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Academy of Financial Services (AFS)
An international academic organization, the AFS holds annual meetings where continuing
education credit can be earned.
Researchers present papers covering all aspects of individual financial management and education.
Panel discussions and tutorials devoted to individual financial management issues of
current interest are also included in the program. The membership includes college professors,
financial planners, financial consultants and other professionals.
Accreditation Council for Accountancy & Taxation (ACAT)
The Council is an independent monitoring, testing, and accrediting organization. Professionals
earn accreditation in the accounting or tax field through coursework and examination, and
keep credentials through continuing education and adhering to rules, and a code of ethics.
Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA)
AIMA represents the global alternative investment community and provides a centre of
knowledge for professional investment practitioners. It provides education, information and
research and addresses the key issues affecting the industry around the world.
American Bankers Association (ABA)
The ABA is the national trade and professional association assisting the entire banking
community. It offers training programs in Business Banking, Community Banking, Compliance, Staff
Training and Human Resources, Marketing, Operations, Consumer Banking, Trusts and Investments
and Consumer Education.
The American College
An independent, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers professional certification
and graduate-degree distance education to men and women seeking career growth in financial
services. The College offers educational programs leading to the CLU, ChFC, RHU, and REBC,
and in conjunction with LIMR International and GAMA International, the CLF designation.
The College also offers a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Educational Curriculum,
whereby students may qualify to sit for the CFP Certification Examination.
American Institute of Financial Gerontology (AIFG)
Provides continuing education and confers the Certified Financial Gerontologist (CFG)
designation to professionals who advise older consumers and their families.
American Risk and Insurance Association (ARIA)
ARIA's focus is on research and education relevant to the operational concerns and
functions of insurance professionals, and provides resources, information and support on
important insurance issues.
American Society of Pension Actuaries (ASPA)
A group devoted to the design and administration of qualified retirement plans. The ASPA
awards the CPC - Certified Pension Consultant and QPA - Qualified Pension Administrator
designations.
Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU)
A national associaton of life insurance planners who are commited to preserving insurance
through political involvement.
Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE)
A non-profit, professional organization comprised of researchers, academics, and
financial counselors, educators and planners. AFCPE offers two certification programs, Accredited
Financial Counselor (AFC) and Certified Housing Counselor (CHC), through its Institute for
Personal Finance (IPF).
Association of Financial Planning Professionals (AFPP)
A non-profit organization that provides an independent voice for financial planning
professionals to better educate and organize themselves to develop their independent
practices, allowing for business growth and improved client service.
Association of Health Insurance Agents (AHIA)
AHIA seeks to provide leadership in sustaining and improving the business environment for
those engaged in health underwriting, enhance the professional skills of those providing
health products and foster greater financial independence for the public.
Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM)
A non-profit academic research center which focuses on security and investment fund
performance in both U.S. and international asset markets. The goals of CISDM are to
facilitate research in both traditional and alternative investment markets, to promote
interactions between the academic and business communities, and to make available CISDM
educational material on international financial markets to financial and non-financial firms.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
A nonprofit professional certifying organization that awards the certification marks
CFPTM, Certified Financial Planner and CFPTM. To receive these designations individuals
must successfully complete the CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements,
including an approved curriculum and a ten-hour examination.
CFA Institute
The CFA Institute administers the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program, offers conferences, seminars,
and publications, and sets the AIMR Performance Presentation Standards (AIMR-PPS).
Chartered Property Casulty Underwriters Society (CPCU)
A Society of CPCUs who have passed ten national examinations by the American Institute for
CPCU. It represents all sectors of business and levels of management.
The Corporation for Long-Term Care Certification (CLTCC)
An educational program leading to the "Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) designation.
The Financial Engineering Alliance
A centralized financial advisory source for the delivery of services and products that are
competitively priced. The IFE awards the RFC (Registered Financial Engineer) designation to
those who complete a 2-day course.
