The dream of every journalist is to score the big interview. Now, big is a very subjective word. There are some who would say my 4-part series with Frontline Producer Martin Smith was the big interview of the year. For me, though, the dream interview was Phyllis C. Borzi, assistant secretary of Labor of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). She is, after all, the general leading the charge for a fiduciary standard that all the king's horses and all the king's men seem to be fighting against. Martin Smith, by comparison, is a mere observer, a beneficiary of the events around him. In "Star Trek" terms, Martin Smith is to Chris Pine what Phyllis Borzi is to William Shatner. (Note to self, you've engaged or otherwise met the first three, now go after the fourth.) 

I didn't know what to expect when the DOL public affairs person said yes when I asked to interview Borzi. I also didn't know what to expect when I actually interviewed her. Finally, I didn't know what to expect of the readers when they finally read the interview. Would they think it too structured? Too kind? Ground-breaking? News-worthy? (You be the judge and read it here.)

Here's what I came away with: 

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Christopher Carosa

Chris Carosa has been writing a weekly article and monthly column for BenefitsPRO online and BenefitsPRO Magazine since 2011 and is a nationally recognized award-winning writer, researcher and speaker. He’s written seven books, including From Cradle to Retire: The Child IRA; Hey! What’s My Number? – How to Increase the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort; A Pizza The Action: Everything I Ever Learned About Business I Learned By Working in a Pizza Stand at the Erie County Fair; and the widely acclaimed 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions. Carosa is also Chief Contributing Editor of the authoritative trade journal FiduciaryNews.com and publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, a weekly community newspaper he founded in 1989. Currently serving as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and with more than 1,000 articles published in various publications, he appears regularly in the national media. A “parallel” entrepreneur, he actively runs a handful of businesses, including a small boutique investment adviser, providing hands-on experience for his writing. A trained astrophysicist, he also holds an MBA and has been designated a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. Share your thoughts and story ideas with him through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christophercarosa/)and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ChrisCarosa).