Lilwyn Dyer: Educating nurses on how to prepare for retirement
A nurse’s best friend.
When Lilwyn Lucas Dyer of Ridgefield, Connecticut came to the U.S. in 1992 and was looking to carve a career for herself, she studied to become a nurse at first.
“I started (with Nursing) because I thought it didn’t involve complicated Math subjects,” she said. Ironically, she ended up with a BSBA in Finance degree.
Fate played a karmic prank and led her to a career where she is surrounded by nurses.
As an agent at New York Life Insurance Company in the Westchester General Office, business and health care co-exist beautifully in her chosen world. Her clients are mostly Filipino nurses, a client base she has carefully cultivated for almost 17 years with the company.
“Most of my clients, about 80 percent, are Filipino nurses and their families. I love working with them, they’re compassionate, they care for their families, and they know the importance of saving,” said Lilwyn, whose parents are from Pampanga. “Many of the nurses I’ve met have no life insurance from work, and many of them are supporting families in the Philippines.”
One aspect of her job is very personal: She engages her nurse clients in frank, heart-to-heart talks about their future. It can be about preparing for and making sure they do not run out of money during retirement. She stresses the importance of having their income protected “if something happens to them prematurely.” It’s like Lilwyn is their guide and confidant. “My clients have become my friends.”
Because she is Filipina, nurses trust her immensely. She understands the importance of providing for family back in the Philippines, while making sure they are also saving and taking care of themselves here. She attended the recent Philippine Nurses Association of New York Christmas party in Manhattan, where she celebrated with friends, her client base, and potential referrals.
With husband Paul Dyer, a San Francisco Bay Area native. They work in the same company.
“We’re comfortable with one another, because we share the same culture. We speak the same language,” she said. “I understand their needs.”
To new nurses, Lilwyn emphasizes the importance of preparing early for their future. “I educate them that now is the best time to save when there are not too many expenses yet (like schooling for the kids, mortgages, etc.). They understand the importance of saving. I feel they’re willing to save, they just need someone to guide them,” she said.
Some nurses leave such financial decisions for later in life, in their 60s or when they are already in retirement. “Although starting early is the best time, it’s never too late,” she said, cautioning also about health conditions to consider when deciding at an advanced age.
Starting a retirement plan is easy depending on how much they want to save for their future income, she said. “I don’t want to push them. I want to make sure they’re comfortable.” She stressed how some nurses don’t have work life insurance, and even if they do, usually “it’s not enough.”
She said she is fortunate to work with New York Life that gives her the option to have flexibility with her schedule.
“I appreciate that I have the ability to customize my career to the various stages and seasons of my life. I have the ability to pursue a career while being a mother, taking care of my family, and I can serve the community,” she said. “The most sacred aspect of my life as a woman is being a mother. I’d like my soul to be measured by my compassion in shaping my children into adults and not just by my professional and financial success. Therefore, work-life balance is very important to me.”
She has three children named Kyle, Summer and Autumn Raine. Paul Dyer, her husband, also works with New York Life as a Corporate Vice President in the Northeast zone.
She met Paul, a San Francisco Bay Area native, when they both took the role of development managers with the company. They wed in California, lived in Seattle for eight years, and moved to Connecticut in August 2018.
“I am inspired by this career to serve my clients with intensity and passion, to work with all my heart, with a commitment to a greater cause. This is part of my calling,” she said.
Lilwyn can be reached at 408-813-0441 or LLucas@ft.newyorklife.com.
© The FilAm 2019
Children Kyle, Summer and baby Autumn Raine. ‘Work-life balance is important.’
