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 By
David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, NAIFA CEO
“There had been clouds over Boston earlier that
morning … [but] by nine o’clock the sky began to clear. The
unusual number of carriages pulling up to the Parker House Hotel, discharging
a steady stream of passengers, must have attracted the notice of Bostonians
passing along Tremont Street. … Groups of men conversing excitedly
… stood about renewing old acquaintances and forming new ones.”
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Thus begins George Norris’ magnificent centennial
history of the National Association of Life Underwriters (now NAIFA),
Voices From the Field. His opening chapter recounts the events
of NALU’s first convention on June 18, 1890, in Boston. He
also describes the conditions that led to the formation of NALU,
primarily the rapid growth of life insurance over the previous half-century
fueled by a rapidly growing agency system.
Although NALU was not formed until 1890, various
local associations had come and some had gone in the two decades
prior. All had been formed primarily in response to some legal,
regulatory or public relations threat to the sale of life insurance
or the role of the agent. Often the associations were established
to oppose and expose various scams and schemes perpetrated by start-up
companies and others seeking to cash in on the rapidly expanding
business. Looking back, it is easy to see that the formation of
NALU was inevitable.
Now, as then
Like the agenda of 1890, the agenda for the 2003 NAIFA Convention
& Career Conference in Kansas City, Mo., this month is arguably
just as momentous and inevitable. The delegates who gather in Kansas
City will be facing discussion and
debate about the most
comprehensive change in NAIFA in the memory of anyone now alive—perhaps
ever.
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After a decade of struggle to understand and adapt to
the new and confusing financial services world that has developed over
the last two decades, the NAIFA Board of Trustees created the 50-member
Transformation Task Force last fall. Over the past year, the task force
has worked to craft a plan for NAIFA’s future that is every bit as
responsive to the complex challenges our members face today as the programs
put forth by that first board in 1890.
As a result, the 2003 NAIFA convention will be one of
the most momentous in NAIFA’s history. It will feature:
- The formal unveiling of NAIFA’s new vision and
mission statements that focus on political advocacy and member benefits
to support practitioners in the insurance-based financial services world.
- New bylaws to give NAIFA the rapid-response agility
and streamlined efficiency necessary to be effective in this new environment.
- The newly focused and highly sophisticated government-relations
team backed by commitment to sound, more visible and more effective
political advocacy.
- A lineup of existing and proposed new member benefits
that will improve your bottom line.
- A solidly balanced budget based on real numbers and
reliable accounting software.
All this is supported by the most talented and dedicated
staff and volunteers in the industry.
The Rev. Peter Gomes, chaplain of Harvard University,
recently admonished his congregation, “Seek not to follow in the
footsteps of those who came before. Seek what they sought.”
Delegates of 1890, we, the delegates of 2003, seek not
to follow in your footsteps. We seek what you sought—a dynamic and
essential insurance industry. We will begin on Sept. 13.
David Woods is CEO of NAIFA and president of the
LIFE Foundation. Previously a MassMutual agent for 30 years, he has been
an MDRT member since 1970. He was NALU president in 1986-87.
This Month
Cover
Story
Expert to
Expert
Lighter
Side of Life
Managing
Money
Working
Knowledge
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About Us
NAIFA