Financial Planning Association
A membership organization for the financial planning community that fosters the value
of financial planning and advances the financial planning profession. Membership benefits
include professional networking opportunities,
continuing education opportunities, a subscription to the Journal of Financial Planning, a
voice on legislative advocacy matters, online information and services, and business and
marketing tools to help members build their practices and enhance their job performance.
The Global Institute of Finance and Banking (TGIF)
The purpose of this program is to prepare graduates for management roles in the banking industry.
The program is designed to meet the needs of banking organizations for people who have the
knowledge and skills to perform complex management functions in a rapidly changing environment.
Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA)
As the biggest and oldest independent agent association nationally, the IIAA offers
advocacy, business tools and media visibility to it members.
Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts
National organization dedicated to the certification, education and promotion of the use
of financial professionals in the divorce arena. They award the Certified Divorce Financial
Analyst (CDFA) designation.
Institute of Business and Finance (IBF)
The IBF's objectives are to enhance the professionalism of the financial service industry,
to serve persons who deal with this industry and to offer quality education. The Institute
offers programs to earn the following designations: CFS, BCS, BCE, BCI and BCM.
Institute of Consumer Financial Education (ICFE)
A consumer oriented, non-profit, public education organization dedicated to helping
people of all ages improve their spending, increase their savings and use credit more wisely.
International Association of Qualified Financial Planners (IAQFP)
A non-profit organization that grants the QFP designation to those with the CFP, ChFC or
CPA/PFS designation that stresses open nominations and election, open discussions and open
enrollment.
International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC)
The IARFC offers RFC certification, professional exchange of ideas, and referral of prospective
clients. Their objective is to offer benefits to assist the practice and professional
growth of the Registered Financial Consultant.
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)
An educational association serving the employee benefits and compensation industry as a source of
education and information to the industry.
International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE)
Giver of the CRC and CRA designations, InFRE is a non-profit organization dedicated to
advancing the quality of retirement for American workers through objective, non-biased
academically driven initiatives.
Investment Counsel Association of America, Inc. (ICAA)
A non-profit organization whose membership consists solely of SEC-registered investment
advisory firms. They sponsor a number of educational meetings and conferences.
Investment Company Institute (ICI)
Trade association of the American investment company industry; provides membership support
services, represents the investment company industry on federal and state legislative,
regulatory, and tax issues.
Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA)
A non-profit organization that provides education to investment management consultants and
develops industry standards. They also provide forums for ongoing education and
information-sharing among their members. IMCA offers the advanced designation designed
specifically for investment consultants, the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) program.
LIMRA International
LIMRA supports and improves the marketing functions of life insurance companies by providing
products and services. It also helps in consultation and educational services.
Life Office Management Association, Inc. (LOMA)
An international association through which insurance and financial
services companies engage in research and educational activities to improve company operations.
LOMA provides members with quality employee development, research, information sharing,
and related products and services. The association awards the certification of
Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
An organization of the elite producers of life insurance. Membership is based on production
requirements that are adjusted annually. About 66% of membership are U.S. Those with greater
production may qualify for Court of the Table or Top of the Table. Holds an annual conference
and produces a variety of productivity aids for the members.
National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA)
An organization enrolled agents that have been qualified to practice.
National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAWPC)
The NAEP enhances the professionalism of estate planners and assists them to deal with the
important issues that impact their clients, the consumer and the general society.
It now incorporates a Web Partner Program for its member councils, and has joined an
alliance with the American College to offer graduate-level courses as the education
requirement for the AEP designation.
National Association of Financial and Estate Planning (NAFEP)
A private association that has an on-going trust & estate planning practice and a
consulting service for its members. Members must be financial, accounting or legal professionals.
National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counselors (NAFIC)
A professional and educational association.
National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies (NAILBA)
A non-profit trade association that serves the United States and North American life brokerage
agencies. To be a member, agencies must have a license, have two years experience, have
three or more companies they represent and have their primary business of selling
life/health insurance directly to customers.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
The NAIC provides a level of uniformity among individual states' regulatory activities, serves
as a clearing house for information among the states, develops regulatory legislation, and
organizes political unity among the insurance commissioners of each state.
