Whatever your take on the president, it was an honor to shake his hand | Opinion

While I have seen various presidents speak from the White House many times in my life on TV, this announcement of a new set of proposed rules for investor protections on Halloween was different.

I was there, sitting in the front row, just a few feet from the podium and President Joe Biden. How did this come to be?

I received an invitation to the event because for my entire 32-year career as a financial planner, I have advocated for raising the standard of care applicable to anyone giving financial advice to the public. I serve as chairman of the board of directors of CFP Board, the nonprofit standards-setting organization that grants and administers the CFP® mark for the nearly 100,000 certified financial planner™ professionals in the United States.

What was it like to go to the White House for a presidential announcement? Regardless of your opinions on President Biden, it was a fantastic experience! I did have to scramble to get there, since I received the invitation on a Sunday afternoon for the event on that Tuesday. Fortunately, everyone on my calendar was very supportive of rescheduling. After all, few will ever get such an invitation.

When I arrived at the gate, I was greeted by several heavily armed security personnel, wearing all black. As intimidating as they looked, they were exceedingly polite. After passing through the security screening, Secret Service agents directed me into the White House. Once inside, a series of men and women from each branch of the military in full dress uniform directed me to the State Dining Room.

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As I entered the room, I passed a seven-piece Marine band which played music ranging from Vivaldi to Bon Jovi. I was directed to a seat in the left front row. The only reserved seats were directly in front of the podium for the Secretary of Labor, one of the undersecretaries, and the head of the AARP. My terrific location was purely a matter of good fortune.

From my seat, I had a great view of the podium and what was happening in the back of the room, where a small army of photographers had assembled around two teleprompter screens large enough to make any football-loving southerner jealous.

The event did not start on time. Every time the band stopped playing, the crowd of 60 or so would quiet down. After a few false starts, when the band began another song, an audible groan would ensue.

Finally, when President Biden was announced, the band cranked out “Hail to The Chief” and he walked right past me as he stepped to the stage. With no one in front of me, there were several points during his remarks where we made direct eye contact. Each time I smiled and nodded.

I guess I made an impression. After his announcement and remarks, he came over to our section. He thanked me for coming and I thanked him for the invitation. He shook my hand and had a similar interaction with a few others on his way out. The whole thing took maybe 15 minutes. Surreal.

Over the years, I have become rather cynical about the goings-on in Washington and I can’t say this event changed that.

It did, however, inject a sense of pride and a jolt of patriotism. It’s not the man or the proposal — it’s the office, the building, the history, the painting of Abraham Lincoln hanging behind the podium, and the service men and women in their sharp full-dress uniforms.

God bless America!

Dan Moisand, CFP®, is a past national president of the Financial Planning Association.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Politics aside, it was an honor to meet the POTUS | Opinion