The 2011 NAIFA Career Conference and Annual Meeting kicked off Saturday, Sept. 10 in Washington, D.C., as President Terry Headley and the NAIFA Executive Committee engaged the audience in an interactive Town Hall meeting.
The meeting provided face-to-face dialogue on NAIFA's challenges, successes and future direction. Members were given the opportunity to interact with leadership via a text-based system in addition to a traditional floor microphone.
Numerous questions were posed, ranging from NAIFA's role in the growth of the industry to how to attract younger members.
When asked about NAIFA's relevance, Headley stated, "NAIFA has never been more relevant, timely or effective than it is today."
Throughout the session, NAIFA polled the audience on various issues to which members responded with live, text-based results.
When polled on the percentage decrease in health insurance commissions members faced under the new health care reform law, most responded "25 percent to 50 percent."
To the question "What percent of your practice is devoted to serving in the role of an investment advisor (IAR or RIA) and providing retail investment advice under a fiduciary standard of care?" more than half the respondents (62 percent) replied "0-10 percent."
The audience's favorite slogan describing what it means to belong to NAIFA? More than half (58 percent) of respondents said "NAIFA: Grow Your Business, Protect Your Clients" was the perfect fit.