So glad I had finished my coffee or I would have spit it out all over my keyboard.
I am a registered representative in NY and my broker /dealer is located in the South. Every year they have a conference, which I never go to because I have to pay to go it and really, who wants to sit through compliance meetings and sales talks while paying for the privilege? They also usually hold these conferences at extremely upscale places which are out of my price range and almost always at the wrong time of year.
For example, next year's conference is during the summer in Orlando(can you say hot and humid and why on earth would I pay big bucks to go there and sweat?) and is being held at a Disney resort, so one will be surrounded by screaming kiddies to boot. Don't get me wrong- I did the Disney thing when my daughter was young but as a 29+:) year old menopausal woman, this is not on my list of enjoyable ways to spend my summer vacation.
I almost deleted the email when I saw the subject was about next year's conference but curiosity got the better of me. These year's key note speak is Mike Huckabee. Really? Now, if he were going to play his guitar and entertain us during dinner, then okay, I can see that. But what could he possibly have to say as a key note speaker in a room full of brokers that is going to motivate me in a positive way?
Here's the thing- my broker /dealer deals only with independent financial advisors. The company holds our licenses so we can do business and in return collects a nice sum for enforcing compliance with the regulations and processing paperwork. We as financial advisors are independent contractors to the firm and come from all over the country and from all political sides of the street, so its not like I am the one liberal in a conservative firm who is gonna take offense at paying to see a wingnut. We independent types tend to lean left.
Here's the other thing- I am constantly getting solicitations from other broker dealers who want me to switch firms. So, why would my b/d choose a keynote speaker who is going to piss off many of their registered representatives? Last years speaker was David Gergen, who pretends to be neutral and at least could talk about world events and the economy but Huckabee???
I thought about dropping a note to the powers that be but I am already on their radar for doing such things like pointing out unfairness in charging fees to reps without disclosure. I won that one but they weren't happy.
Then I started thinking maybe I should go. One never knows, Huckabee could have a 47% moment. I shall ponder this some more.