Dear friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to every NAIFA member. As we prepare to celebrate and spend time with our families, I want to let you know that I am thankful for you, my NAIFA family. The work you do on behalf of your clients is inspiring. Your membership in NAIFA demonstrates great devotion to your profession, your colleagues, and our industry as well as consumers. You are the reason NAIFA is the premier association of insurance and financial advisors in the United States.

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, at a time when many viewed the future of the United States, then in the midst of the Civil War, as decidedly bleak. Yet Lincoln offered a message of hope and optimism to the nation, assuring his fellow citizens that they would endure and eventually thrive.

I note a certain parallel to the message NAIFA members offer their clients. Advisors are often called upon to help people cope with the most painful and challenging events in their lives. When clients are faced with the death of a loved one, personal disabilities, or financial or career setbacks, you provide them with the stability, hope and financial resources they need to get through rough times. You lighten their burden, show them the path forward and perhaps even help them see that they still have much to be thankful for.

But as we know, Thanksgiving is really a time to appreciate the joy and goodness of life. We reflect on the blessings of our friends, families and good fortune. This theme is also central to the mission you accept when, as an advisor, you dedicate your career to helping others provide for their long-term security.

You are crucial in assuring that your clients achieve many of the things they are most thankful for on this holiday: The ability to afford a nice home, send their children to college, retire comfortably, provide long-term security for their families or offer health insurance coverage to their employees. Thanksgiving is a much more meaningful and joyful holiday for many people because of the work you do.

That is why it is so important to me and the entire NAIFA staff to be able to provide you with a professional association that is second-to-none and that can help you succeed in your careers. It is why NAIFA is so dedicated to protecting your business and providing opportunities for you to grow professionally.

On behalf of myself, the NAIFA Board of Trustees and every member of the NAIFA staff, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Mayeux, CAE
Chief Executive Officer