Advisor Today > > June 2001 Viewpoint: If Not NAIFA, Who?

Viewpoint: If Not NAIFA, Who?

We're still the financial advisor's number one advocate.
Dennis R. Merideth, CLU, ChFC, NAIFA president

The guiding principles of our organization-advocacy, education and reputation-are as relevant and essential today as they have been at any time in our history. If NAIFA and its conferences don't continue to champion agent and advisor issues on Capitol Hill, then who will?

One need only look to the latest issues regarding split dollar, 419, taxation on the inside buildup and estate tax reform to see the continued and critical need for NAIFA to have a strong presence wherever lawmakers meet. Our vigilance came into play recently when, within 24 hours of our call to arms regarding the inside build-up proposal, 25,000 emails resulted in close to 12,000 contacts on Capitol Hill.

While nearly all our lobbying efforts benefit our members indirectly, the major benefactor of our initiatives continues to be the consuming public. Through tax-advantaged products and self-directed socially responsible planning, we help our clients achieve financial security. Even so, the financial advisor's role needs to be better understood and more widely publicized. Our founding and continued support of the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) illustrates our commitment to reminding the public of the value of our products, as well as the absolute necessity of a well-qualified agent or advisor when making financial decisions.

The competency of the industry's field force holds a primary place on NAIFA's agenda, as it has been since 1890. We've made a conscious decision not to be a manufacturer of educational and self-development materials, but rather a conduit between our members and the manufacturers. Our unremitting support of core LUTC classes, as well as our pilot CFP courses with LUTC and The American College delivered through our 900 plus locals, remains a major focus.

Our second annual Financial Advisors Forum held in April in Philadelphia was a tremendous success, with more than twice the number of people who attended our inaugural event. Our first annual career conference, held in conjunction with last year's national convention in Orlando, also attracted a large and interested audience, a sure sign that this will become a popular permanent feature of our annual meetings.

While our leadership knows the value of NAIFA membership, we must do a much better job of informing our rank and file members of our efforts on their behalf. Thus was born our current positioning campaign. You received a major component of this project in the April issue of Advisor Today. If you haven't already reviewed this impressive benefits of membership CD, please do so and what is most important, share it with a colleague who is not a NAIFA member.

Attention to the diversity of those promoting our products today, as well as the diverse services they provide to a widening variety of markets, is another must on our agenda. We need to expand our services to our new constituents while continuing to serve the needs of our traditional members. Opening up our ranks to new disciplines should never appear to mean we care any less for our traditional members. It is imperative that we make sure no members feel the association is no longer their home because of our expanded definition of members. If you want to focus solely on the sales and service of life insurance, NAIFA is the association to serve your needs. For those who specialize in multiline, NAIFA should be their association of choice. We also ask those who do the very important job of serving the middle-income market through home service to consider NAIFA their home.

Challenges and opportunities

Our biggest challenge, as well as our biggest opportunity, is to get young people to become involved with NAIFA. All our research tells us this must be a major focus over the next few years. We must develop programs and meetings that will attract the novices in the financial services industry. They need to see that belonging to NAIFA will play a key role in their career advancement and growth.

Theodore Roosevelt said every individual has a moral obligation to support any organization striving to improve the conditions within its sphere. It is my strong conviction that we should expect no less from every individual earning a living in our great business. We can no longer afford to let a few carry the load for many. With all on board, we will have the strong voice to protect our interests, look out for our clients' welfare and elevate our careers to even higher levels of accomplishment and influence.

Dennis R. Merideth, CLU, ChFC, represents Principal Financial Group in Tucson, Ariz. After serving six years on the Board of Trustees and as secretary, he was elected president of NAIFA in September 2000 at the association's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

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