I am a proud member of the great National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. I am our local incoming president. The annual dues vary state to state I know the national portion of the dues are $141, in Louisiana our state dues are $80 and Local $79 total $300 year. The benefits are mainly that we have a voice on the state and federal level, helping keep things fair for our clients and our industry. This is ensures that we still have a stable environment to market our products. The other benefits are some money savings with UPS, CopyTalk, Office Depot, etc. Also most locals have monthly or bi-monthly meetings with speakers offering sales tips and do C.E. courses at meetings. In all my years in the business, I have never had to pay for 1 hour of CE because of our NAIFA meetings and the fact that we got a law passed in LA that if you attend at least 4 functions a year you get 4hrs CE. You can get more info by visiting www.naifa.org. PM or email me if you would like some info. Also you get discounted pricing for earning your LUTCF designation which you can not apply for without being in NAIFA.
$300 is about what I had in mind. The benefits sound worthwhile and it sounds like a great organization, but I think I'm going to have to wait till I get a few more sales under my belt. I've been cold lately and the "you might not make it" demons have been whispering in my head. This is partly due to bad luck and some distractions (helping a friend through trouble, cancer in the family, etc.) I couldn't completely control. So, I haven't worked as hard as I should have the past few weeks and I'll get it in gear and see how it goes.
If you go to the join page you can see how much the dues are for your area. Also, I can email you an application and there is a monthly bank draft option. I hope you are able to join after you get through your hard times. Best of luck.