CIMA® Certification: IWI's Commitment to Excellence in Investment Management
Posted by Allison Edmondson, Director of Communications
May 10, 2021 3:00:00 PM
Denver, CO — May 10, 2021 — The premier professional association, education provider, and standards body for financial advisors, the Investments & Wealth Institute®, announced that its advanced Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) certification, the peak international, technical portfolio construction program, has met all requirements to be accredited for the third time by the ANSI National Accreditation Board under the international standard ISO/IEC 17024:2012.
Initially accredited in 2011, the CIMA® certification program was the first financial services credential in the United States accredited by ANSI®. In 2016 and again in 2021, CIMA® certification was re-accredited as a global certification, with a global body of knowledge and skills.
Reaccreditation was granted after evaluation by ANSI® against their standards on the processes required to earn and maintain the CIMA® certification. The Institute’s CIMA® certification continues to, among other things, successfully demonstrate that certification’s requirements, policies, and procedures are fair, objective, open and transparent. In addition, the Institute demonstrated sound financial and management systems and a certification process that consistently distinguishes those who meet a global standard of competency and skills in investment management from those who do not.
“The Institute is proud to again to have the CIMA® certification qualify for accreditation with ANSI®. This showcases the Institute’s continued commitment to the highest standards in our certifying process. With hundreds of designations available to financial planners and advisors, the credibility and quality of the CIMA® certification is validated through ANSI® reaccreditation,” said Sean R. Walters, CAE®, chief executive officer, Investments & Wealth Institute.
The Institute submitted to a rigorous process to maintain its five-year ANSI accreditation status. The Institute submitted annual renewal applications, completed bi-annual in-person audits conducted by ANSI assessors, being reaccredited by ANSI for each year of the two five-year periods. Upon reapplication in 2016, the Institute expanded the scope of the CIMA® certification to include all its global CIMA certification activities. The Institute currently administers its CIMA® certification to applicants, candidates, and certificants located in 39 countries.
The CIMA® Certification Process
CIMA® candidates must successfully demonstrate three years of experience in financial services, pass a background check, complete an executive education program, pass a 5-hour comprehensive certification exam, and a second background check to become a certified professional. To maintain the CIMA® certification, holders must complete and report 40 hours of continuing education, including two hours of ethics and one hour of tax and regulations education, every two years. The CIMA® program is currently offered in partnership with The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Yale School of Management, and the Investment Management Research Program in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the Institute enforces adherence to its Code of Professional Responsibility through its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures, which the volunteer-run Professional Review Board administers.
“The Institute voluntarily undertook the ANSI® accreditation process more than ten years ago to validate and ensure that CIMA® professionals and the CIMA® process are of the highest level of professional development training. Certificants, clients, employers, and regulators can continue to be assured that the CIMA® marks are granted and administered under rigorous guidelines. Not only does the Institute and its legacy of premier quality education stand behind the CIMA® designation, but so does the American National Standards Institute,” added Walters.
About the ANSI National Accreditation Board
The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the largest multi-disciplinary accreditation body in the western hemisphere, with more than 2,500 organizations accredited in approximately 80 countries. A non-profit and wholly owned subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ANAB has comprehensive signatory status across multilateral recognition arrangements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, is a private non-profit organization that oversees a broad array of standards development and accreditation activities in the United States, including standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Government agencies, organizations, and individuals are increasingly turning to ANSI accreditation to validate certification programs and help reduce fraud and misuse in certain industries. Accredited certifications contribute to the integrity, confidence and mobility of certified professionals.