Alphabet Soup

When my mom was an advisor at Rogers Group Financial, I always marveled at all the letters after her name on her business card.  Unlike many people, however, I knew what they represented in regards to the work involved in attaining them and how they bettered the work she did on behalf of her clients.  My sister and I would go to sleep and mom would stay up studying late into the night so that she could absorb all the important knowledge each designation provided her.

I thought it may be helpful if I spent a little time explaining what some of the letters are that you see after your advisor’s name.  Each of us have spent many hours working to gain very specific knowledge so that we can provide you with the best advice possible when helping you with the many difficult decisions in your lives.

CFP - Certified Financial Planner. I often refer to this as the advanced financial planning degree.  It is recognized as the highest standard in personal financial planning.   The academic program for the CFP is very intensive and an advisor who holds the CFP designation must agree to meet a very high degree of professionalism as well conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards.  The program covers every aspect of the financial planning process.  Everything we do for our clients at RGF is financial planning-based.  The CFP serves as the educational foundation of the work we do with our clients.

CIM - Chartered Investment Manager.  This designation focuses on portfolio creation and management.  The program covers advanced money management strategies and sophisticated investment techniques.   

CFA - Chartered Financial Analyst.  People who take the CFA program are looking to extend the knowledge they would have gained in the CIM program to a whole new level.  The program is extremely intense.  Typically this is a designation that you would take if you wanted to be an Investment Fund or Pension Fund Manager.

CLU - The Chartered Life Underwriter is an advanced designation that expands upon the knowledge gained in the CFP program with a focus on estate planning and wealth transfer.

FCSI - The Fellow of the Canadian Securities institute is the most senior credential in Canadian financial services.  It is held by financial service professionals who meet the highest standards for advanced education, ethical conduct, industry experience and peer endorsement.

There are other designations you will see on your advisors business cards such as RHU, CPCA, FMA, CDFS, RFP, ChFC, ETC.  Each of these designations represent time invested by your advisor to serve you to the best of our abilities.