Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [4:50] Erica McQuade discusses her role in shaping the NAIFA Women’s Fly-In experience
• [6:15] Why in-person advocacy creates more impact than letters or calls
• [8:27] Erica’s path from law school track to state lobbying in Connecticut
• [12:37] Overview of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and how it became law
• [15:54] What advisors can do to influence lawmakers and advocate locally
• [20:34] Using advocacy as a tool for business development with clients
• [29:50] How lobbying strategies adapted during COVID-19 lockdowns
• [31:22] Leveraging Zoom and virtual tools to maintain advocacy momentum
• [35:10] Best practices for attracting new members to NAIFA

In this episode…

Many financial professionals struggle to make their voices heard in the policy decisions that shape their industry. While they’re busy building client relationships and managing portfolios, crucial legislative changes can pass by with little advisor input — potentially harming their businesses and clients. How can advisors break through the noise and make a lasting impact in advocacy without sacrificing their core responsibilities?

Erica McQuade, a seasoned government relations specialist, shares how advisors can influence lawmakers effectively through grassroots efforts and personal storytelling. She emphasizes the unmatched value of showing up in person, whether in Washington, DC or at local district offices, to share client stories and humanize the financial services profession. She encourages professionals to get involved through trade associations, attend fly-ins, and leverage virtual meetings when in-person attendance isn’t possible. Her insights also reveal how advocacy isn’t just a civic duty but a business development opportunity that builds credibility and trust with clients.

In this episode of the Advisor Today Podcast, co-hosts Chris Gandy and Bianca Alonso Weiss sit down with Erica McQuade, a government relations expert, to discuss the importance of financial advisor advocacy. Erica discusses the role of in-person storytelling, how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects the industry, and why virtual lobbying still plays a crucial role. She also shares her career journey, the evolution of trade association engagement, and tips for advisors to amplify their voices.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Chris Gandy on LinkedIn
• Erica McQuade on LinkedIn
• Zack Huels on LinkedIn
• Bianca Alonso Weiss on LinkedIn
• NAIFA Congressional Conference 2025

Quotable Moments: 

• "Being able to be in person in DC and explain what advisors do is so impactful."
• "I truly love what I do and feel so lucky to be in this position."
• "We as a company pivoted to doing a, quote, unquote, ‘virtual fly-in’ during the pandemic."
• "Lobbyists often have kind of a negative connotation, but I see myself primarily as an educator."
• "Advisors are the only ones who can make that connection and bring client experience to DC."

Action Steps:

1. Show up in person for advocacy opportunities: Personal presence in meetings with lawmakers builds trust and adds emotional weight to your message by humanizing complex financial issues through real client stories.
2. Develop relationships with local district offices: Engaging with lawmakers in your own community makes your advocacy more consistent and relatable by influencing policy decisions through ongoing local ties.
3. Join a trade association like NAIFA: Trade associations provide resources, training, and access to advocacy events, making it easier to be part of a powerful, unified voice.
4. Leverage virtual tools for year-round engagement: Quick Zoom meetings or calls help maintain visibility and relationships with policymakers between in-person advocacy efforts.
5. Use advocacy to differentiate your business: Telling clients about your involvement in policy builds credibility and shows you're invested in their financial future.

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, or NAIFA, the #1 association for producers in financial services. 

At NAIFA, we enhance professional skills, promote ethical conduct, and advocate for legislative and regulatory environments.

By joining NAIFA, you gain access to a partnership that elevates your performance while providing greater purpose to your professional work. NAIFA members are happier, make more money, and stay in the business longer.

Get in touch with NAIFA and learn more about how to join NAIFA by visiting NAIFA.org.

EPISODE TRANCRIPT

Intro: 00:02

Welcome to NAIFA’s Advisor Today podcast series, where we focus on how financial advisers work, live and give to their local communities and our greater financial services industry. Now let's get started with the show.

Chris Gandy: 00:20

Hi. This is one of your co-hosts, Chris Gandhi for Advisor Today podcast, where we give the voice of the advisor back to you, our listeners and our constituents. We're super excited about today. We're on the heels of the Women's Fly-In for NAIFA, and so we're super excited to talk to some participants from that event. So before we go there, though, Mr. Zack, who's behind the scenes, can you tell us right, what's right around the corner for NAIFA?

Because we are on the precipice of, you know, a monumental It's whole opportunity to participate in something called congressional conference.

Zack Huels: 01:02

Absolutely. Yeah. So a signature grassroots advocacy event, NAIFA Congressional Conference is right around the corner, as Chris said, May 19th and 20th in Washington, DC. It's the premier event for financial professionals in advocacy. So please take a look at conference.org/2025 and take a look at who's coming as well.

Maybe you'll recognize some names on there. We have a Who's coming page on the site. You can recognize some of your fellow peers that may be going to this event as well. And you can plan with them accordingly. So check it out again at conference 2025.

Chris Gandy: 01:40

Thanks, Zack. We still have slots, right? People can still come.

Zak Huels: 01:43

Absolutely.

Chris Gandy: 01:44

Okay, great. So listen, you can't sit on the sidelines for advocacy. You have to show up grassroots. And so with that being said, those who have tuned in to Advisor Today podcast in the past, Do you notice that we have revolving co-hosts? So we're super excited to welcome Bianca.

