It’s official—NAIFA is turning 125 next year! The association is marking this important milestone with a yearlong celebration, which starts at the 2014 Career Conference and Annual Meeting in San Diego.

When 70 insurance agents gathered in Boston to form the National Association of Life Underwriters in 1890, little did they know they were sowing the seeds for the nation’s largest group of insurance and financial advisors. NALU is now NAIFA, whose members reside in every U.S. congressional district, with influence that extends throughout the halls of Congress and to all 50 statehouses.

Over the years, the association has used this influence to provide a favorable business environment for its members and their clients, working tirelessly to make sure that their interests are protected and advanced. And it has helped thousands of agents and advisors succeed, providing them with the tools and resources they need to build their businesses, advance their careers and connect with clients and peers.

To kick off the celebration, NAIFA has created a 125th anniversary website, which features creative content, including a digital timeline of NAIFA’s government relations victories and other major milestones.

Over the course of the anniversary year, NAIFA will also supplement Voices From the Field, the 1990 book commemorating NAIFA’s 100th anniversary, with a series of video interviews with past NAIFA presidents. These interviews will highlight the association’s history over the past 25 years, and blog posts will feature recollections of NAIFA executives, leaders, and long-time members.

“Our amazing history is part of the reason NAIFA is the leading association for insurance and financial advisors today,” says NAIFA President-Elect Juli McNeely, CFP, CLU, LUTCF.

NAIFA state and local associations can celebrate along with NAIFA-National and share photos, videos and other media on the anniversary website. “We invite everyone to take part in this celebration by telling their story about the role NAIFA has had in advancing their business and developing their professional growth,” McNeely adds.
To take part in the anniversary celebration, please visit www.naifa125.org.

Focusing on the future

A look back at NAIFA’s 125-year history shows that the financial-services industry, together with NAIFA members, is constantly changing, and NAIFA is using its prestige and long-term success to position and lead these members into the future. “We can reflect on our past, and even celebrate it, but we can never rest on our laurels,” McNeely says. “When we look beyond the celebration, NAIFA’s past provides a solid foundation from which we will continue serving our members.”

It’s this forward vision that prompted NAIFA to team up with GAMA International to sponsor cutting-edge research on the future direction of the industry. Advisor 2020, published earlier this year, provides a blueprint of how NAIFA members can thrive in changing market conditions in the coming years.

“This is really important intelligence for the advisor community,” McNeely says. “But we aren’t just putting it out there in a vacuum. We are providing resources--a workshop, webinars, and white papers—that NAIFA members can use to put the research into practice.”

Also with an eye toward the future, NAIFA has teamed up with the College for Financial Planning to revitalize and modernize the Life Underwriters Training Council Fellow program and the association is launching the LUTCF designation’s updated curriculum during the NAIFA Conference. Ever vigilant on the government relations front, NAIFA is also focused on a wide range of issues that are Important to the future success of its members and the clients they serve, such as the tax status of life insurance and annuities and NARAB licensing.

“The real message I hope everyone takes away from our 125th anniversary,” McNeely says, “is that because of our strong history, NAIFA is perfectly positioned to help our members take on the challenges of the future.”