THE LATEST NEWS FROM NAIFA-WEST VIRGINIA ~ DECEMBER 2015

PLATINUM SPONSOR

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM NAIFA-WEST VIRGINIA!

OFFICIAL FAMILY:

Click HERE for NAIFA-West Virginia's Officers and Board of Directors

President's Message

George Webb, CLU, ChFC

2015-2016 NAIFA-WV President

To our NAIFA-West Virginia Membership...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

These time-held blessings are very vibrant this year. It is our sincere prayer to each of you to have a very, very, very Merry Christmas and a bright beginning for 2016.

Some Sage Advice for 2016:

As has been given to me, let me share with you my wish for you this coming year.

Proverbs 1:5...

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.

You know how we have been in our business for a while and you have so many things to catch on to, learn, study and apply... you know, like working on a professional designation and you realize you are NEVER GOING TO LEARN IT ALL.

I remember attending a John Savage session and he said something like this... "I do not need to know everything about this business, and if I do well enough and need a CLU... I will make enough money to hire one!"... typical John Savage.

In his own way, he was saying, "I am wise enough to hear and increase my knowledge with what I know... make calls, fact find and make recommendations that are the best I can for my clients... then if I need help... I will obtain wise counsel."

Our NAIFA-West Virginia organization is a whole bunch of wise counsel. Also, the cool thing is this that we have no secrets... what is working for one representative they will share with others. If you need a solution or a case is tough to get... you have guys like Pete White around to ask any question.

Truthfully, our group here in good Old West, by God, Virginia are a selfless group who wants to see others succeed. Folks who want to see our citizenship protected and families provided for at death. A group of folks who want businesses to continue on after a critical change; death of an owner or disability or a buyout.

Of course as we get older, we want our folks here in WV to be able to retire comfortably and be protected for long term care needs and medical issues protected. Along with the right asset allocation and performance recommendations to the best of our abilities.

We have Tom Hegna sessions planned on the 17th... this you should not miss as you prepare for 2016.

Prayers to you and your family and your clients... and hear wise counsel... and obtain guidance... blessings.

Oh, yes... and if you have really tough, hard questions... extremely hard... call John Pauley.

George Webb

Thank You to our Sponsors!

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

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.

NAIFA-Charleston Membership Luncheon Meeting and Webinar:

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Edgewood Country Club, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

1600 Edgewood Drive, Charleston, WV 25302

(directions)

Get Fired Up by attending Tom Hegna's 2015 NAIFA Webinar during NAIFA-Charleston's Membership Luncheon Meeting on December 17th!

Wrap up your 2015 on a high note by attending a 60-minute webinar hosted by Retirement Author, Main Platform Speaker, and long-time NAIFA member Tom Hegna, CLU, ChFC, CASL!

Tom will be wrapping up this year's trends and hot industry topics and sharing his seven simple steps to retirement security, as well as giving NAIFA chapters a sneak peek into his 2016 Economic Commentary, which he usually releases after the New Year!

There is No Charge for NAIFA-WV members and $20.00 for non-members and guests.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE!

Click HERE to take a look at Tom's 2015 Economic Commentary on YouTube to get an idea of what to expect!

Make sure to jot down a few questions for Tom as he will be conducting a brief Q&A towards the end of the webinar. Grab a notebook, a pen, and join us on Thursday, December 17, 2015. Get fired up as we say goodbye to 2015 and welcome 2016! Hope to see you there!

For more information, please contact John Pauley, CLU, ChFC, CLTC at (304) 345-4343 or e-mail johnpauley@ft.newyorklife.com.

Executive Director's Report

John E. Pauley, CLU, ChFC, CLTC

NAIFA-West Virginia Executive Director

As we approach the Holiday Season, it is important to pause and reflect on the many blessings we sometimes take for granted.

Love from family and friends provides the support and encouragement we all need to get through the "tough" times. Take a moment and thank those "special" people in your life for all that they do and tell them how much you appreciate them.

Help someone less fortunate. This could be a kind word, some quality time, a donation, or volunteering your time to help serve a meal or buy a present for an underprivileged child in your community. There are several worthwhile charities in the Kanawha Valley that can use your help... make a call today and help someone in need. You'll be glad you did.

Good Health is truly a blessing that we don't understand until it's gone. All the money in the world cannot buy your health. Make a commitment to yourself to eat right, exercise, reduce your stress and take care of your self. It's never too late..you owe it to yourself and more importantly..to your family and children.

And last, take just a moment to thank God for his blessings, compassion, and understanding in helping us all "do a little better job" in this special calling we have chosen as life underwriters.

Best wishes for continued success and happiness.

John E. Pauley, CLU, ChFC, CLTC

NAIFA-WV / NAIFA-Charleston Executive Director

Main (304) 345-4343 * Cell (304) 545-1973

Email johnpauley@ft.newyorklife.com

LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

Your Action is Needed on the Proposed DOL Fiduciary Rule!

Thank you to all of those who have taken the time to respond to NAIFA's GovAlert on the proposed DOL fiduciary rule. If you have not responded to this GovAlert, please CLICK HERE to do so now!!

Also, please take a moment to encourage your colleagues, NAIFA member or not, to respond to this alert. It only takes a minute, and is critically important to our industry!! It does not matter if someone has already sent a letter on behalf of their company or a different organization, there is nothing wrong with sending MULTIPLE different letters to let Congress know how important this is.

