It’s an interesting paradox that one of the greatest values of NAPA membership is one of the things that members tend to talk about the least: advocacy. Specifically, NAPA members benefit enormously from the contributions of Brian Graff and ASPPA’s regulatory, legislative and political affairs staff — who serve as the voice of advisors in Washington.
In terms of advocacy efforts, however, many people don’t really know just how much presence and influence ASPPA has, both on Capitol Hill and at the federal regulatory agencies. As an example, the depth of that presence and influence were on display during last month’s meeting of the NAPA Government Affairs Committee in Washington. Committee members met with government officials, congressional staff members and members of Congress to make sure the voice of the plan advisor community is being heard loud and clear.
It’s particularly important that our voices are heard as the debate over tax reform draws nearer. (For more on that, see Brian’s November video update, posted in the right margin throughout NAPA Net.) In the months to come, Brian and ASPPA’s regulatory and legislative affairs staff — all together, seven highly motivated people — will play a key role in ensuring that Americans’ retirement savings are preserved.
Also, a quick note about NAPA’s firm partners. The number of our firm partners now stands at 71. (See the complete list here.) Our firm partners are truly one of the great strengths of this organization, and we thank them for supporting NAPA’s mission.
The success of the NAPA Net portal is yet another sign of NAPA’s growing success and influence. In the portal’s first month, for example, we had about 8,000 unique visitors and 45,000 page views — about four times the number of unique visitors and 10 times the number of page views as any other retirement advisor website.
And lastly, we’re closing in on 90 days until the next 401(k) Summit, set for March 3-5 in Las Vegas. The Summit is being rebranded to emphasize NAPA — officially it will be the “NAPA/ASPPA 401(k) Summit” in 2013, and then the “NAPA 401(k) Summit” the following year. Despite the rebranding, the Summit program will remain the same — packed with industry thought leaders and innovators. And because of the greater involvement by NAPA, we’re expecting even more advisors to attend. I hope to see you there!
Marcy Supovitz, CPC, QPA, QKA, AIF, ChFC, CLU
NAPA President
