Upholding Our Standards: Guidance and Oversight

As a global certifying body for advanced financial practitioners, IWI appoints a volunteer committee known as the Professional Review Board to ensure compliance with our high ethical and professional standards.

Learn about our association stewardship.

Transparency from the Start

Even before they become certified, candidates for IWI certifications undergo a background check and application process that helps us ensure they already align with our standards for ethical and professional conduct.

But our responsibility doesn’t stop there. We also uphold those standards by enforcing the Code of Professional Responsibility through a disciplinary process governed by our Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. These measures ensure we are:

• Establishing rules for use of the credentials we provide

• Holding certificants accountable for adhering to the ethical standards outlined in our Code of Professional Responsibility

• Protecting the integrity of our certifications, our certificants, the profession, and the public

Disciplinary Rules and Procedures

Investments & Wealth Institute has adopted formal Disciplinary Rules and Procedures, which outline the rules, process, and procedures through which IWI’s Professional Review Board enforces and upholds our standards.

1

Investigation

When IWI discovers that an IWI professional may have violated its rules, the Board impartially reviews and investigates the issue to determine whether the matter should be closed or opened as a formal disciplinary matter.

2

Hearing

The PRB appoints a hearing panel to hear and review evidence on the potential violations of Institute rules in accordance with its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

3

Actions

When misconduct is proved, the Board can take any of three types of disciplinary action:

  • A private letter of censure

  • A public letter of censure

  • A suspension of the individual's certification

  • A termination of an individual’s certification

4

Considerations

The decision to discipline a certificant depends on a number of factors, including, without limitation, the severity of the violation, any aggravating or mitigating circumstances, and the individual’s cooperation with the investigation of the Professional Review Board or Hearing Panel.

Download Full Disciplinary Rules and Procedures→REPORT OR FILE A COMPLAINT→View Disciplinary Actions →

Marks of Distinction: Rules for Displaying Your Certification

Individuals who have met the rigorous credentialing standards for the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) designations also earn the right to use the licensed certification marks that showcase their accomplishment.

When using any IWI certification marks in social media profiles, business communications, and marketing materials, IWI certified professionals must abide by the rules in the Marks Usage Guide. The guide includes license requirements, examples for proper marks use, and an antitrust statement.

Download the Marks Usage Guide →

Impartiality Statement

The Investments & Wealth Institute and our management are committed to ensuring that our certification and other activities are undertaken impartially, objectively, and fairly. To this end, the Institute’s policies, procedures, and actions are applied evenly to all persons.

The Institute also manages conflicts of interest and ensures that our activities and decisions are not adversely influenced by irrelevant factors. The Institute further is committed to ensuring that our certification activities are independent of our other activities and that our decisions at all phases of certification are made without bias or prejudice and based entirely upon the criteria for certification.

Antitrust Statement

The Investments & Wealth Institute is committed to compliance with all federal and state antitrust laws. In keeping with that commitment, the members of IWI's Board of Directors and Professional Advisory Council are reminded that certain topics are not proper subjects for discussion and consideration at any meeting of members, officers, directors, or committees, whether formal or informal.

While it is entirely appropriate to meet to discuss common problems and areas of interest, keep in mind that IWI members are competitors and any action taken to eliminate, restrict, or govern competition among members may constitute a violation of antitrust laws. Any discussion at IWI meetings that relates to significant factors of competition among members may raise the inference that such a discussion is for the purpose of agreeing upon a common course of business conduct.

Among the subjects that should never be discussed are fees, prices, costs, delinquency charges or fees, conditions, terms and prices of service, allocating or sharing customers, or refusing to deal with a particular supplier or class of suppliers. Agreements among competitors relating to any of these subjects are per se violations of antitrust laws and can lead to criminal and civil penalties.

It is essential that IWI directors, officers, and members take all necessary steps to prevent any IWI meeting from becoming a forum for discussions that might lead to an understanding or agreement, expressed or implied, which restrains or interferes with competition.

Questions about standards, compliance, or disciplinary actions?

Contact Legal Counsel: Rob Frankel

+1 303-850-3082
rfrankel@i-w.org