Hi Bianca, from our GR team to the podcast. It's a wonderful to see you and we look forward to having you and your insight. And the word is you are a millennial. Is there any is that true.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 02:20

For first of all, hi. Hi. Hi, Chris. Thank you so much for having me on again. And the rumors are true.

I am a millennial.

Chris Gandy: 02:28

Oh, okay. So we're excited to have you. And so if you would go ahead and, you know, introduce our guests, we'll get into the conversation.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 02:37

Sure. Yep. Sure thing. So March is International Women's Month, and we are so excited to be featuring some strong female leaders in the financial services and advocacy space during the during the month of March And today to kick things off, we are going to be chatting with Erica McQuade, the associate director of government relations for Northwestern Mutual. She Erica, is a young, young, young, dynamic federal lobbyist for Northwestern Mutual and a great partner to NAIFA.

And Erica actually sat on the panel for our women's fly-in just a few a few weeks ago. So, Erica, thank you so much for taking the time to, be on with us today.

Erica McQuade: 03:30

Thanks. Happy to be here. Thanks for the introduction.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 03:33

Of course, of course.

Chris Gandy: 03:34

So Erica, we were just talking. We are also in the midst of March Madness. And the word is that even though the Northwestern Mutual is in Milwaukee, that you're a, you're a fan of, of a different team. Can you tell us a little bit about the team you might be a fan of?

Erica McQuade: 03:51

Yes, I went to undergrad at UConn University of Connecticut. I'm born and raised in Connecticut. Lots of UConn pride. And as you mentioned, my company is based in Wisconsin, specifically Milwaukee. So a lot of my teammates root for Marquette.

So there are some healthy rivalries on our team. But usually UConn prevails. So I can rest on that.

Chris Gandy: 04:14

You know you've got tradition and history on your side. They've got a wonderful program. Both men and women. They produce leaders, they produce winners. And so I'm assuming that you are a product of that UConn experience.

So let's have some dialogue. So you recently went to the women's Fly-In in DC. Can you share with us a little bit about, you know, that experience for you? Was it the first time you've gone or have you gone before and just share with us some of the things that that you did while you were there in this, in this, in this type of Fly-In?

Erica McQuade: 04:50

Sure. So Northwestern Mutual has been proud to support the NATO women's fly in for the past several years, actually, since its inauguration. We pick handpick a group of really fantastic young leaders in the field from our advisor base and bring them into DC in partnership with Nifa for this women's fly in. So we've been happy to support the effort. We think it's really important to get women exposed to the political world and to political advocacy right in the heart of things here in DC.

So I've been lucky enough to help facilitate our field force getting here and making sure that they have a great opportunity to see firsthand how valuable advocacy is to their business and to their ongoing practice. And then on the flip side, I get to help shape their experience here. So, like Bianca mentioned, I helped prep the group by sitting on a panel that explained how the day would go on Capitol Hill and making all of the women who were largely first timers to this, feel really comfortable and empowered.

Chris Gandy: 05:52

So give us some insight on the on why advocacy is important. Why is it important that people that are listening to this podcast actually show up? I mean, can I just send in a letter saying, hey, you know, I want to support you? I mean, why is it important to actually physically show up?

Erica McQuade: 06:15

I think there's a few different reasons. So I think the physical presence, that face-to-face connection is really invaluable. Of course, constituents for their lawmakers, their House and Senate representatives can send letters or, you know, dial in for phone calls. But they get that kind of outreach all day, every day. But being able to be in person in DC or even in a local district office and sit down with your member of Congress or their key staffer and explain what advisors do day to day.

Both the emotional component, the ability to help folks grow their dreams, their business, their families, and plan for the future. Conveying that in person is so, so impactful. And often we encourage folks who are participating to contribute a personal story to that advocacy. So really, advisors are the only ones who can make that connection. I'm a lobbyist here in D.C. I'm able to advocate for our business and for our industry in one way.

But advisors really have that personal link to the clients they serve, and being able to bring that experience to D.C. and to members of Congress is just a really impactful and emotional way to share the important work for financial security that they do.

Chris Gandy: 07:29

So interesting. So you're actually located in D.C.?

Erica McQuade: 07:33

I am, I am, I'm based in D.C., and I often help facilitate our Northwestern advisors coming to D.C. and then also in partnership with NAIFA and other trade associations, making sure that we have folks participating throughout the year.

Chris Gandy: 07:48

So I'm sure people are wondering, how do you get into lobbying and how do you get into lobbying for an insurance group? I mean, that's a pretty unique pathway. And I think, you know, many people are trying to figure out their way. You know, since Covid, things have changed the industry. I'm going to talk a little bit about why this industry is unique in a way, but we'll talk about the opportunity there.

But talk to us a little bit about just your path, right of how did you get into lobbying, and then how did you get into lobbying for insurance carriers or for financial services?

Erica McQuade: 08:27

Sure. It's kind of a bit of a meandering path, but I can honestly say this is like my dream job. I have so many friends that, you know, when we get together, kind of complain about their jobs or grouse or, you know, aren't quite on the path they hoped they would. And I always have to kind of sit back because I truly love what I do and feel so lucky to be in a position where I enjoy day to day, everything that I get to do in terms of lobbying and grassroots. But like I mentioned, I went to University of Connecticut as an undergrad, and I was lucky enough to be in this really niche program that they created the year I was there called the Special Program in Law, which was a UConn Honors Program subgroup with ten of us in it.

