as being key to success:

• Marketing your practice
• Advising your clients
• Managing your business
• Developing yourself

Academy members also gain access to MDRT members and other
industry leaders and can connect with them in the app’s community and during
monthly Webcasts.

Prioritised for performance

The MDRT Academy also offers goal-setting and performance-tracking
features. Members can choose from more than 100 personal and professional
goals, see what’s trending among their peers and industry leaders, and create
custom goals specific to their life and practice. Those who are at higher levels
of production can gain even more insights to fuel growth through an opportunity
to attend an MDRT meeting.

“I wish I had the MDRT Academy when I was first starting out,”
said MDRT President Ian Green, DipPFS. “There’s no doubt in my mind that it will
support financial advisors in Malaysia to improve their business faster and
become better at customer service sooner, especially during challenging times
like what we’re experiencing today. There’s no finer resource to gain a fast
track to MDRT qualification.”

Membership now open

The MDRT Academy is available to advisors who do not yet qualify for MDRT,
and reside in the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Today,
all Academy resources are in English, with language- and market-specific
offerings in development. Advisors can learn more about the MDRT Academy and apply
for membership at www.mdrtacademy.org.