Because this month’s feature article is written by Kevin Kelly, TAARReport thought it would be useful to take a look back at a profile of Kelly, which we ran in our February, 1999 issue. Following is an excerpt of that profile:

TAARReport: When, how, and why did you get interested in computers and technology?

KK: I grew up in the technology arena. My father was an electronic engineer and our family business was the manufacture of printed circuit boards and custom electronic systems design. At the age of eight I had my own lab coat with my name on it and was working in the plant doing errands that an eight-year-old could handle."

TAARReport: Where did you go to school and what kind of training did you get?

KK: I attended the University of Connecticut. However, much to the chagrin of my parents, I left to start my first business. It was a multimedia design and production company that specialized in two areas that I loved – computers and communications.

TAARReport: Realistically, what do you see as the future of the independent agency system as we know it?

KK: My feeling is that independent agents will not be entirely replaced by technology and the Internet, unless they add no value through their knowledge or service models…Rather, I feel that independent agents have the greatest opportunity to become full service financial services consulting enterprises, if they are willing to use technology to communicate with their customers. They must also be willing to investigate the incorporation and delivery of additional services…

In conclusion, stated Kelly, "…being in business today means keeping up with relevant issues, not whining about how complex or difficult things have gotten."