So we were on this kind of really specific path to kind of immediately go to their law school or any other law school. We took a lot of law school classes as undergrad, special seminars, all sorts of preparation. I really, really thought I was going to be a lawyer. But my senior year of college, I ended up interning at a state lobbying firm in Hartford, the Capitol. And it really opened my eyes to this confluence of, you know, aspects of law that I was interested in policy, politics, strategy, kind of melding all of those together.

And I thought it was a really interesting field that I didn't previously know No existed. So that sparked my interest. I still took the Lsat prep to go to law school, but at the end of that internship I moved down to DC with my then boyfriend, now husband. We started a life here and I thought, you know, I'll make a run at this. If I can get into government affairs in DC, I'll follow that path.

If not, I can always go to law school like I planned. And I've really just worked my way up here in DC into this government relations and lobbying world. Before Northwestern Mutual, I worked at a trade association called IRI, the Insured Retirement Institute, which deals with retirement plans and broker dealers and annuities. So kind of a tangential feel to insurance and life insurance. And then I moved over to Northwestern Mutual about seven years ago.

Chris Gandy: 10:30

So seven years at Northwestern. Wow. Congratulations. I mean, this industry we don't see a lot of the faces that are behind the scenes, you know, as a career agent, you know, many years as a career agent, you don't see all the moving parts. You only see perhaps your general agent or your other advisors who you're working with day to day, or your sales director or your regional director.

You don't get a chance to really see what happens, what happens behind the scenes. So thank you for the work that you do. You make it. You make it easier for us to actually have products and services to actually help our clients become better versions of themselves financially. So let's talk a little bit about the there's, there's, there's a lot of moving parts now in D.C., but let's talk a little bit about where we are on a historic times of the tax jobs, the ACA.

And that is we are where you are there. So I'm going to go to Bianca to talk about kind of some aspects of that and just how lobbying at this point has become part of, of us being able to tell the conversation to our clients, communicate with our clients that, you know, there are things that are going on that we need to be aware of and how it can impact them, right? In their in their retirement. So, Bianca.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 11:58

Yes. Hello. Yes. So with the Tax cuts and Jobs Act I feel like that like it's like that has been an issue that it's been at like everywhere as a, as of late. And, and it was a major talking point at our women's fly in a few weeks ago.

And so I think so what so rather than, than hearing it from me, I think I personally would love to hear you, Erica, kind of give us like a very general, like history lesson as to what the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is, how to how to come about and where are we today on it?

Erica McQuade: 12:37

Sure. So in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law after a very truncated period where the law was drafted, released and voted upon. I think it was 50-something days, if I'm remembering correctly. And that was largely because Republicans controlled the House, the Senate and the presidency at the time. So they were able to put some special measures in place that allowed this law to be fast-tracked, similar to the situation we see today in terms of Republican control of all of these levers of government.

But in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did a lot of, you know, I would say good things for the business community in terms of reducing regulations and burdensome taxes and increasing limits for certain aspects of the tax code for various aspects of businesses. But interestingly, for life insurers in particular, on the company side, they were used as what we call a pay for or a way to raise revenue to offset all of the benefits that were given to the majority of the business world in terms of tax cuts. So we as an industry have been really strong about the messaging to lawmakers saying, you know, 2017 was a bit of a mixed bag for us. We had some great business aspects for a lot of our individual advisors and producers. But on the company side, there were some huge, huge tax hits to the way that companies were able to deduct their taxes.

So going into negotiations now in 2025, where we face a similar Republican control and the appetite to do another tax law and extend some provisions and put some new provisions in, we're trying to make sure that there's an educational component to the history of 2017 and some of the lasting impacts, and how our advisors and their clients are affected.

Chris Gandy: 14:26

Very, very, very interesting, very detailed. I think most advisors we know enough to be dangerous, right. So? So. Bianca mentioned it.

So where are we now? So I know, we know it expires this year. Those out there who don't know expires this year, right? What can we, as advisors do to make sure that the voice of advisors are being heard? By our elected officials.

And also that that our clients are understanding that how it's going to impact them. So it's kind of a two pronged question, right. The first question is more along the lines of what can we do to get our word out to lawmakers about, like you said, our stories, things like that. Do we show up in district? Do we show up?

Do we do we write letters? Do we do we schedule meetings with our local congressmen? Do we come to DC? I mean, can you give us some flavor for that so that people that are out there can keep some notes and they can say, okay, I can at least do this right? We want you to do them all.

But they can at least do. We're all checklists. We're like, okay, we can do that. Yes. No we can't do this.

Maybe a little bit of this. You know, I think everyone out there is trying to figure out what can I do and what's going to have the largest impact.

Erica McQuade: 15:54

Absolutely. And I think for anyone interested in getting involved, the first place to go is to NAIFA and to trade associations that you may be a member of both at the local and the federal level. I think in terms of education, in terms of opportunity for advocacy in varying degrees. NAIFA is a great source to really start that process. Whether you are a seasoned advocate or someone just looking to get involved.

