My maternal grandmother Rozalia was the sweetest person I ever knew. When I would get a gift from her, she would simply say: “shut up and say thank you.” That was her way of saying that she didn’t want to hear any protest over a gift she gave.
When I worked at a law firm as a clerk when I was getting my LLM in Boston, we had a client who was a restaurant selling soups and salads. Every Wednesday, they gave us free bagels. They weren’t New York quality or even Boston Finagle Bagel quality, but they were free and they were OK. Yet, we had secretaries who complained every week about the bagels and I think you can’t complain about free food.
So if you’re allowed to speak at a retirement plan-related event and they’re not forcing you to contribute a fee, shut up and say thank you. Anytime you’re allowed to present, it’s an opportunity to build your practice. There’s no point in making any demands on what you speak on or how much, it’s a time to show some gratitude for the opportunity. From experience, free speaking engagements are few and far between.
