A Call for Every Agent and Advisor to Vote

By Cyril Tuohy

On Tuesday, tens of millions of us will vote in what has been a tumultuous election season. No matter, I vote in every election because I love to vote.

Every insurance agent and advisor should vote too.

The reason I love to vote is that 1) I’ve traveled enough to know that many people never get that kind of opportunity; and 2) It’s the only time I’m as important as Bill Gates, a sitting or former president, every member of Congress, billionaires, K-Street lobbyists, and every registered voter in this blessed land. I’m their equals, in the eyes of the voting booth.

Leading up to Election Day, the day I and thousands of financial advisors have their say, I feel particularly special.

I’m an Independent, which means – in theory – that my vote is up for grabs. That means people should be paying lots of attention to folks like me who live in a “swing” state.

Born in 1966, I turned 50 this year and that means folks like me want to hear about what our leaders plan to do about health care costs, Social Security, Medicare, college financing, global warming, rogue states, alternative energy, habitat destruction and a host of other issues.

Our candidates have pages and pages of position papers on their websites for public view about dozens of issues, but for some reason these carefully thought out positions never seem to quite get across on the TV stage, where this election cycle’s debates have devolved into farce.

I can’t recall the word “annuity” uttered in any debate at any level in this election cycle, though there is always plenty of discussion about Social Security, the largest annuity program in the country, and that’s a good thing.

Give the candidates credit on that one.

Life insurance, long-term care, annuities, fiduciary rules – even if these terms rarely make it onto the public stage – don’t despair. Your vote matters.

Every year some people refuse to vote. It’s a protest, they say, but what it really is is a cop out. There’s no excuse not to vote and not to cast a vote in every race – federal, state and local – on the ballot. If you don’t like your choices, write one in.

It doesn’t matter for whom you vote, it matters more that you exercise your right to be heard. That’s the best advice we here at InsuranceNewsNet can offer you.

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Writer Cyril Tuohy has covered the financial services industry for more than 15 years. Cyril may be reached at cyril.tuohy@innfeedback.com.