And once you understand the landscape and find opportunities where you're ready to raise your hand and say, okay, I'd love to participate, I'd love to build a relationship with a member of Congress. Opportunities like the congressional conference that was mentioned earlier are really a great starting point. So you can come to DC, be on the ground with a whole bunch of other advisors who are similarly advocating, and really start that process to develop relationships in DC that you can then carry back to your state and your district, where you're able to make a more local constituent voter community presence. So we always tell advisors, you know, you're not only a voter in these lawmakers backyards who has a really important voice, but you're also a member of the community and you serve clients you know, that are maybe local school teachers or local small business owners or provide, you know, philanthropic support to local community organizations. So for advisors to look, getting involved DC is one really great aspect to start, but then bringing it back home and making your presence known is also equally important.

And I think, Christopher, you asked too about how to then maybe translate that experience to their clients or kind of have the clients Understand this advocacy and this aspect of folks who are getting involved. We always tell people, if you have the capacity, it's a really great business development opportunity to, you know, you can sit in a meeting with a client and say, I was in DC last week, here's what I'm hearing. And that just gives you a gravity and a really unique perspective that may set you apart in the marketplace and also become a trusted person that folks look to. If you're saying, you know, I was in DC or I was in our lawmaker's office in the district, and we talked about taxes, and here's what I'm hearing firsthand. That's really impactful.

And that's a way to really set yourself apart too. So for folks who are, you know, have a natural appetite for this, that's great. But it's also a really good business development opportunity.

Chris Gandy: 18:15

You mentioned, you know, a couple things, you know, so hopefully people kept notes there. I just want to highlight that you gave numerous ways to do it. but one of the significant ways is right on the precipice of coming to DC. Joining the association, you know. Okay.

So I want to I want to get your, your opinion. And Bianca, I want yours too. So I'm going to ask you to come off mute here in a second. But I've been in the business now 20, 25 years. And, you know, I spent some time at the major carriers.

I spent some time at Northwestern Mutual for about six years, and I spent some time at MassMutual. A lot of the what I would call career insurance carriers. So let me ask a question. If you look at the history of trade associations, right. Back in the day, trade association, when I first started, they were huge.

I mean, they were massive. To give you some history, Eric, I was in a group with Al Grannum and those guys as kind of a study group because I'm here in Chicago and, and I remember seeing him come up and those guys and it was kind of like, oh my gosh, they were like godfathers or whatever, maybe in business, but in the industry. Now, though, we look at it, trade associations are some are still strong, right? And others are I would say, you know, not as many people are joining. Right.

And so when I started we were voluntold that you had to do it. It was like not negotiable. Like you have to do that, you know. But as the world has evolved, give me your aspect. And Bianca, I'm going to ask you the same thing is where are the people at?

Like, are they joining trade associations or still are they? Or, you know, are they, you know, like looking on. Like what? What is happening? Because I'm looking at the trends of just not just financial services.

This is just as a whole, but a lot of trade associations aren't getting the hype that they used to. So tell me from your aspect, tell me what's going on. And I'm going to go to the millennial to tell me, because she probably knows exactly what's going on. But I'm, I'm clueless because I'm an old I'm an old hag.

Erica McQuade: 20:34

I will say from Northwestern Mutual's perspective, I can only speak from our kind of internal company viewpoint, but we do a lot to support our advisors becoming members of trade associations. We're constantly getting NAIFA and others in front of our advisors at different regional and internal conferences, giving speaking roles. We're providing incentives like we internally support folks coming to the congressional conference by paying for their transportation and giving them a stipend. And we at Northwestern Mutual try and make it an easy yes for folks to sign up, whether that's, you know, a financial hesitation or information. We're constantly partnering with NAIFA to get information out about conferences and ways to get involved, like the women's fly-in two.

So I will say we're trying to make sure advisors are aware and on a glide path to join. I'm not sure if other companies are doing the same, but to the degree that we as companies can be supportive of advisors having an easy yes to these memberships, that's something that we really prioritize. But I will say, I think perhaps to your point about generationally or just trend-wise, you know, folks get their information from so many different outlets and sources and platforms at this point. So here's speculation. Maybe folks feel like they've got what they need or they're getting information, but I would really encourage people to dial in on trade associations, because folks like NAIFA are really tuned in to the issues that are going to directly, directly affect advisors and their clients.

You know, you're not filtering through a mass generalized source of information and trying to figure out how this affects the industry. You're really getting the frontline information and then actionable steps you can take just from one clear source.

Chris Gandy: 22:23

Bianca, would you like to give your insight, since you are, since you're seeing it from an A for perspective, right. You're seeing you're seeing even just the time you've been with Napa, right? You're just seeing the seeing the trend. You know, the realization is our industry. You know, Eric, our industry is older, right?

I mean, that's that is the that is the majority of people in our industry. Yes, there are younger people coming in, but there's more exiting than there's coming in. That's a statistical data over the last, you know, ten years. And there's a study out now that shows that, you know, there's more and more exiting than this coming in. So how do we get people back into the association stuff.

You know, she just mentioned they've got they've got incentives like unless she you know Erica didn't say that there's a limited spot. She just said that okay. So I'm sure there is. But, you know, we see that some scholarships are actually that even NAIFA offers, that we still have them. Right.

