I'm reaching out to my fellow NAIFA leaders because concerns have been raised recently about agent recruiting at association meetings. Whether or not you're one of those who make New Year's resolutions, I'd like us all to resolve to make an extra effort in the coming year to prevent inappropriate agent recruiting from playing any role in our association activities.

One of NAIFA's unique strengths is that it brings together new and experienced agents and advisors who represent many different companies, as career agents or independent advisors, and who offer the public a wide variety of products and services to protect the financial security of American families and businesses. Our diverse community of insurance and financial professionals makes NAIFA meetings a perfect forum for creative idea sharing, motivation, and mentoring, and is the powerful base for NAIFA's impactful government relations programs that protect our businesses and the promises we make to our clients.

But coming together as NAIFA members from our respective offices also creates a challenge when members or prospective members have the misimpression that attendance at NAIFA meetings may result in an agent being recruited away to another agency, company, or firm. As NAIFA leaders we must ensure that members never view attendance at association meetings as a threat to their business. This perception, right or wrong, can arise in many ways, such as inappropriate agent recruiting at an association luncheon or aggressive company-specific product promotion by a meeting speaker, and can discourage association participation.

Of course, NAIFA prohibits the use of official association activities as a forum or means for members to recruit other members to their companies or agencies. Proselytizing at association meetings is not consistent with the NAIFA mission and is not appropriate association business. (You can read the NAIFA Policy on Recruiting and Association Activities in the Association Leaders/Governance section on the NAIFA website.) Instead, all NAIFA activities should support our mission: to protect our business through political advocacy, enhance our professional skills, and promote ethical conduct. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact NAIFA General Counsel Michael Gerber, at mgerber@naifa.org. Please be on the lookout for inappropriate recruiting activity at your state or local association and feel free to share this letter and NAIFA's policy with anyone who might benefit from its message.

If our goals as NAIFA leaders in 2015 have anything to do with recruiting, they should be laser-focused in only two areas. First, we must recruit more members to the NAIFA family, who can benefit from our first-class professional development and education programming and participate in our essential grassroots political advocacy campaigns. Second, we should recruit more talented young people to join our wonderful profession so that a new generation of insurance and financial advisors can help the American public secure financial independence in the years to come. There is no more fitting way for us to celebrate NAIFA's 125th anniversary year than to re-commit ourselves to building our association and our industry.

Working together to further our mission, we'll have a great NAIFA year!

Best Wishes,

Juli Y. McNeely, LUTCF, CFP, CLU
2014-2015 NAIFA President
Proud Member of NAIFA

Registration for the May 19-20, 2015 NAIFA Congressional Conference is now open! Please remember that the first 600 registrants for the NAIFA Congressional Conference will be eligible for a reimbursement of up to $350 to cover their travel and lodging expenses, if they meet the eligibility requirements, which include staying at one of the official NAIFA Congressional Conference hotels. You can view the full reimbursement guidelines when you register. Don't wait! Click HERE to register now!

NAIFA's Congressional Conference will bring NAIFA members together to learn about the legislative issues that matter to people in our industry, and most importantly, our clients. You will then take that knowledge to Capitol Hill when you meet with your Members of Congress to discuss these issues. For additional information about the Conference, view the FAQs.

The November elections has brought many new elected officials and the looming threat to the tax status of many insurance products is very real. NAIFA needs you to attend this Conference to ensure laws and regulations are designed to enhance, not restrict, the ability of middle market families to have access to products and services offered by our members. Please register and join us in May where together, we can make a difference!