GAMA International 2012 Annual Report - (Page 11)

RESEARCH Investigating the Future In recent years, our world has changed dramatically. A decade ago, for instance, who could have predicted the explosion of social media and its astonishing impact on us all? Or the mortgage crisis and the ensuing global financial meltdown? Or Americans’ widespread abandonment of giant malls and big-box stores for smaller shops and virtual businesses? Yet in hindsight, the trends were there — just unnoticed or unappreciated for their potential. What changes are bubbling now that field leaders should heed? The GAMA Foundation has set out to answer that question in two very different but important ways. Firm 2020 In Firm 2020, the GAMA Foundation is exploring the future from the perspective of the financial services field leader. What change drivers will have the greatest impact on your business? Firm 2020 will provide insight into trends, public policies, and other emerging issues that will shape the financial profiles of your future clients. It will identify the types of services, products, and skills that will be needed to meet the new client demands — and profile the successful business models expected to emerge. Finally, Firm 2020 will identify outlier events that could dramatically alter the operating environment of our industry — essentially changing the game for us completely. Te bottom line: We will help you plan decisions and allocations to better align your firm with where it will need to be in the future. So watch for Firm 2020 at LAMP ’13 in San Diego. Field Leader Priorities: The Study of What to Study In the Field Leader Priorities study, the GAMA Foundation is exploring the future to learn how it can continue to help you raise your game. Te Field Leader Priorities study is the GAMA Foundation’s “study of what to study.” Tis research identifies the GAMA Foundation’s hot list of research topics for the coming decade that can be most beneficial to fueling field leader success down the road. Researchers used a rigorous process to help us identify our top research priorities, including: n Interviews with 100 forward thinkers from across the industry who provided a rich and compelling database of the challenges anticipated for field leaders n Focus groups that vetted the results of the forward-thinker interviews to further distill and refine the list n A survey that allowed all GAMA International members to weigh in on the resulting topics GA M A INTERN A T I ON A L 2 0 1 2 A NNU A L REPOR T 11 “I have never been more excited about the work of the GAMA Foundation. The Field Leader Priorities study will ensure that future research projects address the issues most important to us as field leaders. Firm 2020 will reveal what the next five to 10 years will hold for our firms, our teams, and our clients. Stay tuned and you’ll be excited as I am.” Richard R. McCloskey, CLU ChFC CFP Securian Financial Group http://www.gamafoundation.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GAMA International 2012 Annual Report

GAMA International 2012 Annual Report