And so we're like, wait a minute. Like, why are people not coming? So I, I'm looking for more of like an Erica. Thank you. I'm looking for really what do you see as a trend. Like what's happening and how do we get people who's listening to this podcast, who's not a member to say, oh, I should maybe consider that?

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 23:46

Sure. So I think so. So something about the about, I guess, like this millennial generation or the younger generations, I feel like we have seen just so many monumental events and shifts, just like, like of society, whether it's, you know what, whether it's from, from like a political standpoint or an economic standpoint, I feel like I feel like one thing about, about millennials is we want people that we can relate to and I and the trade association world. One thing that I think Napa has is so, so many amazing tools and resources to, to outreach to these younger generations. And one of the biggest things is I think just I think finding a way to, to like, I think like finding very common trends in, in, in the stories that we that we hear today and honing the messaging to, to those specific stories would, would be a great way to start.

And example student loan debt that that is a huge topic of a huge topic of conversation. Like I can't I mean, I can't tell you how like how many? How? Like how many of my friends, you know, they're you know, they've been you know, they've been consistently and consistently employees since we graduated from college. And they and they are still sitting on like, on, on like on this pile of debt, not knowing how like how can I tackle it?

How can I make a like make a dent in into it and to and to which I say, do you like, have you spoken to someone about this? Like not your parents. Not like not another friend. But a financial a financial services professional that can that can help you kind of let kind of lay everything out and create a plan. And I think and I think, I think there is a little bit of skepticism from like from the, from these younger generations in, in that, you know, in that, you know, like things are still getting expensive and that and that there is like so much uncertainty and, and things are just such a roller coaster, roller coaster in society right now that, that they crave stability.

And one way to achieve that stability is by talking to a financial planner, financial advisor, what have you. When, when my husband and I were had, when my husband and I got engaged, we actually by we I found our financial advisor through NAIFA and he's still our advisor to this day. And truth be told, if I didn't have NAIFA, I don't know where what our financial plan would look or like what like would have looked like. I don't know if we've we would have, you know, been able to reach the milestones in our, in our portfolio that we that we would have wanted to. And so I really think that like tapping into a trade association like, like NAIFA and, and finding people that, that this is their job, you know, you, you know, you, you might, you, you might have gone to school for, for, for one thing that has nothing to do with financial planning, and that's okay.

But there are people out there who dedicate their careers to helping members of their community to achieve that financial stability and freedom.

Chris Gandy: 27:44

You know, Bianca, you give some good insight there. Never thought of the narratives. That's what I'm going to say, right? The narratives that are interesting to different generations. That impact them the most.

Right. If I'm talking about, you know, if I'm if I'm talking about retirement, that younger generation may disconnect the Gen Z. The Gen Y may disconnect because it's so far away. I can't even wrap myself around it because I'm just drowning in debt, right? You know that type of thing.

As for people having kids, the same thing is we're talking about retirement or let's say legacy planning. And they've already done that. And they're like, they haven't done that yet, and it's still so far away. But before you know it, it's here. Right?

They have a chance of raising kids, right? So there's a lot of different changes, I think, that the associations have to make to adapt their communication to, to, to the narratives of the interest of the people that are, that are there. Right. And that's part of the evolution.

But it came on us quick because of Covid, right? Covid happened and it was like, all right, everybody change. Right? Like no one's meeting in person anymore. And if we do, it's an anomaly.

It's the off session versus the on session. So Erica, you mentioned you've been in DC. So how did you pull off the lobbying in DC when Covid was here? And then how did it change the way in which advocacy shows up and people can show up? I mean, I'm you were in DC, people weren't seeing people, so you weren't showing up on Capitol Hill.

You weren't doing a fly in. You weren't doing a lot of things. How did people what how did it change as you observe it. Right. And then.

Yes, the impact of that, you know, is it still as strong? Is it stronger now? How did you go about doing business during that period of time, specifically with advisors or whatnot? Your role in, in in lobbying?

Erica McQuade: 29:50

Sure. I think it opened up some new avenues for communication and for relationship building. So we as a company, pivoted in 2021 and 2022 to doing a quote-unquote virtual fly in. So we typically do regular fly ins where folks, you know, literally fly into DC and do meetings on Capitol Hill, as we're all familiar with. We pivoted to a virtual format, so we set up just numerous zoom meetings with members of Congress and their staff.

And that was how we did outreach and advocacy during the pandemic. And I think that has been really helpful now in broadening folks' ability to connect. So, you know, we still do company fly ins. We still encourage folks to participate in trade association fly-ins now that we are able to go in person again. But it just offers us opportunities throughout the year to also maintain those relationships through zoom, through a quick touchpoint, and make sure those relationships have a healthy, continuing cadence.

So zoom and other virtual platforms really just open the door to have one more aspect of communication and advocacy that's carried on to today. And I think that's something that's really healthy.

Chris Gandy: 30:57

Did you see that people, though, now that it's a new world. Did you see that now? Some prefer to be in that virtual space versus actually in person. Have you observed that trend? Because I've seen a little of that trend.

Even in my clients. They're like, why are you gonna be in person? If we could just do like, what are you talking about?

