NAIFA Members Serve Main Street USA

What is going on as of November 2021, as we draw 2021 to a close? In considering a couple of ethical issues I was planning to discuss, I happened to be viewing our Fall/Winter paper publication of Advisor Today, which states that our NAIFA leadership has signed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pledges. It quickly occurred to me how important this decision was. In taking this step forward, our CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, joined almost 2,000 CEOs in becoming a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Coalition, signing a pledge to collaborate in supporting a more inclusive environment.

Since my last column, we have had some successes with the COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, and some additional difficulties with new variants such as the delta variant. The available vaccines do appear to be effective against the delta variant, but inoculated persons can still become infected. Usually, they do not require hospitalization. In this light, advisors should continue to be careful and use virtual means of communication with clients (Zoom, MS Teams, etc.) as needed.

At this mid-year point, we are finally experiencing what we hoped in the fight of our country to reduce the incidents of COVID-19. We're seeing the lowest level of new cases and deaths in almost a year due to progress with vaccines. With this encouraging trend, what are some of the services we should focus upon to provide, following the directives of our NAIFA Code of Ethics?

NAIFA members are facing significant challenges as clients and their families go through a serious health crisis. All over the United States NAIFA members are experiencing an acceleration of the COVID-19 virus, and the hopeful news as more and more people are vaccinated. In this difficult trying time, we might ask how NAIFA members can fulfill our Code of Ethics, and which obligations have important application?