Bob always says that what we do is sell a promise to pay. If clients don't trust us, then what good are our promises? A major part of being able to deliver on our promise to pay is not having to waste money paying fines. I take that very seriously in my role and work hard to ensure that our programs remain compliant.

This program is a big deal. We try to get as many advisors there as possible.

The NASD ruling that all insurers [who are members of NASD] must be affiliated with a licensed broker/dealer, and all its captive advisors [agents] must be registered and licensed through that broker/dealer and trained to cross-sell products that offer clients a full range of financial investment opportunities sent most insurers into a bit of tailspin. It couldn't be just life insurance anymore. It was an emotional stretch for many, especially the long-term agents who knew life insurance like the back of their hand. Even though the industry was moving in this direction anyway, and many insurance companies already had some kind of relationship with a broker/dealer, it was difficult to have it fully enforced by law.

We were now going to be recognizing individuals whose business assortment may not be the most profitable to our bottom line. That said, the playing field for earning credits under our form of measurement is level, and we have continued to be successful and profitable despite the huge shift in business over the past eight years. It's important to note that a large part of the high ratings and profitability of our company lies in our retention. We're saving big dollars every year by retaining our best advisors. In 2005, we retained 100 percent of our top 100 advisors. That's huge in our industry.

I've seen some great things happen when you develop trust across boundaries. This holds promise.

That which you have promised, you must perform.