CLICK HERE FOR NAIFA-JACKSONVILLE'S 2008-2009 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Message From the President
Chris Harclerode, LUTCF

Last month I talked about how important Advocacy is at the state level. This month I want to discuss it at a national level. Advocacy is often referred as to as NAIFA’s # 1 benefit. NAIFA is your voice on Capitol Hill and works as your personal advocate in Washington, DC – educating and lobbying lawmakers to protect our industry so your business can thrive. Through NAIFA’s GovWatch, GovTalk, GovAlert emails, you will stay ahead of your peers with timely updates on state and national issues, impacting your clients. NAIFA maintains one of the strongest political action committees, IFAPAC, and a solid grassroots political involvement committee, APIC. You have an opportunity to get involved!

I always like to close with mentioning membership. Membership is crucial for the success of our Association. Please, if you know someone who is benefiting from our industry but is not a member, encourage them to join. They are benefiting from our efforts without paying their membership dues. It only costs about 1 dollar a day…

Best Regards,
Chris

NAIFA-JACKSONVILLE MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON Wednesday, April 22, 2009

1301 Riverplace Blvd., 27th Floor Jacksonville, FL 32207 ( CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS ). GUESTS ARE WELCOME!.

Time: 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Registration and Check-In, 11:15 a.m. Buffet Lunch, 11:30 a.m. Make reservations securely online at www.NAIFA-Jacksonville.org.

Housing in the Current Market
Guest Speaker: Ed Forman, Realtor® CRB.
President, Watson Realty Corp. REALTORS®

Join us for this exciting event. Everyone can benefit from this program!

Ed Forman, President of Watson Realty Corp., one of the largest independent real estate companies in the United States, started his career in the Washington, D.C. area in 1972. Ed has worked as a sales associate, in new home sales, and served as real estate office manager, regional manager, general manager and now president. Mr. Forman holds a Certified Residential Broker (CRB) designation.

Mr. Forman will discuss a brief history of Watson Realty, give an overview of the Market: past, current, and future projections. How will the market reset? He will also discuss foreclosures - REOs, what areas and ranges will be impacted, first-time homebuyer tax credit, and give a general overview of "Never waste a recession." When to Buy, Sell, Hold or Rent.

Invite your Homeowners Insurance Agent! They can definately BENEFIT!

The cost is $20.00. NAIFA-Jacksonville members who
RSVP by 12:00 Noon on Friday, April 17th, the cost is only $15.00!

If you experience problems with registering or have questions, please contact the Association office at naifa-jacksonville@bellsouth.net or call 904-695-2300.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR UPCOMING MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON MEETINGS!

April 22, 2009  •  May 27, 2009  •  June 24, 2009

Visit our website at www.naifa-jacksonville.org for the latest updates!

Disability Insurance Awareness Month: May 2009

During Disability Insurance Awareness Month, LIFE (The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education) along with many top insurance companies and other industry groups will come together to help Americans better understand the importance of disability income protection, and encourage them to assess their coverage needs.

But actually getting them the coverage will depend on producers like you.

For more information about LIFE and the plans for Disability Insurance Awareness Month, please visit http://www.lifehappens.org/diam/.

BLOOD DRIVE
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Liberty Center, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m..
7077 Bonneval Road, Jacksonville 32216
( CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS ).
For more information and to make an appointment, contact Alicia Burst
at (904) 332-8100 or aliburst@aol.com. We're hoping for 30 donors!

Welcome New Members! By Cindi Cook NAIFA-Jacksonville Board Member

We’d like to welcome the following new members and thank their sponsors. If you are a new member and have not made it to any of our LUNCHEONS, please accept my personal invitation to attend our next one, APRIL 22, 11:30 A.M. AT THE UNIVERSITY CLUB.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached at (904) 737-1167.

WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBERS!

Don’t forget to check out the many Benefits you have by being a member of NAIFA! Click HERE to visit the Member Benefits section on NAIFA's website and see why It's Smart to Belong!

CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT!

With more than 58,000 members, NAIFA is the largest financial services membership association in the United States. NAIFA is a federation of 700 state and local association all striving for the same common goal: to protect your livelihood and your clients' financial security. To join or renew securely online, please visit www.naifa.org, or click HERE to download a PDF of the Membership Application.

NAIFA-Jacksonville Proposed Bylaw
Changes and Amendments

The Bylaws and Long Range Planning Committee have met and propose to the Board of Directors and General Membership changes to the NAIFA-Jacksonville Bylaws.

The members will be asked to vote for approval of these changes at the Annual Meeting that will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at The University Club located at 1301 Riverplace Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

To review the proposed Bylaw changes, please click HERE.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2008
IFAPAC CONTRIBUTORS!

CLICK HERE FOR NAIFA-JACKSONVILLE'S LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS!