Erica McQuade: 31:22

Yeah, certainly. I think it depends person to person. And Capitol Hill is such a busy, fast paced, fast paced place that, you know, fly-ins. You're here for one full day on Capitol Hill. And if a staffer or member of Congress isn't here in person or they have committee meetings all day, you may miss that in-person connection and opportunity.

I still think that is the superior way to interact with members of Congress and their staff. But when that's not available, having this diversification of ways to meet with folks provides just one more lens and the ability to keep that relationship continuing and building over time for folks. I think it also allows throughout the year for quick touchpoints. So we've even done this as a company. Right now we're in sort of this pre-tax reform era, and we're encouraging some of our key advisors to do quick calls and quick zoom meetings with their members of Congress.

Even though we have a company fly in in the fall, we're not willing to wait that long. We see that, you know, this is an avenue we can have folks quickly reach out. And then again, when they're in person here, build on that relationship.

Chris Gandy: 32:26

Wow. So, Bianca, the GR team, what do they have up their sleeves as it deals with, you know, the new the new Tax Jobs and Cuts Act and getting involved. What do we have our sleeve and how can people get involved now feet on the streets. How can they get involved now both with NAIFA and also you know, the GR side. So they can actually have the type of impact that Erica Erica's talking about.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 32:53

Of course. So you know we've been talking about our congressional conference in in in May and that and that's absolutely one way to get to get involved in the immediate or in the more in the more immediate future. But I think another way to get involved is, is, I mean, truly visiting the, the district office. Yeah. So I mean, it's, you know, it's one it's one thing to come to, to come to DC and that's awesome.

But one thing about lawmakers both on the federal level as well as well as on the state level that, that I'm a little more privy to is lawmakers want to hear directly from their people. And they, they want to hear the stories about how this particular bill or regulation or policy concept will directly impact the individuals that reside in their districts. And the best way that I think to communicate that is to make yourself known, like within the actual district and making yourself known even while even while the lawmakers on Capitol Hill, they their, their, their are still very open lines of communication from the Capitol Hill office to the district office. And personally, I feel like that is a resource that's not as tapped into as it really could be. And one and one thing about congressional offices is, you know, the, the, the, the staffers there are so knowledgeable when it comes to the, to their respective policy concepts.

And that's amazing. But having that but having that access to the to what's going on within the actual district in in real time. That is that is a very underrated route to go.

Erica McQuade: 35:10

And if I could jump in to kind of circling back to where we started this conversation, having women specifically here to do that message, communication was really, really important. At the beginning of this month, NAIFA hosted a women's fly in and like we mentioned, has done so historically for the past few years. But getting women involved in this process, I think, Christopher, you mentioned earlier that it is typically an older industry, often very traditionally male dominated in a lot of ways, but having women advocate for their clients and their business and come to Capitol Hill or interact in advocacy back home, that just provides a really powerful lens. Women are historically, you know, often in caretaker or child-rearing or more house admin roles that often deal directly with financial planning. And then having that voice here on Capitol Hill and just that visual of all women in a district or federal office meeting is something that's really powerful and I think sets NAIFA and sets this advocacy apart in a really unique way.

Chris Gandy: 36:17

Awesome. Well, ladies, I sounds like so is there only one fly in each year or are there multiples? Bianca and how do how do people that are listening to us participate in the next fly in or future fly in?

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 36:33

Sure. I mean, you know, we have we have our congressional conference that in, in, in May that is open to both FFA members and non-members. And what and what I've seen in what I've seen in the past couple of years a FFA member will recruit and bring a younger advisor for from their offices to NAIFA or I'm sorry to congressional conference and this and this young advisor sees firsthand wow like look like look like look at the access that NAIFA has to their lawmakers. Look at this amazing event and the and the powerhouse companies and other associations that we partner in. We like NAIFA is a is NAIFA has such a reach that that it really is something in really something to experience in order to really absorb it.

Chris Gandy: 37:34

Well, Bianca, you know, sometimes they say it's harder to work in your sometimes when you're making money, you work in your business, but when you're building a fortune, you work on your business. And I think part of it is we need to work on our business. You know, we're so absorbed with the next case and the next case and the next case. And, you know, we forget at times that we have to work on our business. We need to actually take a step back, understand how these things are being created and build up, build a different type of approach.

And I think going forward that that is the case. So with that being said, Erika. I don't know if you've seen any of the podcasts, but at the end of the day there is something called the Lightning Round. But if you have Nathan, Nathan is listening across all you know, it's interesting you mentioned NML. I was I would say that, you know, Nathan covers all, you know, I always joke and I say, I tell people that when we show up at NAIFA, we all, we all work for the same companies.

And the reason why is because collectively, our voice is stronger than it is divided. So that's why I can tell you thank you for the work you do, because the work you do makes it easier for us to do what we do. And we can't do it without lobbyists from all the companies. And thank you for continuing to build the opportunity and the and the and the pathway. Right.

For, people that are affiliated with your specific company to do so. So if a nation is listening, is there anything you would like to say or address before we go to this wonderful lightning round, which is really fun. Yeah.

Erica McQuade: 39:22

I'm excited. I think I would just really bring home what we've been talking about in terms of thematically, a ways to get involved. So if folks are listening and intrigued or maybe have that political bug or appetite, or at least have some sort of interest, just take that first step. Reach out to someone at NAIFA, pull up the website for a congressional conference. Reach out to someone in your office that you know is already a member of NAIFA and just grab coffee and maybe see what this is all about.

