Ann Wagner: "The American public is not as dumb as the government thinks they are"

Charleston – At the IRI Annual Meeting being held now in Charleston, South Carolina, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) kicked off the conference with an invigorating speech regarding the proposed DOL fiduciary rule. 

The mother of three from St. Louis talked about how her family has had to figure out how to save for retirement, just like all other American families. “Who do we go to?” Wagner asked. “You’re standing right here!” she said, motioning to the hundreds of advisors that make up the attendees at the event.

She reminded everyone of the American savings crisis. “Half of Americans age 55 and older have no retirement savings,” Wagner said. “There’s a real need for families to save and invest in their future. But Washington has a terrible habit of assuming you and the clients you serve can’t take care of yourselves.”

But Wagner says she believes the American people are much smarter than the government thinks they are. She also believes that if investors like their advisor, they should be able to keep their advisor; that the vast majority of financial professionals act in the interest of their clients.

“This is not a Wall St. issue, this is a Main St. issue!” Wagner exclaimed to the attendees, adding that financial advisors “are not snake oil salesmen.”