PLEASE CONSIDER A CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

Click HERE to contribute to IFAPAC securely online, or click HERE to download a Contribution Form. For more information, contact NAIFA-Jacksonville IFAPAC Chair Jeffrey J. Tabor at (800) 945-9719 x.310 or e-mail jtabor@drgdi.com.

NAIFA-Florida 77th Annual Career Advancement Conference & Expo

July 13-15, 2009 at the Ritz Carlton-Sarasota

~ Exceptional Learning 2009 ~

Possibly no other profession puts more of a premium on continuous learning than the insurance and financial advisor professions. Often this learning is to fulfill a C.E. requirement; sometimes it is a specific course required by law or DFS; or it may simply be to improve ourselves personally and professionally. Unfortunately, we often have to scramble to various locations at wide-ranging times to acquire this education.

But what if we could find this education all in one place, in a compressed time period, and have it taught by the best instructors in an unforgettable setting? Why, that would be—well, EXCEPTIONAL!

Welcome to Exceptional Learning 2009, NAIFA-Florida’s 77th Annual Career Advancement Conference and Expo. Take the first step today and register online by clicking HERE.

Looking for ways to give back to the community?
Consider volunteering through NAIFA-Jacksonville!
Give back to the industry that gives so much!
 
Also seeking nominees for the
2009-2010 Board of Directors!
 
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS!

NAIFA's National Convention and Career Conference comes to Orlando in 2009 -- practically in our own backyard! For more information on representing NAIFA-Jacksonville, contact Vicki Dickert, LUTCF at
vicaflac@bellsouth.net.

For volunteer opportunities, contact Rob Wolford, Local Host Committee Chair, at naifa09orlando@gmail.com or (407) 740-5337 ext. 220.

Customized NAIFA Member
Logos Expanded

NAIFA will soon be adding 1960s and 1970s dated versions of the new "Member of NAIFA since (year)" logos to the NAIFA website. Proud NAIFA members are downloading the logos – added to the NAIFA website last month and announced in the March issue of NAIFA Connections at a brisk pace.

The logos added in March only covered members who joined from 1980 to 2009. However, long-time members have contacted NAIFA to tell us that they, too, want to show their pride in and long-term commitment to NAIFA and the industry by displaying the NAIFA logo featuring their membership year.

Members are encouraged to add a NAIFA "Member of NAIFA since (year)" logo to stationery, websites, business cards, etc. Available in print and web formats, as well as in black and white or color, the logos can be quickly downloaded from NAIFA's Communications Corner Toolbox (member log-in required).

Pick the year you joined NAIFA from the dropdown box then follow the directions on how to download the file to your computer. Currently, the years 1980 through 2009 are available. 1960 through 1979 will be added in the next few weeks. If you need a different year, please send a request to pubjobs@naifa.org and we will get you the necessary files.

"Member of NAIFA" logos with no "member since" dates are also available in NAIFA's Communications Corner Toolbox, as are NAIFA's stand-alone pyramid logo and Connections That Count logos.

NAIFA members are encouraged to use the appropriate NAIFA logo on their materials to raise consumer awareness of NAIFA and NAIFA's Code of Ethics. Members are also encouraged to display NAIFA's Code of Ethics in their offices. It is available at www.naifa.org/about/ethics.cfm, and a certificate is available for purchase in the NAIFA Marketplace.

Please note: No one may use the NAIFA name, acronym or logo in any way that implies NAIFA’s approval or endorsement of any person, entity, product, service or activity, or in any misleading manner. It is the responsibility of individual members to ensure that their usage of the NAIFA logo complies with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as any rules imposed by their employers.

For more information: See NAIFA's Communications Corner Toolbox or, if you need a different file type, year, or other assistance, please email pubjobs@naifa.org.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR WEBSITE LATELY?
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT WWW.NAIFA-JACKSONVILLE.ORG!

If you would like to advertise or sponsor a link on our webpage, please contact Cherri Coombs-Ohmer, LUTCF at our Association office by calling (904) 695-2300 or e-mail naifa-jacksonville@bellsouth.net.

OUR WEB PAGE IS ADVERTISED NATIONALLY!

YOUR COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ARE WELCOME AND APPRECIATED!

Our new official e-newsletter, Jax Advisors Online, is an evolving work in progress and your feedback is important to us! Please send your opinions and comments to Cherri Coombs-Ohmer, LUTCF by e-mailing naifa-jacksonville@bellsouth.net or by calling the Association office at (904) 695-2300.

For the latest NAIFA-Jacksonville news and events, please visit our website at www.naifa-jacksonville.org, or contact Association Executive Cherri Coombs-Ohmer, LUTCF:

National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors - Jacksonville
P.O. Box 37028, Jacksonville, FL 32236
Phone (904) 695-2300 • Fax (904) 783-6857
Email naifa-jacksonville@bellsouth.net