Rigoberto Ayala Rodas

NXT Financial Group is pleased to announce that Rigoberto Ayala Rodas has joined the company as Vice President of Sales. In this role, Rigo will lead and grow NXT's sales operations, build and support its advisor network and help drive the company's mission of making life insurance accessible, honest and genuinely useful for the families NXT serves.

Rigo brings to this role something that cannot be taught in a classroom — a life lived through real adversity, real failure and real growth. His path to NXT is a testament to the resilience, discipline and people-first mindset that define what NXT looks for in its leaders.

A journey forged through hard work and reinvention

Rigo came to the United States from El Salvador at the age of seven, arriving alone and speaking no English. He adapted quickly, found his footing and built his life in this country through sheer determination. After high school, financial constraints cut short his college education. Working at a restaurant for $400 a month, he kept asking himself a question that would define everything that came next: Is this really it?

It was not. Throughout his twenties, Rigo pursued entrepreneurship with relentless energy — building and running businesses in delivery, food, construction, cleaning, clothing and travel. By his own account, every single one of them failed. But he does not look back on those years with regret. Each failure sharpened his thinking, tested his resilience and prepared him for the opportunity that was still ahead.

Working alongside his stepfather in painting and construction added another layer to that education — a firsthand look at what it truly means to carry the weight of a business, the responsibility of a team and the daily discipline required to keep going when things get hard.

From the ground up to leadership

Eventually Rigo reached a moment of honest reckoning. He had worked his way into a management role — something he had chased for years. When he finally got there, he found himself exhausted, financially stretched and deeply unfulfilled. He realized he was not building a future. He was repeating the same day.

Was I really improving my life, or just repeating the same day? — That question changed his direction entirely.

He began examining his habits, his relationship with money and his sense of purpose. He understood that real growth required not just more effort, but a fundamental change in what he was building toward.

At 27, he entered sales and felt something shift. The energy, the challenge, the possibility — it woke something up in him. And it was there that he met Shiv Thakur, who introduced him to life insurance and to a vision of this work that matched his values: fairness, education and real relationships with clients.

A leader who understands what families carry

Rigo spent months studying the products, learning the process and — most importantly — learning how to listen. He came to understand that life insurance is not something you sell to people. It is something you help them understand, at their pace, with honesty and without pressure.

That philosophy now informs how he leads. As Vice President of Sales, Rigo will bring that same standard to the advisors he builds and the culture he shapes — a sales organization grounded in trust, genuine client education and the belief that every family deserves protection they can count on.

What Rigo brings to NXT

As NXT Financial Group continues to grow its advisor network and expand its reach, Rigo will focus on:

• Sales leadership and growth: building and directing a high-performing advisor sales team aligned with NXT's mission and standards
• Advisor development: mentoring advisors at every level — helping them develop the skills, the mindset and the work ethic to build lasting careers in this industry
• Client-first culture: reinforcing a sales approach built on listening, education and genuine relationships — not pressure or shortcuts
• Community reach: expanding NXT's presence in underserved communities, particularly among immigrant and Latino families who have historically had limited access to quality financial protection