LETTER FROM NAPFA

By Natalie Pine, CFP^®, Chair

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation; it’s about impact, influence, and inspiration,” said Robin Sharma, a great speaker and author on the subject of leadership. 

As I look to the future of NAPFA, we first have to acknowledge the past and the amazing leaders who have no question had an amazing impact and influence on our organization. We have had 41 chairs over the last 40+ years, each of whom inspired us to be better and do better for our clients. 

One of these such individuals is Joni Alt, our outgoing chair, who we thank for her service from the bottom of our hearts. As we embarked on our new strategic plan, she led us to push the boundaries of who NAPFA is and how we see ourselves. 

Daphne Jordan, Cheryl Holland, Ben Jacobs, and Feraud Calixte, all outgoing board members, were instrumental in sharing their wisdom, expertise, and passion for NAPFA, leading us to be bold and reach for new heights. We will miss them terribly but I am excited to see all we will accomplish in the coming year as a result of this fresh energy to set the standard of how a client should be advised. 

Good news is that with outgoing board members come new board members. We welcome Emily Jaffe and Evan Loomis, both of whom contributed to our strategic plan. We look forward to their new ideas, perspectives, and enthusiasm as they take on this new role. 

NAPFA Advisor

In this edition of NAPFA Advisor, we focus on insurance/Open Enrollment. Articles focus on how to have insurance conversations with your clients, how to support clients through Open Enrollment, how to help elderly clients plan their physical environments to improve quality of life, and a look at the history of the insurance industry.

These are interesting topics given that NAPFA often villainizes the insurance industry as one notorious for selling financial products and creating inherent conflicts of interest with our clients. However, we all have to admit that insurance is a very important part of any financial plan. It protects our clients when done well and by a fiduciary, someone who truly puts their clients’ interests above their own. And while most people focus on life insurance when they hear the word, it is just as important to pay attention to the small items such as those available through Open Enrollment. 

Dental and vision, for example, are insurance policies people often sign up for without a plan. If a client only gets cleanings and a regular eye exam, are they really paying less by having insurance? Often not. Our care and diligence as NAPFA advisors has to extend to all the facets of a client’s life, not just the largest and easiest. 

2025 Fall Conference

We hope many of you attended the Fall Conference in Washington, D.C. It was a great event with breakout sessions spanning AI, international planning, infrastructure strategies (like 351 ETF conversions), niche practices, fiduciary trends, and cybersecurity. If you were not able to attend, please go napfa.org where I think you will be pleased with the advanced level content you aren’t easily going to find elsewhere.

Thank you to the Live Education Subcommittee for a great event and thank you to all the NAPFA staff for ensuring it went off without a hitch.