# Social Security summit to open Protectors Vegas in November URL: https://www.financialadvsr.com/article/social-security-summit-to-open-protectors-vegas-in-f632e6 Published: October 18, 2026 By: Nora Kessler, Practice & Technology Correspondent Section: News Publisher: Financial ADVSR (https://www.financialadvsr.com) NARSSA will host its first Social Security summit on opening day of the NAIFA-powered Protectors Vegas event, November 9 to 11 at The Venetian in Las Vegas. 401k Specialist reported on October 18 that the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, known as NARSSA, will host a Social Security summit that opens Protectors Vegas, an industry event powered by NAIFA. According to that outlet's summary, the discussion will address Social Security's large role in retirement outcomes and will open this year's event, which runs November 9 to 11, 2026, at The Venetian in Las Vegas. NARSSA announced the plan on October 14, 2026, in a release distributed through EIN Presswire. The company described the session as the first RSSA Social Security Summit and said it will be a dedicated program on the opening day of Protectors. The Protectors Vegas venue page identifies The Venetian as the official conference hotel. ThinkAdvisor reported the same day that the inaugural Summit kicks off Protectors and replaces NAIFA's previous APEX conference. ThinkAdvisor said the scheduled topics include how consumers view Social Security, how it fits within overall retirement planning, and health and long-term care planning. A NARSSA post on LinkedIn described the Summit as taking place Monday, November 9, and said it kicks off three days of Protectors. The NARSSA release names several participants. Joel Eskovitz, identified in the release as the Social Security director at the AARP Public Policy Institute, is among the speakers, along with Carroll Golden, identified as NAIFA's Executive Director of Knowledge Centers. The panel lineup includes Ash Brokerage EVP Mike McGlothlin, AmeriLife's Matt McClure and NARSSA President Martha Shedden. NARSSA COO Ted Rosedale is quoted in the release describing NARSSA as the Social Security sponsor and partner for the Summit. The release also gives scale figures for the wider event: more than 1,000 attendees, 75 exhibitors, 150 speakers and 75 sessions. Those figures conflict with other sources. The Protectors site describes 60-plus sessions across three streams, and announcements from the 2025 launch projected more than 1,500 attendees. The sources do not reconcile these numbers, so they should be treated as unconfirmed. NARSSA says its work aims to produce better retirement results through Social Security instruction, planning resources and support for professionals. Its About page lists Martha Shedden as President, Ted Rosedale as COO and Michael Rosedale as Chairman. An earlier NARSSA release this year reported that 47 states have several thousand active RSSAs, and that more than 4,500 people were enrolled in the firm's education program. The firm says it is not connected to the Social Security Administration or any other government body. A LinkedIn profile lists the company as founded in 2017 and headquartered in Melville, New York, while NARSSA's press releases carry a New York City dateline. NAIFA, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, traces its origins to 1890, when it began under the name National Association of Life Underwriters, and it adopted its current name in 1999. It represents approximately 200,000 financial professionals nationwide through state and local associations, according to a NAIFA affiliate's website. Protectors Vegas was announced in October 2025 by NAIFA and Connectiv, the company led by founder and CEO Jay Weintraub, which also owns Medicarians and created InsureTech Connect and Manifest. NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux was quoted in the 2025 launch announcement, and InsuranceNewsNet reported that the event was built to increase participation in NAIFA's annual conference. NARSSA also announced a partnership with Social Security Advisors in September 2025. The Protectors Vegas run is now scheduled for November 9 to 11, with the Summit set to open the program on Monday, November 9. The sources do not describe the full Summit agenda or any outcomes beyond the announced schedule, and further details would need to come from the organizers. Key facts: - NARSSA announced the first RSSA Social Security Summit on October 14, 2026. - Protectors Vegas runs November 9 to 11, 2026, at The Venetian in Las Vegas. - The release cites more than 1,000 attendees, 75 exhibitors, 150 speakers and 75 sessions. - NARSSA states it has no affiliation with the Social Security Administration or any other government agency. - NAIFA represents approximately 200,000 financial professionals through state and local associations. Why it matters: For advisors, a Social Security session opening a large insurance and annuity industry gathering suggests that claiming and planning questions are drawing attention beyond traditional retirement-planning forums. Teams deciding where to spend conference time may want to compare the agenda with the questions their clients ask most often. Firm leaders should note that the sources give conflicting attendance and session counts, so those figures should be verified before they are repeated. Sources: - 401k Specialist: https://401kspecialistmag.com/social-security-summit-protectors-vegas-narssa/ - einpresswire.com: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/949644299/narssa-debuts-first-rssa-social-security-summit-on-opening-day-of-protectors-vegas-2026 - thinkadvisor.com: https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2026/10/14/narssa-announces-inaugural-social-security-summit/ - linkedin.com: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsplivalo/ - at.naifa.org: https://at.naifa.org/naifa-and-connectiv-team-up-to-launch-protectors-vegas-2026 - protectorsvegas.com: https://protectorsvegas.com/ - narssa.org: https://www.narssa.org/