Leaders Blog

So far, 31 NAIFA state chapters have pledged to promote in-district legislative meetings among their members and set goals for member meetings. The goals are based on meeting with a percentage of their state's Representatives and Senators during Congress's annual August recess.

IFAPAC Contributors are getting inside information this election year. Not only do they receive Inside Elections, a biweekly newsletter by respected political analyst Nathan Gonzalez, but they will also receive an exclusive invitation to a pre-election webinar hosted by Gonzalez on September 29 (save the date). Providing nonpartisan insights, Gonzalez has worked as an on-air analyst for the Newshour on PBS and an off-air elections consultant for ABC News.

He has appeared on NBC's Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, NPR's All Things Considered, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC and he has been quoted in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.

Influential grassroots advocacy relies on repeated contacts with lawmakers, and NAIFA does it better than anyone. We have great momentum after our May Congressional Conference, so we are eager to keep it going through the summer.

No one does grassroots advocacy like NAIFA. We have the most passionate and politically involved members in our industry. We had over 500 advisors at our Congressional Conference in May. Now, we have another great opportunity to influence policy with Congress’s upcoming August recess.

We look forward to seeing all NAIFA leaders at Congressional Conference next week in Washington. (And for those unable to make it, we will miss you.) Congressional Conference is the first of NAIFA’s three signature events, followed by Apex at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, August 17-18, and the National Leadership Conference and Belong Event in Washington, D.C., November 13-15.

These signature events are where NAIFA showcases the ways we serve our members, with each one representing a different aspect of our membership promise: Advocate, Educate, Differentiate. Please note that anyone who signs up for Apex on-site during Congressional Conference will receive a discounted Apex registration, so don’t miss out! We strongly encourage leaders to attend all of NAIFA’s signature events.

If you missed the Congressional Conference "Know Before You Go" email earlier this week, you can see it online for important information to help you make the most of your time in Washington. It discusses the Congressional Conference Day on the Hill visits, the Capitol Hill Hospitality Hall, IFAPAC’s silent auction, NAIFA’s D.C. Passport program, and other pertinent items.

Make Sure Your Clients & Prospects Know You're Out of Office to Protect Them!

While you will return from your D.C. trip with great photos and memories of your time on the Hill, make sure that you tell your clients/prospects that you're out of pocket because you are going to advocate on behalf of them!  You can cut-and-paste the following as your out-of-office message: 

Cut-and-Paste Out-of-Office Message:

"I will not be in the office on May 23-24, 2022 as I am going to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to meet with our Congressional leaders on key topics that affect your financial security. I'm a proud member of my professional association, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and have made this investment of my time to ensure that our elected leaders understand the impact that proposed laws may have on your financial security." 

Add a Graphic to Your Email Signature While You're Away

Let your clients and prospects know what you're doing by adding your state's custom graphic to your email signature. Select your state and download the graphic to add to your email signature.

Update Your Facebook Profile to Let Clients & Prospects Know You're Advocating for Them

Use Facebook a lot and want to showcase to your friends that you're a financial security professional while you're at Congressional Conference? Add a filter to your Facebook profile by following these easy steps and let the world know that you believe in Financial Security for All! 

Now that we're back in person after two years of virtual events, this Congressional Congress promises to be extraordinary!

If you are attending NAIFA's Congressional Conference May 23-24 in Washington, D.C. (and as a NAIFA leader we hope you are), it's important to note that you must reserve your room at the Marriott Renaissance DC Downtown by this Friday, May 6, to take advantage of NAIFA's group rate. Note that if you are eligible to receive a NAIFA travel stipend for Congressional Conference, you must stay at the host hotel, the Marriott Renaissance DC Downtown.

A recent post on NAIFA's Advocacy in Action blog highlights NAIFA members running for state office this election season. Included are: Kristin Alfheim of NAIFA-WI, Wes Booker of NAIFA-AR, Fred Glass and Burt Jones of NAIFA-GA, Brian Lampton of NAIFA-OH, John Raley of NAIFA-IA, and Adam Solano of NAIFA-IL. We know we may have missed several member candidates around NAIFA Nation. If we did, let us know and we will post a follow-up blog.

NAIFA is collaborating with our partners at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) to prepare for efforts by the Department of Labor to revive a version of the fiduciary rule our associations successfully defeated with a federal lawsuit in 2018. NAIFA supports advisors working in their clients' best interests and believes the SEC's Regulation Best Interest and the NAIC model regulation for annuity transactions, so far adopted by 20 states and counting, provide strong consumer protections.

NAIFA's Advisor Today is hosting a new monthly webinar series featuring leading thought leaders from the insurance and financial services industry presenting on compelling topics selected to encourage industry professionals to achieve their peak performance.

The inaugural Advisor Today webinar, March 23 at 1 pm eastern, celebrates National Women’s History Month and features Daralee Barbera, Ed.D., CFP, CMFC, ChFC, CLF, Thomasina Skipper, and Linda Witham. They are the co-authors of Women Matter: The Why and How of Gender Diversity in Financial Services. These seasoned financial services professionals will address the role of women as advisors, women as clients, and the important tools needed for gender parity in financial services.

With primary elections underway and the 2022 general election just around the corner, NAIFA’s Get Out the Vote (GOTV) resources are now available to NAIFA members and the general public at gotv4financialsecurity.org. The website provides educational materials to help NAIFA members and the consumers they work with to achieve financial security understand how the election process works and make informed decisions at the polls.