In This Issue

Legislation

IFAPAC & APIC

Membership

We Want to Hear from you!

Professional Development

How About Those MemberBenefits...

Public Relations Report

Community Service

Who's Who Advertisers

CalSurance

LEGISLATION

Submitted by Marvin D. Loos, CLU, Temporary Chair

Provided the language for agents and brokers to recive commissions, renewals, and service fees to be used in drafting the legislation for the AZ House bill that willl establish the Health Exchange Act to comply with the Federal Health Care Act of 2010. Reviewed bills and attended both House and Senate Banking and Ins committee hearing.

Contacted the Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance to advise her that our association will continue to maintain a working relationship with the intent of helping, not hindering, legislative activity. Following contact with the Director, met next with Karlene Wenz, the Department’s Policy Affairs Officer. Department of Insurance has received a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Research is sought to determine comments, questions and concerns about health insurance premiums. The DOI is conducting meetings in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. The general public is invited along with health insurance brokers and agents, trade groups, non-profits, and associations (i.e. AARP). Henry GrosJean, Immediate Past NAIFA-Arizona Legislation Chair, and I attended the meeting in Phoenix. The DOI is researching this matter as it relates to the Federal Accountability Act. By September, the DOI will report its finding. During this meeting, there was the opportunity for me to meet with DOI key personnel.

Finally, there was an effort last year to get the Model Continuing Education Regulation enacted. Our present CE reg is non-standard. It failed for technical reasons. It will not be submitted this session, but will be in the future. NAIFA-Arizona looks forward to that happening and will work diligently for its enactment.

Jim Bennett

John Brooking

IFAPAC & APIC

John Brooking, CFP (NAIFA-Arizona Treasurer) and Jim Bennett, LUTCF (NAIFA-Arizona National Committee Chair and IFAPAC-Arizona Chair) attended an IFAPAC National Training Meeting in Washington, DC, recently. Both Jim and John also serve on the IFAPAC National Committee and led some of the training sessions. While in DC, they also visited with staff members from the Capitol Hill offices of Rep. David Schweikert and Rep. Ben Quayle.

Political Involvement: We need your help!

Do you know Paul Gosar (R-1) or David Schweikert (R-5)? The APIC National Committee needs someone as a key contact for each. Please e-mail to NAIFA-Arizona at naifa-az@azis.com if you know either. Thank you!

MEMBERSHIP

Submitted by Diana Brettrager, CIC, LUTCF, FSS

We must continue to show prospective members the benefits, to engage them in the local association, and to demonstrate that we appreciate them. Remember, we all need to talk with non-member agents about the benefits of NAIFA membership. Our local Membership Committees have been meeting with agents one-on-one as well as holding agency presentations, but they still need your help. You, the member, are our best source of potential members. Call your membership committee chair to ask how you can help or to give them the names of agents you feel will welcome a visit and/or phone call regarding membership. I believe we can reach our goal with the cooperation and effort of each one of you. Let’s remember WHY we are members and instill that dedication to others.

NAIFA Advocacy is second to none and we need to tell non members about it and we need to be more involved. Did you know that the 11th Congress has produced 2,541 bills of interest to NAIFA members:

953 Financial Services bills
656 Health Insurance bills
453 Retirement bills
183 Long Term Care bills
87 Life Insurance bills
77 Property/Casualty bills
67 Estate Tax bills
65 Annuity bills

For more on NAIFA’s advocacy efforts, click on http:www.naifa.org/advocacy

Professional Development/CE

Tracy Jones, Chair

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for May 20, 2011 because...you will want to hear from two industry giants Phil Richards (motivational and sales ideas), recent winner of the highest industry honor, the ‘John Newton Russell Award”; Tom Hegna, a leader in retirement planning (one hour CE pending), recent main platform speaker at NAIFA National Convention in Seattle; and, Ben Connor, attorney (one hour CE) on IRAs and Qualified Plans.

Click on their names for their bios: Phil Richards, Tom Hegna, and Ben Connor.

Following these three outstanding speakers, you will be treated to a Diamondbacks’ game! The fee for members is $35.00 for all – including program, game and a food voucher. Bring a guest/spouse/family for only $20.00 each (game only – no food allowance).

CE, motivation, food and a fun night at Chase Field. Does it get any better? More details to follow shortly on this entire program. Check your e-mails!

NAIFA Members Save $30 with BASIC Guru

BASIC Guru is the premier tool for small group life and health agents who want to differentiate their agency from their competitors proactively. Insurance agents find tremendous value in our agency management system, while employers find value in our online tools that help increase employee retention, keep employers compliant with complex HR issues, and communicate benefit information with employees.

