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THE LATEST MEMBERSHIP NEWS FROM NAIFA-WEST VIRGINIA ~ FEBRUARY 2017
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OFFICIAL FAMILY:
Click HERE for NAIFA-West Virginia's Officers and Board of Directors
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President's Message
Nick Ameli, Jr., CLU, ChFC, REBC
NAIFA-West Virginia President
First of all, I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and are enjoying a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. A lot has happened since our last Newsletter. First of all we are saddened by the passing of one of our Past Presidents,
Richard Maze, CLU, RFC. Our condolences to his wife and family. The election is over and we have a new President, Donald J. Trump. I'm sure some of you are happy and some sad, but it's time to move on and let's get together and make the best of what we have.
The NAIFA-WV Sales Congress, held on December 13th, was a great success; and if you weren't there, you missed a great opportunity to improve your business. We had some MDRT-type speakers; and our Congressman, Evan Jenkins, brought us up to date on some of the planned changes in Congress that will affect us. We are thankful for our sponsors that helped cover some of the expenses.
It appears that the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, is going to be repealed and replaced. I'm sure that is not going to happen overnight; but, let's hope that the replacement will be simpler, affordable, but have some of the same coverages. As you know, many of our West Virginians have taken advantage of the ACA, having health coverage for the first time. We should not forget our citizens and hope that the repeal and replacement will not take away their coverage.
For the time being, at least the Fiduciary Rule change has been put on hold. I'm sure the efforts we have made through our Advocacy program has affected this decision, thus far.. This is one reason we need to increase our membership rather than seeing more of our chapters fall by the wayside.
A caution NAIFA has always expressed still remains true: financial professionals must comply with whatever rules/requirements/restrictions imposed by their own financial institutions (broker-dealers, RIAs, and insurance companies generally).
Nick Ameli, Jr., CLU, ChFC, REBC
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Thank You to our Sponsors!
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For information on Sponsorship Opportunities with NAIFA-West Virginia, please contact Executive Director John E. Pauley, CLU, ChFC, CLTC at (304) 345-4343 or email
johnpauley@
ft.newyorklife.com.
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You're Invited! Two Hours CE Credit!
NAIFA-Charleston CE Opportunity in conjunction with SFSP Charleston Chapter
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Nationally Broadcast Video Teleconference with CE Credit plus Lunch Meeting
Tuesday, February 14th, 2017
Edgewood Country Club
1600 Edgewood Drive, Charleston, WV 25302
TWO-HOUR MORNING VTC WITH CE, 9:30 - 11:30 AM:
"Supplemental Retirement Plans for Executives and Entrepreneurs"
FOLLOWED BY LUNCH MEETING, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM:
Guest Lunch Speaker:
AJ Fiorelli
Regional Vice President, Medicare Sales Division, Agent Pipeline
NO CHARGE for NAIFA / SFSP Members and
$40.00 for Non-Members
Includes lunch and CE filing fees.
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Congratulations NAIFA-Charleston!
NAIFA-Charleston was named a Gold Achiever for the coveted 2015-2016 Jack E. Bobo Award of Excellence, presented by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). The award recognizes associations in the NAIFA federation that excel in areas critical to their success and growth over a one-year period. Those areas are professional development, advocacy, membership and governance.
"It's an honor to be recognized by the national association for the work we've done to be successful this year," said
Terry S. Mathias, CLTC, 2015-2016 NAIFA-Charleston President. "Our goal is to provide insurance agents and financial advisors who are members with the tools they need to better serve their clients. With a strong association, then the people of Charleston benefit. Not only do our members follow a strict ethical code, but they have access to resources that help them stay well informed in this competitive industry. The people of Charleston and West Virginia should do business with a NAIFA member."
NAIFA-Charleston is one of only 17 local associations nationwide to achieve the Gold Level status and one of only 40 to receive the Bobo Award of Excellence nationwide. NAIFA-Charleston was recognized throughout the NAIFA Federation and at the NAIFA 2016 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. NAIFA-Charleston's achievement was also promoted in the official NAIFA Awards Book distributed at the Annual Meeting.
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 NAIFA ADVOCACY UPDATE:
Legislation Would Delay DOL Fiduciary Rule
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)
introduced legislation that would delay the effective date of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule for two years.
The rule is set to become "applicable" on April 10, 2017. The delay would provide the new Congress and the incoming Trump administration with time evaluate the rule.
"For well over a century, thousands of dedicated NAIFA members have helped individuals and families reach their financial goals," Dougherty said in the letter."
NAIFA remains concerned that the final rule will reduce consumers' access to honest, valuable information and advice from financial professionals about retirement products, such as 401(k)s, IRAs and annuities. A delay provides time for the new administration to conduct a thoughtful and appropriate review and to work with stakeholders toward public policies that help Americans achieve their financial and retirement security."