FROM THE NAIFA BLOG: DECEMBER 8, 2015

Rep. Roskam: Proposed DOL Rules 'A Bad Proposition'

If the proposed fiduciary rules set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor are put into play, many Americans would lose out, especially "younger savers and those who have not had a lot of time to acquire significant savings" for retirement, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) told NAIFA members during NAIFA's Political Involvement and Political Action Training Meeting Dec. 2.

"The state of play on DOL is a bad proposition for a lot of reasons," Roskam said. "My perception is there are people who basically think that America, in the private sector, ought not to be involved in the retirement space" and that the public sector should take control of managing America's retirement savings, he said. If the DOL rules move forward, the private sector will be crowded out of the retirement space and the U.S. government will be there to fill the gap. "That is a bad proposition," Roskam said.

Roskam urged NAIFA members to continue to educate members of Congress about the impact of the DOL rule. "Don't underestimate your ability to bring the debate to the forefront and to be out there and explain (the problem). You're dealing with this every day. You have the capacity to explain things ... and to tell us why it's a problem and why we need to address it."

On Dec. 4, NAIFA praised legislation to be introduced by a bipartisan working group aimed at strengthening retirement security of working families and ensuring retirement advisors protect their clients' best interests.

In addition to Rep. Roskam, members of the working group are: Reps. Richard Neal (D-MA), Phil Roe (R-TN), John Larson (D-CT), Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM). The congressional working group developed principles for legislation that would create a best-interest standard for advisors while avoiding the problematic requirements and restriction of the DOL proposal. In a press release, the group indicated it is finalizing the legislative language and expressed optimism that they will introduce a bill soon.

NAIFA 2016 Congressional Conference

Let's go to Washington, DC!

In the past three years, over 2,500 NAIFA members from every corner of the country came to Washington, DC and took to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and advise them on how their decisions affect agents, brokers, and their clients.

On May 24th-25th, 2016 NAIFA will be holding its 2016 Congressional Conference with a similar goal - to establish and cultivate relationships with lawmakers, to share the expertise of NAIFA members, and educate them on the value of life insurance, annuities, retirement savings, and employee benefits for 75 million American families.

For a special YouTube video, please click HERE.

For complete details and registration, please visit:

www.naifa.org/events/congressional-conference

NAIFA Launches "Trust a NAIFA Advisor"
Consumer Campaign

As American workers become increasingly insecure about their ability to save for a traditional retirement, NAIFA has launched a "Trust a NAIFA Advisor" ad campaign to tell consumers that affordable and informed financial advice is well within reach. The multimedia campaign includes video, print and web placements to urge consumers to plan for retirement by contacting a NAIFA member.

Video and print ads direct readers to a web page that includes a link to NAIFA's "Find an Agent" tool, where users may search for a NAIFA member by name, state or zip code. A second search filter allows users to find members by products and practice specialty. The campaign also incorporates digital ads for use on social media platforms, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) via a Google ad word/phrase buy of more than 200 keywords related to insurance and financial advice.

The campaign includes the following placements between December 2015 and March 2016:

30-second NAIFA commercial to air on CNN Airport Network (reaching 59 million viewers) and Bloomberg TV (60 million viewers) (Click here to view on YouTube.)
90-second commercial to air on American Airlines Network, reaching 180,000 passengers
Print ad published in the New York region of The New Yorker magazine (4.5 million readers) (Click here for PDF.)
Use of all creative elements including Facebook ads by NAIFA executives and leaders throughout the NAIFA Federation (600 state and local association websites and social media platforms).

NAIFA members can participate in NAIFA's consumer campaign by posting the print and video ads on your website and sharing them on your social media platforms. Complete details and promotional materials can be found by clicking HERE.

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.

NAIFA MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH

Live Webinar on DOL Fiduciary Rule

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

InsuranceNewsNet is hosting a one-time only live webinar on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 12:00 NOON EST. Join moderator Kim O'Brien and her guests, including NAIFA President Jules Gaudreau and NAIFA Director Judi Carsrud, to learn the potential impact the DOL rule will have on the businesses of agents and advisors.

Areas to be covered during the Webinar:

The latest understanding of what the rule will finally be.
How the rule will change how agents relate to annuity clients and how they get paid.
The best chances to defeat or at least slow down the rule.
How to protect the business that you worked so hard to build.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

For a complete and comprehensive list of all the exclusive benefits of NAIFA membership, please visit www.naifa.org/Practice-Resources.

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.

Contribute to IFAPAC for NAIFA's 125th Anniversary!

In honor of NAIFA's 125 years of advocating for you and your clients on Capitol Hill and in your State Legislature, NAIFA is asking all NAIFA Members who contribute at the Century Club level or less to step up their annual IFAPAC contribution to at least $125 in 2015.

The Insurance and Financial Advisors Political Action Committee (IFAPAC) advances the legislative interests of NAIFA, seeks to preserve a favorable governmental climate, and promotes the best interests of consumers - as served by active members of local associations - by supporting the campaigns of carefully selected candidates for elective office.

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, please visit www.naifa.org/advocacy/IFAPAC.

It Pays to Be a Member!

Check our website for the latest news and updates:

www.NAIFAWV.org

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.