In his column published in both the print and digital editions of NJBiz, NAIFA national Trustee Dennis Cuccinelli, a member of NAIFA-New Jersey, warns that the state's proposed reclassification of insurance agents as employees instead of independent contractors would limit agents' independence, reduce consumer choice and potentially harm families' access to financial protection.

Eric K. Williams, founder of Empowerment Resources International Corp in Chicago, Illinois, didn’t plan on entering the financial services industry. In fact, he was first introduced to it through a simple question: “Could you save $200 a month?” That question led him to a presentation about insurance and annuity products—and sparked a realization. “I had left corporate America and didn’t have a structured way to save for retirement,” he recalls. Inspired by what he learned, Eric got licensed and officially entered the industry in January 2005.