Jason Fischer is unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 16 general election.

If you know your member of Congress in the U.S. House or Senate, please let us know so we can add you to NAIFA's growing list of politically active agents!

Click HERE for more information about IFAPIC and to fill out a brief form about your relationship with your member of Congress and someone in the APIC Office at NAIFA will get in touch with you.

Congratulations to Maureen Kirschhofer from NAIFA-Jacksonville!

2016 Distinguished Service Award Recipient from the International Disability Insurance Society (IDIS)

NAIFA-Jacksonville's Maureen Kirschhofer, CLU, ChFC was presented with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award at the International Disability Insurance Society's Awards Dinner in October. The award is presented to companies and individuals in recognition of going above and beyond in providing support and service to the IDIS.

Maureen served as the IDIS Conference Program Planning Chair and is a Past President. In fact, she was the first woman President of the IDIS. She continues to serve year after year on numerous committees, including the conference program committee, the nominations committee, and the President's Advisory Committee.

There is no selection committee for the award. The Executive Directors review the current membership year for potential recipients who are subsequently endorsed and approved by IDIS Co-Founder William J. Barrett and IDIS President Todd Shield.

For more information about IDIS, please visit www.internationaldisociety.com.

FROM THE NAIFA BLOG: OCTOBER 21, 2016

FINRA has filed its anticipated rule that should help brokers and advisors protect senior investors from financial fraud. NAIFA has provided input during the rule-making process, including submitting a comment letter on an initial draft of the provision. NAIFA is reviewing the current filing, which must be approved by the SEC before it goes into effect, but generally supported the earlier draft.

"Insurance and financial advisors are often the first to recognize the signs when a senior is at risk of being exploited financially," said NAIFA President Paul Dougherty. "Regulations that allow advisors to report suspicious activities to financial institutions, which can then investigate further and coordinate with the authorities, will only enhance the many vital services advisors provide their clients."

Senior financial protection is an issue very important to NAIFA members. A MetLife study estimates that U.S. seniors lose $2.9 billion each year to financial fraud. A separate study by Allianz found that senior fraud victims lost an average of $30,000 each, and 10 percent lost $100,000 or more.

The Allianz study also found that seniors who regularly speak about their finances with trusted third parties, including financial professionals, are significantly less likely to be fraud victims.

In July 2015, the NAIFA Board of Trustees approved a policy statement that NAIFA should proactively support senior-protection legislation or regulations provided that they contain certain provisions:

• A voluntary reporting process where the advisor, upon suspecting attempted fraud on a client, would report the matter to the firm (i.e. broker-dealer or insurer). The firm could then alert the appropriate state authorities, and, at the firm's discretion, delay a suspicious requested transaction. This process would allow the firm's legal and compliance personnel to review the questionable transaction with greater scrutiny.
• A legal "safe harbor" provision where advisors and their firms would be immune from liability for following the law's provisions. Advisors and their firms should be encouraged to report potentially fraudulent transactions to protect their senior clients' assets.
• A provision that would permit the state insurance department to provide training resources to advisors on how to recognize signs of cognitive decline while clearly acknowledging that advisors are not medical professionals and will not be held responsible for determining a client's cognitive condition.

In addition to working with FINRA on the current rule and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) on a model senior protection rule, NAIFA has developed its own model legislation based on the principles spelled out in the NAIFA Board statement.

NAIFA also continues to support the Senior$afe Act, federal legislation that has gained bipartisan support.

Visit the NAIFA Blog at www.naifa.org/news-publications/naifa-blog.

Presented by: Diane Boyle, HIA, Judi Carsrud, Michael Hedge, Steve Kline, and Magenta Ishak

As the dust settles from Election Day 2016 please join NAIFA staff as they analyze the results and get the first look at what it means for NAIFA members and the election's impact on the financial services industry.

Our Government Relations team will discuss:

* The new administration
* Congressional shakeups
* Key winners and losers
* Key committee leadership
* What to expect in the lame duck
* A preview of the 115th Congress
* State legislatures and insurance commissioners
* How YOU can shape policy in the new Congress

Click HERE for complete details and registration.

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.