We at Northwestern Mutual often point folks first to NAIFA if they're saying, hey, I'm hearing about political advocacy. What can I do to get involved? I'll often say first, like go to the trades. Like, we can set you up and get you in front of folks here at Northwestern Mutual. But to your point, Christopher, the industry speaks best when it is all one loud voice together.

And I think NAIFA does a really good job of getting a loud voice behind all of these advisors who come together from across the country to Capitol Hill to state capitols, to really have that impactful mission and spread that amongst the lawmakers who really need to hear it. And I think, you know, myself as a federal lobbyist and advisors who participate in this process were really educators. You know, lobbyists often has kind of a negative connotation or some sort of, you know, overly strategic and self-serving viewpoint from folks who don't understand how it functions in this world. But I see myself primarily as an educator. You know, life insurance and the financial services world can be so niche and complicated.

And for folks who don't deal with it every day, they can often confuse concepts or not fully understand all the good that's done. So I often see my role as just educating folks about how life insurers and other advisors serve their communities, and are really a lifeline for families and for businesses, so advisors can do the same and can speak to it directly from their experience.

Chris Gandy: 41:18

So, Erika, you mentioned that our voice is loud. Here's one. Here's an experience. I showed up, I was going to be one of the people that the Senate Finance Committee, one of the committees was, was in DC. And they have prepped me for some of the doll stuff.

And I was in line. I got interviewed to testify, although all the fun stuff. And then they invited me there because they didn't know all the people or whatever. At the last minute they were like, you're not going to testify, but we want your. My, my, my testimony is in the recorded record.

So it's in there. As kind of our neighbor's perspective and the importance of and in my role actually as an advisor. So it's in the record, you can Google it. It's in there. But my point of showing up is this.

When we got to the hearing to the meeting, right, there was a line of red shirts all the way down the hall. And the people that invited us said, oh, that's AARP. You know, they show up and they show up and they, they, they try to take all the seats. And I was just thinking about, like, visually, I'm like, wow. Aren't they like retired?

Like, what is the story here? Right. But no, she's like she's like, they're loud. And they actually they have they want their voice heard and that they make sure they even have people standing outside, like with these red. And they're all unified, right?

They have these red shirts on AARP. And then when you would see them on C-Span or whatever, all you see is the red shirts behind them, right? AARP. Right. And so it was really interesting to me to understand that, that that it's not just the voice, but that voice was being heard loudly because even the people in the meeting were like, oh, that's AARP.

Like they always show up, right? And so we can do a better job. So this is a call to advisors who are listening to us. We collectively can do a better job at showing up, because if we don't show up here, we can't really show up the way we're supposed to for our clients. So thanks both of you for doing the hard stuff, because it is a complicated web to understand how, you know, we put government over here and we're over here because we work for a company that's not government related.

But at the end of the day, we're all somewhat interconnected because it all kind of works together. So I never understood that. When I first started, I thought my little general agency in Champaign, Illinois, I was like, hey, you know, we're not connected to the government anyway, so I'm not going to affect me. But lo and behold, over 20 years I've started to realize that, wow, we are crazy interconnected. So with that, let's just shoot to the to the lightning round, Erica, and let's see how you do.

Listen. Ask yourself, it's not it's not hard. Super easy questions and just whatever comes top of mind, it's just quick. It's all of about a minute. And so we'll go from there and then we'll close it out. Okay.

Erica McQuade: 44:32

Sounds great I'm excited.

Chris Gandy: 44:34

Zack, I know we don't have any sound effects. I'm working on that. That's in the next budget, but we'll see what we can get done. So. Erika, here's the first question.

Best food in DC.

Erica McQuade: 44:46

Oh my gosh. Okay. Now you're starting with the tough ones. I am like a total food scene person here. Ooh I'm going to say I think kind of food and institution I love Joe's Stone crab by the white House.

So it's in this beautiful old bank building. It's like kind of a traditional steak and seafood place, but they just do everything really well. Like a crisp martini, a good steak. And the secret? My personal favorite on the menu.

They're known for their pies. And their peanut butter pie is something everyone should fly to DC purely for. Don't come for political advocacy. Come for the Joe Stone crab pie.

Chris Gandy: 45:29

Go to the pie. Okay, so I thought you I was I was going to say my default was. You can't say old Ebbitt grill like.

Erica McQuade: 45:35

This is actually like right next door. So yeah, avoid that. I mean, they're an institution too, but this is way better in my opinion.

Chris Gandy: 45:43

So a must-see when I come to DC.

Erica McQuade: 45:50

I love kind of there's always the capital is the focus for a lot of folks who visit. But right alongside the capital are two places that I love. So there's the National Botanical Gardens, which is right at the base of the capital, so easily walkable for folks who are doing Capitol Hill meetings. But it's just a beautiful space. It's not overly large, but just some beautiful floral and tropical and all sorts of climate collections, indoor and outdoor.

So that's a fun stop. And then the Library of Congress to I love all the museums, but the Library of Congress is just so beautiful and historic and really special right off the Capitol complex.

Chris Gandy: 46:24

So I've always wanted to go there and never had an opportunity to go.