"In spite of NAIFA's efforts, which mitigated several of the draft rule's troubling and unworkable restrictions, the final [DOL] rule still places undue burdens on advisors, companies and their clients," Mayeux wrote. "NAIFA has teamed up with
the ACLI to challenge the rule in court. We are pursuing opportunities to work with the new Congress and the Trump administration to reverse its harmful consequences and to put in place meaningful public policies to ensure the continuation of affordable access to financial guidance for individuals preparing for retirement."
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 FROM THE NAIFA BLOG
NAIFA Applauds Senior$Afe Act Of 2017
NAIFA President Paul Dougherty praised the efforts of Sen. Susan Collins (R - Maine), who yesterday introduced the Senior$afe Act of 2017 (S. 223). The legislation would allow insurance and financial advisors to report suspected cases of financial fraud involving senior clients to financial institutions, which could then pass the suspicions along to the authorities.
NAIFA worked closely with members of Congress on the bipartisan bill to ensure that it included necessary liability protections for advisors working in good faith to protect their clients.
"For well over a century, thousands of dedicated NAIFA members have helped individuals and families reach their financial goals, and occasionally spot suspicious activities," Dougherty said in his letter to Collins. "The Senior$afe Act will remove barriers that might otherwise discourage the reporting of such suspected exploitation to authorities."
A 2011
MetLife study estimates that U.S. seniors lose an estimated $2.9 billion each year to financial fraud. A separate
study by Allianz found that senior fraud victims lost an average of $30,000 each, and 10 percent lost $100,000 or more.
The Allianz study also found that seniors who regularly speak about their finances with trusted third parties, including financial professionals, are significantly less likely to be fraud victims, which is why the Senior $afe Act and similar legislation in the states is so important.
The House of Representatives passed a
similar bill last year, but it did not pass the Senate before the end of the legislative session. NAIFA urges quick action on the current version of the bill.
The NAIFA Blog can be found at www.naifa.org/news-publications/naifa-blog.
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Registration Now Open for NAIFA's 2017 Congressional Conference in Washington DC!
NAIFA will hold its next Congressional Conference May 23-24, 2017.
The first 500 NAIFA member registrants will be eligible for a $300 stipend to assist with their expenses, if they meet eligibility requirements! Click HERE for details!
In the past four years, over three thousand NAIFA members from every corner of the country came to Washington, D.C., and visited Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and advise them on how their decisions affect agents, brokers, and their clients.
NAIFA held its 2016 Congressional Conference to establish and cultivate relationships with lawmakers, to share the expertise of NAIFA members from all 50 states, and educate them on the value that NAIFA members bring to their clients and the solutions they provide for 75 million American families.
Make plans to join the 2017 Conference and make an impact with your NAIFA association! Click
HERE for complete details and registration.
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Subscribe to Health Care Highlights!
Published by Thom Stevens, NAIFA-West Virginia Lobbyist
We are celebrating the 27th anniversary of our unique health care publication. Health Care Highlights is published weekly during the regular legislative session and monthly during the periods in between legislative sessions by the firm Government Relations Specialists, LLC.
Health Care Highlights provides a special focus on health topics of interest, legislative health deliberations, and a special section featuring the history and status of all health care bills introduced in the West Virginia state Senate and the House of Delegates.
For more information and to subscribe, please contact Thom Stevens, NAIFA-WV Lobbyist at 304-344-8466 or healthhighlights@aol.com.
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NAIFA MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH
NAIFA Podcast Series:0
Building a More Successful Practice
NAIFA provides audio articles, or podcasts, that you can listen to at your convenience - on your computer, your mobile device or burn it to a CD. If you've never subscribed to a podcast, or downloaded an audio file,
see the instructions on how to start.
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast series, Building a More Successful Practice, so you always have the latest podcast waiting for you. Also, tell us what you think about the podcasts, or send suggestions of topics or people you would like to see covered. Send an email to Ayo Mseka at
amseka@naifa.org.
Ask a non-member to join NAIFA today!
NAIFA is the largest financial services membership association in the United States, comprised of more than 700 state and local associations representing the interests of 200,000 members and their associates nationwide. NAIFA's goal is to protect your livelihood and your clients' financial security.
To join or renew securely online, please visit
www.naifa.org.
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Please Consider a Contribution to IFAPAC
NAIFA cannot contribute to political candidates.
IFAPAC can, and that's what we do!
In fact, IFAPAC consistently ranks in the top tier of more than 4,600 federal PACs in its political receipts and contributions to candidates.
For Three Easy Ways to Contribute to IFAPAC, please click HERE.
For more information about IFAPAC and to contribute securely online, please visit:
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It Pays to Be a Member!
Check our website for the latest news and updates:
For more information, please contact NAIFA-West Virginia Executive Director John Pauley, CLU, ChFC, CLTC
at (304) 345-4343 or email johnpauley@ft.newyorklife.com.
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