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  • October 16, 2014

Denver, CO – October 16, 2014 – First Western’s Director of Retirement Consulting Services Paula Hendrickson was one of 140 elite 401(k) plan advisors in the United States who gathered in Washington, D.C., recently to listen to and advise top Congressional leaders about the future of the retirement savings industry, and how proposed laws and regulations could affect American workers’ retirement security.

Paula, a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), attended the second annual NAPA DC Fly-in Forum held in downtown Washington, D.C., on September 30 – October 1. The delegates met with key Senate legislative staff, as well as a high-ranking Treasury Dept. official, to discuss issues including tax reform, the proposed Department of Labor regulations on the definition of a fiduciary, and potential action by the Securities and Exchange Commission on its own fiduciary rule.

“Having access to speak with key federal leaders allowed us to advocate for the retirement industry.  I think these leaders are starting to understand the importance of the private-based retirement system,” Paula said.

The Fly-in Forum featured a day and a half of high-level discussions with Members of Congress, including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), SEC Commissioner Michael S. Piwowar, Senior Advisor of the U.S. Department of Treasury, J. Mark Iwry, and host of “Meet the Press” Chuck Todd.

Delegates then headed to Capitol Hill for a series of meetings with key Senate legislative staff. “We realize the U.S. Senate staff is looking at so many different issues on any given day, so it was exciting to be able to offer ourselves as a resource on key issues, such as tax reform and various proposed regulations.”

NAPA, a sister organization of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA), was created by and for retirement plan advisors. NAPA is the only advocacy group exclusively focused on the issues that matter to retirement plan advisors. Membership offers three valuable benefits: advocacy, business intelligence, and networking – all designed to keep plan advisors in the forefront of the industry and help them succeed.

 

About First Western Trust

First Western Trust’s mission is to be the best private bank for the Western wealth management client. The integrated wealth management firm delivers a complete package of goals-oriented wealth advisory services to clients that have a uniquely Western spirit from its 11 offices in Colorado, Arizona, California, and Wyoming.

Through its proprietary ConnectView service model, First Western delivers tailored solutions, spanning wealth planning, private banking, investment management, trusts and estates, insurance, philanthropic advisory, and retirement services to help meet its clients’ interconnected, and often complex, personal, business, and philanthropic needs.