Erica McQuade: 46:27

Oh, you can just pop in. It's easy.

Chris Gandy: 46:30

I really want to go to that. All right. Advice you would give to your 20-year-old self, or you're just starting in your career, what advice would you go back and give yourself at that at this time?

Erica McQuade: 46:41

Ooh, that's a great question. I think I would try and get myself more comfortable with speaking up more. I don't know if it's like a traditional woman thing or I'm just like a processor first, but it took me a little while in my professional career to be comfortable, like speaking up in meetings, or kind of if I had a what I thought was, you know, a better way to do something or a better idea or something new. I often would just kind of listen to others in the room first or think that they knew better. They were older, they were more experienced.

But you know, something I've really developed over even the past couple of years is like an ability to speak up and to speak up thoughtfully and know that folks who either want you in the room or have hired you for a reason are there because they want to hear from you.

Chris Gandy: 47:25

Awesome. Last question. You could go back and have dinner with anybody in history And who would you have dinner with and why?

Erica McQuade: 47:37

Let's see. I was in Paris over the fall, and I'd been there a couple of times, but we went out to Versailles for the first time so I would have dinner. I don't even care with who, but someone there during like the heyday of, like, you know, mid-17th, 18th century European aristocratic culture. Just for one night, Marie Antoinette maybe, or someone in that kind of palace debaucherous time frame just to like, spectate and be a fly on the wall. I would pick that.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 48:13

I'm actually going to. Sorry, Chris, I didn't mean to cut you off. I just want to say, Erika, I'm going to Paris this summer for the first time, so I will be hitting you up for some recommendations.

Erica McQuade: 48:23

Please do, please do. I'm happy to share.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 48:26

And so sorry, Chris. And one last thing. Is it is it okay if I ask one question? Okay, so my question is if Erica, if you had to give a Ted talk on something completely unrelated to your job, like not policy, not advocacy, you had to get up there and talk with no preparation. What would you talk about?

Erica McQuade: 48:50

Ooh. That's good. I could probably do like a social, maybe political cultural crossover of like fashion, beauty trends and like, people in powerful positions. I like low-key, love fashion, beauty culture, listen to like, a lot of podcasts and track those trends and find them really fun, even if I don't always engage with them myself. And you know, DC is not always known as like the most fashionable city. But I do think, you know, we're surrounded by a lot of really powerful people who make subtle choices with their wardrobe and with how they present themselves to the world and younger generations versus more legacy older generations and what they prioritize when they're in public. And I just think there's a really interesting kind of social, cultural, all sorts of things commentary underneath that.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 49:42

I love that answer. Love it.

Chris Gandy: 49:45

Good. That's good. She thought about it. She thought about that question Bianca, before you asked. She said, I'm thinking to myself, I'm sure.

Erica McQuade: 49:53

Yeah, it would be either that or, like, I don't know how to train up for running a race or something like a big runner and workout person. That's my, like, decompress. So maybe if I didn't do the Ted talk description, I just said maybe something along those lines.

Chris Gandy: 50:09

Awesome. Well, both of you, thank you for not only organizing and being a part of the women's fly in, but just for, for creating a, an opportunity to, to show up a little differently, you know, as an industry that is, that is that is predominantly male, male, male oriented in nature. It's important if you look at, I know the statistical data because I know because we study this, is that, you know, 70% of all households are actually controlled by controlled. The finances are controlled by women. So I mean, even though we may think we know what we're doing, we kind of we need help, you know, and that it's okay.

And, you know, it's just very interesting because as women you've come a long way and we look forward to supporting even more of what the future will look like. I said this from before and I will say it again, and we're going to close here in a second. I believe the future of financial services looks more like women doing it than men. I really do. One you're more culturally aware, number one, because we just look, I'm still wearing 1985 jackets, right?

You know what I mean? Two is you live longer and two, you're more sensitive. And last but not least is if you stick your teeth in something and say you're going to do it, you don't quit. It is like, it's like we're going to do this, right? And so you have different, different qualities than we do.

And I believe that the industry would be blessed and very wise to make sure that the industry changes and shifts so that it embraces that cultural, that dynamic, that shift, I believe. I will say it and I will say it till the day I did. This industry will look completely different and will thrive if they start to embrace the fact that women can make a significant impact in this industry.

Erica McQuade: 52:12

Amen.

Bianca Alonso Weiss: 52:14

Very well said.

Chris Gandy: 52:15

So with that being said, Nathan Nation, we did it. We got through this. Thank you Bianca. Thank you Erica. Thank you so much for being here.

We are so fortunate to have both of you. Zack, thanks for doing what you do. We can't do it without you and Nathan. Thanks. Thanks for listening to today's Advisor Today's podcast, where we listen to the voices of those that are in the industry and those that are that are actually in the industry and working together for the collective voice for our clients so we can show up for better for them.

And so we can all help our clients live a better life for themselves. So thanks everyone. We'll see you next week. Same time, same place. Bianca I'll see you next week. I get we'll. Be doing it again all over. So thanks Erica. We appreciate it.

Erica McQuade: 53:03

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.

Outro: 53:08

Thanks for joining us for NAIFA's Advisor Today podcast series. Make sure to subscribe to get future episodes. And if you're interested in coming on the show, let us know.