Joel H. Solomon, ChFC, Managing Partner and Chairman Emeritus of Higginbotham Financial, has been named the National Life Insurance Industry Council’s (NLIC) 2027 Spirit of Life® Honoree in support of City of Hope.
For Joel, this recognition is far more than an award—it’s deeply personal.
After receiving lifesaving treatment for prostate cancer at City of Hope Orange County, Joel made a commitment to give back to the organization that gave him a second chance. Today, as a cancer survivor, philanthropist and respected industry leader, he is inviting the life insurance community to join him in advancing groundbreaking research, compassionate patient care and lifesaving innovation.
The Spirit of Life® Award is City of Hope’s highest philanthropic honor, presented to individuals whose leadership, generosity and commitment to improving the lives of others exemplify the organization’s mission. As the 2027 honoree, Joel will lead the life insurance industry’s year-long fundraising campaign in support of City of Hope’s pioneering cancer research, world-class treatment and compassionate care. The campaign will culminate with NLIC’s 2027 Spirit of Life Gala and bring together hundreds of the industry’s prominent business partners and life insurance leaders from across the country for a weekend of connection, celebration and shared impact.
Join Us in Newport Beach
The 2027 Spirit of Life celebration will take place during the weekend of March 5–6, 2027, in beautiful Newport Beach, California.
Highlights include:
- Friday, March 5, 2027: Golf Tournament at Pelican Hill Golf Club
- Saturday, March 6, 2027: Spirit of Life Gala at the Pendry Newport Beach, just steps from the shops and restaurants of Fashion Island
These events will celebrate Joel’s leadership while raising critical funds to help City of Hope deliver more breakthroughs, more treatments and more hope.
A Mission Born from Gratitude
For Joel, every day since his diagnosis has been a reminder of the incredible gift of time he received through City of Hope. That experience transformed his gratitude into purpose—and a desire to ensure others have access to the same extraordinary care.
Together with his wife, Nancy, Joel demonstrated that commitment through extraordinary philanthropy, including a landmark $2.5 million gift in 2025 to advance cancer care and research at City of Hope Orange County.
Reflecting on this honor, Joel shared:
“City of Hope gave me a second chance at life, and I will never stop being grateful for the extraordinary care I received. Accepting the Spirit of Life Award is an incredible honor, but even more meaningful is the opportunity to help lead our industry’s support of an organization that is changing — and saving — lives every day. I look forward to working alongside my friends and colleagues across the life insurance industry to expand our impact and inspire others to join this mission of hope.”
Joel’s influence extends far beyond philanthropy. Over the past five decades, he has served more than 4,000 individuals and businesses, developed innovative planning strategies adopted by major financial institutions and trained more than 3,800 financial professionals through TheSolomonSchool™ and Roadmap™ Universities.
Rallying an Industry Around Hope
For decades, the National Life Insurance Industry Council has united leaders from across the life insurance community to support City of Hope’s lifesaving mission. Together, the industry has helped accelerate discoveries, expand treatment options and provide hope to countless patients and families.
“On behalf of the NLIC Board, we are proud to congratulate Joel on being named our 2027 Spirit of Life Honoree,” said Royce Imhoff, senior vice president at Lion Street, NLIC board member and the organization’s 2019 Spirit of Life honoree. “Joel embodies the generosity, integrity and servant leadership this award represents. His passion for City of Hope and his commitment to helping others make him an inspiring leader for this campaign.”
Over the coming year, Joel will bring together colleagues, business partners, friends and organizations from across the life insurance industry to support innovative research, advanced treatment and compassionate patient care. His campaign will serve as a powerful reminder of what is possible when an industry unites behind a shared purpose.
How You Can Make an Impact
Throughout the 2027 campaign, companies, colleagues and friends across the life insurance industry will have many opportunities to support Joel and City of Hope by:
- Making an individual or corporate contribution to fund lifesaving research and patient care.
- Attending campaign events that bring the industry together in celebration of hope and impact.
- Engaging colleagues, clients and business partners in fundraising and sponsorship opportunities.
- Sharing Joel’s story and City of Hope’s mission within your organization & community.
Additional campaign initiatives, sponsorship opportunities and gala details will be announced in the coming months.
Together, the life insurance industry can turn gratitude into action, generosity into breakthroughs and hope into healing. By standing alongside Joel during the 2027 Spirit of Life campaign, we can help create more second chances for patients and families facing cancer and other serious diseases.
To learn more about the NLIC Spirit of Life campaign, visit cityofhope.org/nlic, or contact Cathleen Tighe at 323-459-5130 or [email protected].