561-386-0537
cherylcanz@gmail.com
561-386-0537
cherylcanz@gmail.com

CHERYL CANZANELLA

As the staggering numbers of opioid addiction, overdoses & deaths continue to escalate…so does the threat on the economy, careers, family finances and retirement dreams. And there’s a high probability that you, your family, friends, clients or employees have already been touched by this epidemic. 

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After losing her husband to accidental overdose, Cheryl shares his journey through active addiction, road to recovery and his final battle lost to overdose. By exposing the horrific realities of the opioid epidemic, her mission is to raise awareness and educate on how the opioid epidemic is not only ripping families apart emotionally but also financially by diminishing careers and draining financial assets. 

Audiences

Financial Professionals, Broker Dealers, Clients, Insurance Companies, Associations, Business Owners, Students, Pharmacists, Physicians and more

Keynotes & Talks

Customiziable topics and recent/upcoming speaking engagements

Educational Training Programs

www.opioidfinancialawareness.com

Purpose

We crossed paths at 5 years old, became friends at 16 and fell in love at 27. Colin was the light of my life and my soulmate. For years, he fought to overcome an addiction that started with a prescription for pain. He desperately tried to break free but the chains of addiction were far more powerful than either one of us could have ever imagined.
 
Colin lost his battle on Monday, August 14th, 2017
 
We both suffered and struggled in silence for so many years that I can no longer stay silent. By sharing our story within the community, my peers in the financial services industry, businesses, pharmacists, health professionals and more, my goal is to bring awareness to the realities families and businesses are facing, to educate about the financial burdens of the opioid epidemic and to be a voice for those still battling to fight their way through.
 
This site highlights recent efforts in my quest.
 

Topics

The Opioid Epidemic and the Role of the Financial Professional

Protecting your client’s assets goes far beyond insurance, investments and tax-saving strategies.

Are you prepared to guide your clients through this unforgiving battle? Can you identify a client who is struggling or who is being financially exploited by a loved one struggling with addiction? Will you know what questions to ask or resources to offer?

The Financial Impact of Opioid Abuse on Main Street USA

Financial Exploitation and Elder Financial Abuse

Opioids in the Workplace: Why Employers Need to Act Now

With over 75% of Americans struggling with substance use disorder actively employed, this crisis continues to present new and complex situations for employers to navigate. By exposing the horrific realities of the opioid epidemic, Cheryl shares her husband’s journey through active addiction, road to recovery and his final battle lost to overdose. She sheds light on the profound impact within the workplace as employers face absenteeism, lower productivity, higher turnover, retraining, increased workers comp claims, disability and health care costs.

As an employer, what steps are you taking to manage the risks associated with opioid abuse?  Are you prepared to guide your employees through this unforgiving battle?  Can you identify the warning signs?  Do you know what questions to ask or resources to offer?

The Financial and Economic Burdens of the Opioid Epidemic

The Council of Economic Advisers estimates cost $696 billion in 2018—which is approximately 3.4% of GDP—and more than $2.5 trillion for the four-year period from 2015 to 2018.

Recent/Upcoming Events

  • 23rd February, 2022 NAIFA Texas Annual Meeting

Past Audiences

2020: Annual Meeting

2020: Podcast

2020: NAIFALIVE, Tennessee Sales Summit, Central FL, New Mexico, Denver CO

2019: Florida Sales Symposium, Montana State Conference, Kansas & Missouri State Meeting

2018: Arkansas State Convention, Ocala FL, Savannah GA

2020: Women Advisor Summit

2020: Philadelphia PA

2019: Northeast FL

2018: Denver CO, Gold Coast Palm Beach FL

2018: Board Meeting St. Petersburg FL

2019: Captive Insurance Forum Grand Cayman

2018: AFWA National webcast

2019: Northeast FL Regional Meeting

  • Ameriprise Advisors

2019: Florida Wealth Planning Group

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Bio

Cheryl Canzanella, CLU, ChSNC, LUTCF
With over 21 years experience in the insurance and financial services industry, Cheryl works with financial professionals to offer strategies through sales ideas, case design, and point of sale.
  • Bachelor of Science Palm Beach Atlantic University 
  • The American College: Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC), Life Underwrititer Training Council Fellow (LUTCF)
  • 2011 WIFS Northeast FL Founding President 
  • 2014 NAIFA-FL President’s Award
  • 2014 WIFS National Member of the Year
  • 2014 Jacksonville Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40
  • 2016 NAIFA Jacksonville Past President
  • 2018 NAIFA-FL Top Advisors Under 40 
  • 2019 NAIFA National Young Advisor Team Leader of the Year
  • 2019/2021 President of her firm’s advisory council 
As a native Floridian, she enjoys spending time with family, the beach, flag football, crossfit and volunteering. She can often be heard cheering and/or possibly weeping for her beloved Miami Dolphins & Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Testimonials

May we all take Cheryl’s story to heart and learn how best to financially protect families and loved ones from the damage this disease can inflict.

