July 30, 2010
Friends,
I work as a captive agent for a company that works very hard at seeing that we, in the field, have all the tools and incentive to always do the "right thing" for the people with whom we work. It seems to me that compliance training has increased each year that I have worked in this industry. I, personally, feel like I would find a new career if I felt like I was not doing my very best to inform, educate and assist my people everyday in every step of the way.
I am convinced that further regulation and the move to a fiduciary standard rather thatn the current suitability standard would be a huge additional burden on me and on the whole industry. I ask you to carefully consider this potential burden before acting.
It is sad but true that there will always be people in every walk of life who seek gain through unethical or illegal means. This will be true regardless what regulations and procedures are in place. The best way to mitigate against this is not necessarily through more regulation, but rather through vigorous prosecution of offenders.
The very real problems in our profession come not so much from people like me who are meeting daily with people, and who are working hard to help them develop and implement a thoughtful and achievable plan, as from the powerful bottom feeders at the top, who end up being motivated by greed and ego.
Please do not make it harder to help people who need us by adding to our regulatory burden.
Thanks for listening.
Brian D. Daniels