Spencer Bell and Carol Boyd in our Investment Products Division work hand-in-glove as a top-producing team, one of the on-the-road/in-house pairs that support brokers who sell Protective annuities to their clients. Spencer, himself a former broker, is always on the go, calling on customers throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, helping them devise new ways to serve the consumer. Carol, also a former broker, works from our Home Office in Birmingham, supporting those same customers in Illinois and Wisconsin with timely, accurate information and advice.

"We operate as if we are an independent business," says Carol, "and relationships are our most important asset." Adds Spencer: "What makes us successful is the continuity and seamlessness of the way in which Carol and I work. The brokers know that we care -- and we help them convey that same spirit to their customers."

2000 Annual Report