NAIFA Members may access all their records, store carrier benefit plans, track their book of business, and create reports for summary of benefits and commission.

You may access all your employee benefit data including summary of benefits, network options and plan costs. Use BASIC Guru to store HR forms and documents to share you’re your employees. Create benefit statements for employees at no cost. Through BASIC Guru, you may even use BASIC Guru as your own company Intranet to access all benefit data, including summary of benefits, view network options and HR communications.

An agent with BASIC Guru is going the extra mile to provide exceptional customer service. Don’t settle, expect the best!

BASIC Guru is a NAIFA Preferred Provider. NAIFA Members receive a $30 per month discount off the standard rate of $225.00 per month. Free weekly demos are available. For more information, click here or contact Bret Spinks at 888-624-4878.

Be sure to mention you are a NAIFA Member!

Hoopis Advisor Network for NAIFA

NAIFA Members may take advantage of discounted access to the Hoopis Advisor Network, an online, multimedia learning platform designed for producers in the financial services industry. This online resource provides you access to the top producers and industry experts in the areas of Sales, Marketing, Product Knowledge, Practice Management and Motivation. The content is delivered to you via a variety of different multi-media portals including streaming videos, articles, skill assessments and more.

NAIFA Members receive a 30% discount off the monthly subscription to Advisor Network. For only $29.95, the monthly subscription includes:

• Unlimited access to some of the top producers and experts in the industry
  
• Self-study learning curriculum including interactive quizzes, assessment tools and more
  
• More than 500 online videos and article delivered in the most time-efficient, cost effective method possible

To learn more about Hoopis Advisor Network for NAIFA, visit www.han4naifa.com or contact the Hoopis team at 847-663-7770.

Hoopis Advisor Network is a NAIFA Strategic Partner.

NAIFA Advocacy Highlight
Did you know … Investment News Magazine named NAIFA President Terry K. Headley, LUTCF, LIC, FSS, one of the “20 Most Powerful People of 2011.” The list includes “people who will shape both the face and the future of the financial advisory industry.” Among others noted were Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and SEC Chairman Mary Shapiro.

Two NEW and FREE Features Added to NAIFA's Virtual Library

The Referred Lead Generator (RLG) is a "prospecting engine" that provides names of a current client's neighbors. These names can then be used to begin the referred lead process. The Target Market Generator (TMG) allows you to target all the doctors, lawyers, florists, etc. in a small city or zip code.

"The NAIFA Virtual Library gives you the ability — at the click of a mouse — to print concept pages on countless numbers of sales concepts. This allows you to quickly prepare a professional presentation that can be used with a client where computer access is unavailable or undesirable. You can use it just one time and immediately pay for your NAIFA membership in multiples."

– Kevin Bell, JD, CLU, ChFC, NAIFA Member from Indianapolis, IN.

Visit http://www.naifa.org/benefits/vsa/ and login as a member to access these two new and free features. For more information, contact Teri Shaw, Marketing Director, Professional Development and Education at tshaw@naifa.org or 703-770-8225.

NAIFA-AZ Public Relations Report

Submitted by Michael Sandoval, CLU, ChFC, Chair

NAIFA-Arizona was invited to participate in a call-in segment for ABC-TV15 in Phoenix on Thursday, January 13, 2011. Three panelists were made available for live call-in questions for the 4:00 p.m. Consumer Phone Bank portion of their afternoon programming. However, due to the tragic events that took place in Tucson earlier in the week, the Consumer Phone Bank was postponed to Thursday, January 20, 2011.

The panel consisted of the following individuals:

• Marvin Loos, past NAIFA-Arizona president and expert in the areas of life insurance, pensions, and 401-k plans
• Jim Bennett, past NAIFA-Arizona president and expert in the areas of property and casualty insurance
• Dave Sewell, current NAIFA-Arizona president and also an expert in the areas of property and casualty insurance

Also attending were two AAA agents, two Big I agents and three representatives from the Arizona Department of Insurance.

Community Service

NAIFA-East Valley President, Judy Aguilar-Woertz, Kathleen Lewis from Packages from Home, Staff Sergeant Abel M. Aungst, US Army, and Jan Doughty, representing Packages from Home. As East Valley’s Community Service Project recognizing Packages from Home and collection of peanut butter, band aids and cash for postage for the organization.

Who’s Who Membership Directory – Please Support our Supporters!

The recently published and distributed Annual Membership Directory was made possible by the following advertisers. Please support them.

Be proud of what you do!!!
“Your industry is a righteous cause.”

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