Birnbaum Financial Group

H3 – Business Halachah Conference
Chicago, IL

My partner, Nathan Lerman, and I attended this annual event a few weeks ago that focuses on ethics and morals in business. A total of greater than 800 participants attended ranging in industries from healthcare, financial services, real estate, accounting, law, medicine and a myriad of others.

Topics included estate planning, workplace challenges of being too familiar with employees and the implications thereof, being respectful of vendors and honoring commitments made to them, committing to self-improvement and a host of others.

Besides the networking sessions, good food, inspiring speakers, and being motivated to do better in a balanced lifestyle, the spectrum of ages was remarkable. Business owners, professionals, managers, entrepreneurs, speakers, and even students ranged in ages from 18 to 95. Each and every one came to learn, improve and leave this unique event inspired to do better for themselves, as well as others.

Having gone for the last several years, I always do come away inspired, motivated, and focused on doing better, and more. This year was no different. I look forward to the event and think back on the major themes of prior years, since it does change from year to year.

Million Dollar Round Table Edge 2025 - Austin Texas
Or
Spending Time with a Insurance Influencer Pre-Tick Tock Era

Joining MetLife in 1991, as an agent, I was exposed early on to a Home Office Vice President, Joe J. Jordan. In those early days, he was responsible for assisting advisors on how to present the annuities clearly to advisors. Once the advisors understand the products, they would be able to present it appropriately to suitable clients.

Besides being extremely clear, and a wry sense of humor, he was able to make the presentations memorable, so the advisor thought of the product when meeting with prospective clients. One presentation, as I recall he came on stage wearing an umbrella which was fastened to his head to demonstrate the protective features that annuities had to offer. It was a humorous appearance but underscored the point that he wished to make. It must be memorable, because 30 years later, I still recall the event, and smile as a recall it. For the longest time, I had one of those umbrellas in my office.

During his career at MetLife, Joe helped countless advisors with his insights into industry trends and products, be they the implications of what the various products did or how they performed, besides waxing philosophically about what our industry represents. He was almost poetic in how he described the impact of our work.

A great deal of advisors were brought back to basics in that our industry protects the widows, orphans, employees, and their loved ones in a most meaningful fashion. His Life of Significance was so striking that to this day in my foyer, in our new building in Skokie, I have a poster size of that analogy.

His greatest contribution to the field force, I believe, was his reintroducing us to the basics of our industry. Our goal he reiterated, and reinforced, was to be meaningful to our clients. To make a difference to our clients and be impactful. His book, “A Life of Significance” underscored that message. This message was important in the 90s and I believe much more important 30 years later. Thank you, Joe, for all that you do and did!

Wealth Management Conference 2025
Vienna, Austria

This past week, I returned from a conference on Wealth Management in the Austrian capital of Vienna. This city was at one time was the capital of the Austrian Hungarian Empire. It was not overrun by the Turks despite the great empire that they represented and all its resources. Vienna was the home of the Hapsburg dynasty which led the empire for almost 700 years and encouraged the development of music, being the home for Hayden, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and many others beginning in the 17th century and on.

Speaking, reading and writing Yiddish, which is a form of ninth century German, I thought it would be easy to understand the spoken German and/or the written word. I was sadly mistaken. I attended services on Saturday, at a well-known synagogue, the Stadttempel, which was completed in 1826, and had a cantor as well as a choir. The sermon was in German, and Hebrew, and was largely unintelligible to me.

Vienna is a little bit of a foodie city, and we were not disappointed. The cuisine was excellent, with great presentation, and variety. We took tours of Hapsburg Palace in which we had a formal dinner including waltzing, of course, and the Schonbrunn Palace, with its remarkable gardens.

The people were courteous, and respectful, and we were treated well. All in all, the trip was remarkable, the activities and meetings were extraordinary, and with such an exotic venue, it was quite memorable.