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA)
A U.S. based association of life insurance agents, multi-line agents and financial advisors.
Holds a national annual conference, provides services and programs to persons offering
broader services.
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
Professional association for Fee-Only comprehensive financial planners in the United States.
National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (NAPIA)
Members enjoy a Fax-on-demand service, hands-on training, networking, information resource center
on the Web, PIA Newsline (online newsletter), discounts on software, and annual conventions.
Its Governmental Affairs Department represents the legislative and regulatory interests of
PIA members and customers before Congress, the Executive Branch and other governmental bodies.
National Association of Review Appraisers & Mortgage Underwriters (NARA/MU)
A non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining standards and promoting ongoing education
in the fields of Appraisal Review Underwriting. Included in some of the membership benefits
are Guideline Booklets, Review Forms, Industry Updates, a Three-day Review Appraisal
Conference and One- and Two-Day Seminars.
National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD)
The largest securities-industry self-regulatory organization in this country. The NASD provides
a dispute resolution forum, develops rules and regulations, holds regulatory reviews of
member activities, and creates, operates and regulates securities markets for the benefit
of investors.
National Association of State Retirement Advisors (NASRA)
Members administer the state retirement systems for the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE)
An independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to helping Americans acquire the
information and gain the skills needed to make knowledgeable and positive decisions about
their personal finances. The foundation accomplishes this mission by partnering with
others to provide financial education to youth, segments of society with special needs,
and the general public.
National Institute of Certified College Planners (NICCP)
Provides training, certification, support, and marketing assistance to financial planners
and advisors wishing to add college planning to their portfolio of services.
NICCP confers the Certified College Planning Specialist (CCPS) designation upon financial
planners who successfully complete a
comprehensive training program and demonstrate competency in college planning.
National Institute of Certified Estate Planners (NICEP)
A non-profit association that provides educational and support services to estate planning
professionals. NICCP conducts educational classes, provides an interchange between interested
advisors, offers the public a web-based look-up procedure to locate a qualified advisor, and
awards the CEP designation.
National Tax Sheltered Annuity Association (NTSAA)
An independent, non-profit group that focuses on the 403(b) market. NTSAA conducts
national and regional conferences and offers a professional designation program (CSTSA)
for specialists in tax sheltered accounts.
North American Securities Administrators Association (NASSA)
NASSA is the national organization representing securities administrators from all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, who are responsible for
investor protection and regulatory oversight of the securities industry. NASAA recommends
policies in the securities industry and provides model legislation and rule making for state
securities agencies to adopt affecting the regulation of broker-dealers and investment advisers.
In its non-regulatory role, NASAA works with the SEC to protect the interest of all investors
in the securities markets, particularly individual investors.
Registered Financial Planners Institute (RFPI)
The Institute endorses courses from other educational resources. Affiliate members of the
RFPI must complete coursework within two years and are given a subscription to a newsletter.
The RFP designation is acquired when they have two years experience in their respective
field, attend an Institute course or complete a similar program from another organization.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
An independent, quasi-judicial U.S. government agency whose mission is to administer
laws in the securities field and to protect investors and the public in securities
transactions. The SEC has the authority to audit Registered Investment Advisers
and registered representatives and bring enforcement actions against them if it
believes they are violating any securities acts or other federal securities laws.
Society of Insurance Trainers (SITE)
An organization for insurance educators. Provides regional and national
conferences and resources for training expertise to help its members.
Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP)
A professional membership organization with continuing education and ethical practice
requirements. Members may hold designations such as CLU, ChFC, REBC or RHU. Some are
specialists in personal financial planning, others in employee benefits, brokerage, law,
accounting, business insurance or estate and business planning.
Society of Certified Senior Advisors (SCSA)
The Society of Certified Senior Advisors grants the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)
designation. They are an educational organization that provides in-depth training on senior
issues to professionals who work with seniors.