I highly recommend you invite Cheryl to speak to help educate how the opioid epidemic is affecting families, businesses and the industry.

Faisa Stafford
COO & CFO of Life Happens

Addiction does not discriminate, it is not slowing down and devastates families emotionally and financially.

You will learn how to identify clients who are living with addiction or an addict in their lives and how to alleviate some of the financial stress.

Becky Brothers
NAIFA Denver President

 

cherylcanz@gmail.com

 

To request availability & rates, please email and include type of audience, topic of interest and date of your event.  Thank you! 

Cheryl Canzanella, CLU®, ChSNC®, LUTCF®, CAP®

Complex financial conversations. Made understandable, relevant and human.

Financial services professional, speaker and educator with more than 25 years of experience helping professionals think differently about retirement, family finances and the circumstances that can change a financial plan.

Cheryl brings together professional experience, practical education and lived perspective to help audiences understand conversations that are often overlooked.

Request Cheryl to Speak
Explore Opioid Financial Awareness

Cheryl Canzanella
25+ Years in Financial Services
Insurance, brokerage and professional education
CLU® · ChSNC® · LUTCF® · CAP®
Professional designations
National & International Speaker
Professional and industry audiences
Financial Services Leadership
Education, advocacy and professional service

Cheryl and Colin

A personal loss changed the direction of my professional work.

Colin and I knew each other most of our lives. What began as a prescription for pain eventually became a substance use disorder that affected nearly every part of our family’s life.

Colin died from an accidental opioid overdose in 2017. As I looked back on what our family had experienced, I realized there was another part of the opioid crisis receiving far less attention: the financial consequences families can face during addiction, treatment, recovery, caregiving and loss.

With a career already rooted in financial services, I began asking a different question: What should trusted financial professionals understand when a family’s financial circumstances begin to change?

That question became the foundation for Opioid Financial Awareness.

Explore Opioid Financial Awareness

Conversations at the intersection of financial planning, professional responsibility and real life.

Speaking and education can be adapted to professional associations, financial-services organizations, workplace audiences and other groups navigating complex financial conversations.

Opioid Financial Awareness

Understanding the financial consequences families and professionals may encounter during substance use disorder, recovery, caregiving and opioid-related loss.

Retirement Planning Beyond the Portfolio

Bringing housing wealth and other household assets into a more complete retirement planning conversation.

The Conversations Financial Professionals Can’t Ignore

Recognizing when caregiving, loss, changing income or other life circumstances begin changing the financial plan.

Industry Leadership, Advocacy & Professional Growth

Lessons from a career built inside the financial-services profession, professional organizations and industry advocacy.

Request Cheryl to Speak

Experience and recognition across professional audiences.

Selected speaking, professional audiences, media coverage and feedback from people who have experienced Cheryl’s work.

Featured Speaking

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Selected Professional Audiences
  • Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
  • National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA)
  • Women in Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS)
  • Life Happens
  • Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA)
  • Cayman International Insurance
  • Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists
  • Ameriprise advisory audiences

Selected past audiences. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, sponsorship or partnership.

Media & Industry Coverage
InvestmentNews
Financial Advisor
AM Best
What Audiences Say

“Her commitment to this problem is deeply felt whenever you speak to her. She is an amazing motivational speaker.”

Gail Busman GoodmanPresident, The Phone Teacher

“May we all take Cheryl’s story to heart and learn how best to financially protect families and loved ones from the damage this disease can inflict.”

Becky BrothersNAIFA Denver President

About Cheryl

Cheryl Canzanella, CLU®, ChSNC®, LUTCF®, CAP®, is a financial services professional, speaker and educator with more than 25 years of industry experience.

Her career has included insurance and financial services, brokerage leadership, professional education, industry advocacy and work helping financial professionals think more broadly about the circumstances that can affect a client’s financial life.

Today, Cheryl’s work sits at the intersection of financial planning, retirement, professional education and real-life financial conversations. She is known for taking subjects that can feel complicated, uncomfortable or easily overlooked and making them understandable, practical and relevant to the professionals serving families.

After losing her husband, Colin, to an accidental opioid overdose, Cheryl began developing education around the financial consequences of substance use disorder and opioid-related loss. That work became Opioid Financial Awareness.

Cheryl also works extensively in retirement education, including conversations about retirement income, housing wealth and the role a home can play within a broader financial plan.

Professional Background & Recognition
  • 25+ years in insurance and financial services
  • Approximately 10 years in brokerage leadership
  • Bachelor of Science, Palm Beach Atlantic University
  • CLU®, ChSNC®, LUTCF® and CAP® professional designations
  • WIFS Northeast Florida founding leadership and national recognition
  • NAIFA leadership and professional recognition
  • Jacksonville Business Journal Top 40 Under 40

Bring Cheryl’s perspective to your audience.

For keynote, workshop, webinar or customized education inquiries, share your audience, topic of interest and preferred date.

Request Cheryl to Speak
Explore Opioid Financial Awareness

561-386-0537  • 
cherylcanz@gmail.com

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