THOUGHTS OF CHAIRMAN MAC

  When Trump came on the political scene in 2016, I dismissed him as a mega egotistical political neophyte. From my perspective, even he was not serious about winning the presidency, but rather, his campaign was a continuation of a lifelong effort to gain riches by building the “Trump brand.” Even though Trump’s campaign was at best haphazard, I gave him credit for being one of the greatest marketers and flimflammers in the country’s history, but I didn’t think he had even a huckster’s chance of winning. Trump proved me wrong. Once in office, highlighted by his chaotic response to the Covid pandemic, Trump did everything he could to demonstrate that he was ignorant of, did not respect and was not qualified to effectively govern under a democratic political system. This point was underlined by his reaction to his loss in the 2020 election. Once out of office and burdened by his actions before, during and after the January 6 th insurrection, his indictment for security violati...

  There are valid reasons why referees are a vital part of every NFL football game. Their responsibility is to keep the opposing teams on a “level playing field” by identifying and calling out any players, on either team, who take actions that violate the rules of the game. It is one thing to disagree with and complain about the judgment of an NFL referee, but can you imagine the total chaos that would ensue if the NFL coaches decided to disregard any referee’s ruling they did not like? The games would devolve into total chaos. And very quickly the league would fail. Referees Are Not Just For Sports Sports is not the only place where referees are needed to keep things functioning effectively. Referees are also crucial to good government, making sure it is being run fairly and in compliance with the laws and principals of the country. In 1787 the framers of a new constitution for the United States consciously and deliberately delineated three distinct articles of governmen...

  Most of us do what we can to lead a long, healthy and happy life. If health issues threaten our longevity, we do all we can to obtain the medical treatment intended to extend life. Of course, no matter how diligent we may be, eventually we will die from something. Among other things, it could be from an accident, heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease or chronic lower respiratory disease. But there is another type of death that we do have the power to stave off till something else gets us. It is a living-death caused by running out of money during retirement and such a circumstance can be almost worse than physical death. Preparing to Extend Life During Retirement Most of us dutifully work at a job for most of our adult lives, all the while dreaming of the time when we can retire. Retirement is envisioned as a laid-back period of life with discarded alarm clocks, loose schedules, leisure travel and the freedom to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. Suc...

  Most of us dutifully work at a job for most of our adult lives, all the while dreaming of the time when we can stop working and retire. Retirement is envisioned as a laid-back period of life with discarded alarm clocks, loose schedules, leisure travel and the freedom to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Such a vision is achievable, but it doesn't just happen; it requires hard work. You work hard during your career to support your family and have a good life, but you also need to work hard at retirement to make sure retirement will work for you. To enjoy a comfortable retirement, think of retirement as your last job. The good thing about this job is that you are like an entrepreneur as a direct beneficiary of your effort. The time to begin to work for retirement is the first time you think about retirement. The longer you wait to begin to work on it, the more difficult it will be to achieve your vision for retirement. Just like other jobs, the objective of ret...

  Recently John Hilton of Insurance News Net posted an articulate summary of sessions at the Annuity Distribution Summit hosted by the National Association for Fixed Annuities. While not specifically mentioned, it was clear from the remarks of the participants that “change” was the elephant in the room. Hilton wrote, “The panel promised an inside look at the future of (annuity) distribution and covered a variety of threats and disruptions to the industry.” Various panelists offered their strategy to resist the changes that are challenging the tenets of the primary annuity distribution system; the Independent Marketing Organization working with independent agents. The problem with this approach – as the life insurance industry learned in the late 20 th century – is that any strategy intended to resist change will fail. Change is a constant and the only workable strategy to deal with it is to recognize, accept and leverage it. THE LIFE INSURANCE INDUSTRY LEARNED THE HARD WAY...

    It has been perplexing for me to understand how intelligent, informed and well-educated people, can continue to support Trump. For me, it is just so obvious that Trump is the diametric antithesis of the type of person who should lead our country. This dichotomy remained unresolved until it came to me that it’s all about one thing: CHANGE . Change is a constant force of nature. At first blush, most of us are naturally suspicious and leery of change, but it is ever present, and it is something we have to recognize, confront and adjust to.       We are wary of change because it requires us to move from the known to the unknown. For many, from all walks of life, the impact of change conjures up a fear of the future, insecurities and uncertainty. This apprehension over change creates in many a desire to go back to what they knew and were comfortable with in the past. But one thing to understand is that once fundamental change is inculcated into society, a...