Advocacy in action blog

So-called 529 plans are effective financial planning tools that help many families prepare for education-related costs. They allow tax-free withdrawals to pay “qualified education expenses.” Proposed legislation known as the “Education and Workforce Freedom Act,” which NAIFA supports, would significantly expand approved uses for 529 plan withdrawals and has been passed by the House Ways & Means Committee.

It's been nine-and-a-half years since the National Association of Registered Agents & Brokers (NARAB) Reform Act was enacted, yet the NARAB Board of Directors has still not been established. The Obama administration submitted nominees but the Senate Banking Committee failed to act on the nominations. Since then, the Trump and Biden administrations have not submitted nominations to the Senate for approval.

Major federal tax legislation is all but certain to be coming from Washington, D.C., in 2025. Many provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire at the end of next year and Congress will need to address the situation. This NAIFA advocacy webinar, originally produced June 13 but now available on demand, gives you a better understanding of what is being dubbed the "Super Bowl of Tax" and provides insights into some of the proposals likely to shape the debate. It provides analysis of how the political landscape and upcoming election will shape the tax reform issue.

NAIFA is hosting the 11^th annual Congressional Conference May 20-21 at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C. The event will feature targeted advocacy training with briefings on legislative issues that affect members’ businesses, clients, and communities. Washington insiders will offer best practices for conducting Congressional meetings and tips for developing impactful long-term relationships with legislators.

NAIFA supports the newly introduced Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution disapproving the DOL’s final fiduciary-only rule that will negatively impact and impose new costs on middle- and low-income savers, as well as financial services professionals. CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, sent letters personally thanking Representative Rick Allen and Senators Roger Marshall, Joe Manchin, Ted Budd, and Bill Cassidy for introducing the resolution in the House and Senate, respectively. ACLI, NAIFA, Finseca, IRI and NAFA also issued a joint release supporting the CRA review.

NAIFA supports the bipartisan Empowering States to Protect Seniors Against Bad Actors Act, which would establish a grant program at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to help states fund initiatives to protect consumers against financial scams. The grants would help states staff anti-scam enforcement offices, invest in technology, develop educational resources, and devise strategies specifically designed to protect seniors from financial exploitation and fraud.

An ongoing survey of NAIFA members will provide updated data to help NAIFA and our industry partners in future actions on the Department of Labor’s final fiduciary-only rule. The results will help us educate policymakers – and potentially the courts – on how the proposal will impact consumers and your business.

May 20-21 | Washington, D.C.
Register Today!

NAIFA's Congressional Conference shines a spotlight on NAIFA's unmatched advocacy influence and provides financial professionals with another way to serve consumers' best interests. NAIFA members who meet with their members of Congress this May will not only be advocating for their own businesses but also for their colleagues, clients, and communities. Decisions made in Washington, D.C., affect the financial security of  families and businesses nationwide that rely on NAIFA members for financial guidance.

The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 along partisan lines at an April 23 open Zoom meeting to approve its final Non-Compete Clause Rule which will ban most non-compete agreements.

The 570-page Final Rule becomes effective 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register unless a court issues an order staying that effective date while it considers challenges to the Final Rule. The Final Rule is expected to be published on April 25, 2024, and it would then become effective on August 23, 2024. Legal challenges are, however, expected to be filed immediately.

The Department of Labor and the White House have released a final fiduciary-only rule after an astonishingly brief regulatory and review process and in spite of grave concerns expressed by NAIFA, members of Congress, and other stakeholders. Unless Congress or the courts intervene, the rule will force the vast majority of financial professionals offering retirement planning services and products into a fee-for-service model. It will deprive consumers of the valuable option of working with professionals operating under alternative models that may better meet their needs.