From Observer to a Seat at the Table: FSI Forum & Capitol Hill Day 2025

For James Robinson, nothing beats the real thing.

The financial advisor member from Stevens Point, WI, first joined FSI in 2005 to gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing the industry. But attending FSI Forum & Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C., made him feel like a real player with stakes in the game.

“I’ve gone from being an observer to having a seat at the table—literally,” said Robinson, a wealth advisor with Schulfer & Associates. “There is no replacing the human connection.”

Financial services, of course, is the ultimate relationship-based business, with advisors and executives needing to build trust and rapport with clients and other stakeholders to thrive. A similar dynamic exists at FSI Forum & Capitol Hill Day. The three-day annual event provides a cross-section of our members from around the country with not only the opportunity to network with their peers but also to meet lawmakers and their staff.

On the docket during those meetings were a range of issues important to our members and their clients, as well as the broader industry. They include protecting the independent contractor status of our financial advisor members by urging lawmakers to support the Modern Worker Empowerment Act; restoring the tax deductibility of advisory fees and expanding the 199A deduction to include financial advisors in tax legislation this year; and advocating for enhanced protections for seniors and other vulnerable investors.

All About Connecting

“For me, it was all about connecting,” said John DeSalva, President of the Georgetown Financial Group in Georgetown, Connecticut. “I was able to reconnect with some folks in our industry I hadn’t seen for a while. And some of the legislative staff I met with remembered me from my last visit and seemed more engaged in what I was saying.”

“Participation means education,” he said. “You get educated about some of the issues that are important to our industry. You get educated as to how the legislative branch works. And you get to impart some education on the legislative staff members you meet with.”

Top Political and Industry Thought Leaders

The event kicked off with Jeff Bush’s “Washington Update.” The longtime financial services veteran and current political analyst discussed the priorities of the Republican-controlled government, what it can realistically accomplish and how the new political dynamics will impact investors, advisors and business leaders.

Top leaders from FINRA and the Securities Exchange Commission addressed advisors along with the Chiefs of Staff to Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Andy Kim (D-NJ). Rep. Aaron Bean, a Florida Republican member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for writing tax legislation, also spoke to the group.

Congressional Meetings

Members then met with several Congressional staff, an “excellent opportunity to advocate for the financial services industry and help educate legislators on key issues,” said Colleen Bell, President, Innovation and Experience, Cambridge Investment Research in Fairfield, IA.

“Many longstanding challenges affect financial professionals and their clients, and having the chance to speak directly with decision-makers was truly invaluable,” Bell said.

For DeSalva, the key is to connect the concerns of the industry to the lives of ordinary people.

“Whenever one gets a chance to visit with a legislator and his or her staff, it is important to place whatever issue you are talking about in the context of the greater good,” he said. “It is one thing to say that our industry would be better off if this rule changed or that law changed, but we will have a much more meaningful impact if we talk about how the changes we want will benefit everyday working Americans.”

To be sure, many may feel hesitant about spending a day on Capitol Hill, whether it’s because meeting with lawmakers discussing legislative proposals seems daunting or because squabbles about policy often descend into tribalism. But Robinson said it’s hard to be cynical after participating in FSI Forum & Capitol Hill Day.

“It made me believe that we can make a difference for advisors and their clients,” he said. “Maybe not immediately, but over time.”