Investors Can Now Find Exceptional Advisors with IWI's New Tool, InvestmentHelp.org
Posted by Allison Edmondson, Director of Communications
Jun 5, 2023 3:00:00 PM
Denver, CO - June 5, 2023 - The Investments & Wealth Institute (the Institute), has just launched InvestmentHelp.org, an intuitive and easy-to use web-based tool that enables investors to connect with advisors who are certified to provide the help investors require with the financial aspects of their lives.
Investors seeking qualified, certified advisors answer a series of questions about their financial needs and goals on the site. This data - which is not stored nor shared by the Institute - is used to instantly match investors to advisors who meet their selected needs and who hold one of four certifications: Certified Investment Management Analyst®, Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, Retirement Management Advisor® and/or Certified Financial Planner® designations.
Unlike other online advisor listings, all professionals listed hold quality, legitimate certifications that are administered by non-profit certifying bodies to meet international best practices and standards for personnel certification providers.
“The investing public wants qualified, competent, ethical advisors who are certified in the fields and services they want or need. InvestmentHelp.org is designed to work for investors by featuring professionals who have met third-party certification standards in the four competencies that comprise most wealth management practices: investment consulting, private wealth advice, retirement management, and financial planning,” said Dorothy Bossung, CIMA®, CPWA®, RMA®, CFP®, Director at BDO Wealth Advisors and Board Chair for the Institute.
Investors navigate through just five easy screens on the site to find potential advisors. None of the data entered by users is captured or shared unless the consumer agrees to do so at the end of the process.
“Life Stage” — pinpointing where they fall on the wealth spectrum—from before accumulation, through accumulation, preservation, and distribution.
“Your Finances” — inputting their income and available investible assets.
“Your Preferences” — selecting various preferences they seek in an advisor (i.e., geographical proximity, demographic preferences, etc.).
“Your Situation” — indicating certain trigger events that can impact their recommended financial advice strategy (i.e., home purchase, change in family structure, cashflow or tax challenges, etc.).
“Your Priorities” — choosing factors that can affect their investment strategy, as well as indicating core competencies (certifications) they seek in an advisor.
Advisors who appear in the resulting matches are prioritized in order of those whose information most correctly correlates to the investor’s criteria - information sourced from their Institute member profile, which includes their certification status. Members who do not hold active certifications will not be listed.
"We’re excited to offer investors the ability to safely and securely choose from a list of certified advisors - advisors based on criteria important to them and who have proven their commitment to relevant experience, continuing education, and adherence to ethical standards,” said Sean R. Walters, CAE, Chief Executive Officer for the Institute.
Investors have control of whether and how they want to follow up with the list of advisors that InvestmentHelp.org matches them with. They can first view each advisor’s profile to learn more about their services. They can then fill out a form to request more information from the advisor or contact them directly.
The Institute first soft-launched the site in April to test it and encourage members to update and complete their member profiles before it was marketed to investors. An online advertising campaign targeting investors launched in June — including on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Barron’s and Google — and will run throughout the remainder of the year.
“We expect as we continue to market the tool to investors — and as more investors engage with the tool and hopefully share their positive experience with others — we will gain significant traction in the consumer marketplace,” Walters maintains. “Part of our organization’s mission is to promote the positive impact the financial advice industry can have on investors’ lives — enabling them to make better and more responsible financial decisions — and InvestmentHelp.org is an important first step in that journey.”