Advocacy in action blog

NAIFA strongly supports consumer protections provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Regulation Best Interest and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC’s) revised annuity model regulation (adopted by 19 states and counting). Both of these provisions require financial professionals to work in their clients’ best interests and preserve the ability of consumers to choose who they work with and how they compensate advisors. Reg BI and the NAIC model also avoid problems with other proposals that would have made it very difficult for producers to continue working with Main Street investors.

NAIFA Senior Vice President for Government Relations Diane Boyle reported that NAIFA’s virtual Congressional Conference in late May, held completely online, had a substantial impact. Nearly 1,350 registered participants representing every state participated in advocacy training, received policy briefings, and held 100 virtual meetings with Senators or members of their office staff.

NAIFA has suggested ways for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the association’s ideas have gained notice.

In an article this week, the influential industry publication ThinkAdvisor has highlighted suggestions made by NAIFA Senior Vice President for Government Relations Diane Boyle and Policy Director Maeghan Gale. Among the NAIFA ideas called out by ThinkAdvisor are:

A new report by the Congressional Budget Office provides a guide to understanding federal estate and gift taxes. These taxes affect only a small number of taxpayers (of 2.7 million Americans who died in 2016 only 5,500 left taxable estates, and in 2018 only 2,000 people paid gift taxes), but they may consider in planning for financial professionals working with affluent families or business owners. In 2021, estate values above an $11.7 million exemption are taxed at a 40% rate. “The same threshold and tax rate apply to gift taxes,” the report says.

In March, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, which included provisions that provide 100% COBRA subsidies from April 1 through September 30 of 2021.

A new survey by the Alliance for Lifetime Income (ALI) finds that 70% of older working Americans with at least $100,000 in assets are more pessimistic about their retirement plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One-in-five of these workers, or approximately 3.2 million Americans, now plans to retire later than they had anticipated. ALI notes that the number would likely be much higher had the survey also included older workers with less than $100,000 in assets.

NAIFA Senior Vice President of Government Relations Diane Boyle provided an advocacy update during NAIFA’s Town Hall, “The State of NAIFA on Our 130th Anniversary.”

NAIFA will celebrate its 130th anniversary Thursday, June 19, with an online Town Hall meeting “The State of NAIFA on Our 130th Anniversary Celebration.”