IRI's Cathy Weatherford Vows to Protect Clients, Pledges Support of Insured Retirement Industry during a White House Symposium

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) President and CEO Cathy Weatherford today joined Administration officials as a keynote speaker during a day-long White House symposium to recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Weatherford discussed the effects of financial exploitation on retirement planning and highlighted efforts made by financial services organizations to address the exploitation of elders.

"We are committed to the consumers we serve each and every day," said IRI President and CEO Cathy Weatherford, during the White House event. "The very last thing we want to see happen is for any bad actor to surreptitiously erase a lifetime of savings--the very act that can create financial ruin for an older American in the blink of an eye. We view our relationships with our clients as a lifelong partnership, and we are committed to protecting them from exploitation."

Today's White House Symposium on Elder Abuse precedes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which will take place tomorrow, June 15. The symposium primarily focused on aspects of elder abuse related to financial exploitation. Weatherford's remarks were delivered during the symposium's closing session, alongside Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator for the Administration for Community Living, and Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III, Assistant Director of the Office of Older Americans at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

To support World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, IRI, which spearheads the National Retirement Planning Coalition, is also organizing its member firms and external partners through the coalition to promote awareness of financial elder abuse, provide education about it, and disseminate resources that are available to help the most vulnerable. For more information on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, visit the Administration on Aging website by clicking here. To learn more about the National Retirement Planning Coalition and to download resources to help promote awareness of financial elder abuse, visit retireonyourterms.org.

Weatherford's complete remarks are available here.

About the Insured Retirement Institute: The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) is a not-for-profit organization that for twenty years has been a mainstay of service, commitment and collaboration within the insured retirement industry.  Today, IRI is considered to be the authoritative source of all things pertaining to annuities, insured retirement strategies and retirement planning. IRI proudly leads a national consumer education coalition of nearly twenty organizations and is the only association that represents the entire supply chain of insured retirement strategies: our members are the major insurers, asset managers, broker dealers and more than 150,000 financial professionals. IRI exists to vigorously promote consumer confidence in the value and viability of insured retirement strategies, bringing together the interests of the industry, financial advisors and consumers under one umbrella. IRI's mission is to: encourage industry adherence to highest ethical principles; promote better understanding of the insured retirement value proposition; develop and promote best practice standards to improve value delivery; and to advocate before public policy makers on critical issues affecting insured retirement strategies and the consumers that rely on their guarantees. Visit www.IRIonline.org today to experience the vast resources of the Insured Retirement Institute for yourself.  

About World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. In addition, WEAAD is in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. WEAAD serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

About the National Retirement Planning Coalition: The National Retirement Planning Coalition recognizes that the need to educate Americans on retirement planning is an ongoing effort and is committed to making retirement planning education a national priority. The National Retirement Planning Week^® and other coalition activities will demonstrate that it is possible to "Retire On Your Terms" if comprehensive retirement plans are properly developed and managed. To support these education efforts, the coalition maintains a year-round website--www.retireonyourterms.org--offering the latest resources to both consumers and financial professionals to help them stay focused on long-term financial goals.

- END -