What is required to maintain CIMA® Certification?
- Complete and report a total of 40 CE hours including 2 ethics hours and 1 taxes/regulations hour
- Pay the certification renewal fee
- Complete the compliance requirement
Do I have to be a member to keep my certification?
All certificants receive an automatic two-year membership upon first becoming certified. If a certificant maintains their certification, that individual is an active member.
Membership aligns with your certification renewal date. While a Basic membership is provided, members upgrade to Signature or Elite membership at the time of renewal or anytime during their two-year membership period. By upgrading to Signature or Elite membership, certificants have exclusive benefits to the CE library, discounts on events and courses – and much more.
Do I have to earn all CE with Investments & Wealth Institute?
No, CE can be earned from a variety of sources. Please check the CE Sponsors page on the website to find the preapproved providers.
I let my CIMA® or CPWA® certication expire, how can I get it back?
There are two Reinstatement options available to individuals who are no longer certified (CE option for applying for reinstatement within 2 years of termination date, Exam option for applying past 2 years). **See reinstatement policy.
Can I carry over any of my CE hours?
Yes. CIMA® and CPWA® certificants can carry-over up to 10 CE hours to the next renewal period if they were earned within the last six months of the current period. Ethics CE does carry over
Do I have to earn 80 hours of CE if I hold both designations I carry over any of my CE hours?
No, the CE topics and hours that are accepted apply towards both certifications
Can I have an extension to get my CE hours?
- No. Unfortunately extensions are not available.
- Not Licensed: Certificants who No have not met the three renewal requirements will receive an email stating they are no longer licensed on the next business day after certification renewal requirements are due. They then have an additional week to meet all requirements before they get an official Relinquishment letter.
- Relinquishment: Relinquishment letter, reinstatement policy and reinstatement application is mailed via certified mail one week after the Not Licensed email is received.
When will I receive a renewal reminder?
- Auto Email is sent at 1 year, 180 days, 90, 60, 30, 15, 7 prior to renewal date
- 90 day letter is mailed to primary address on record
- Will receive phone calls and personalized email when it get closer to their renewal date
I can’t meet my requirements because I am having medical issues, what should I do?
We offer a Leave of Absence for certificants in this situation. They have to send an email (30 days before renewal date) requesting an LOA to recertification@i-w.org and it must be approved. Reasons one usually applies: personal illness, family emergency, pregnancy difficulties, taking care of sick family member etc. Unemployment, job change or being busy doesn’t qualify for an LOA.
I’m retiring, is there a retirement status?
No, there is not a retirement status. Certificants can remain certified if they meet all 3 renewal requirements. Certificants who are retiring may submit a request to voluntarily drop their certification. Voluntary Drop status does result in the individual no longer being certified, and they would have to go through reinstatement should they wish to earn the certification back. For this, they are not certified and cannot use the marks. Voluntary Drop requests must be sent to recertification@i-w.org.
I need to verify my certification, can I receive something in writing that confirms I hold certification and it is in good standing?
Yes. We have an email titled Letter of Good standing that will confirm an individual holds certification and it is in good standing.
Can I pay the certification renewal fee over the phone?
No. We do not accept payments over the phone. Certification renewal payments may be paid online under the My Renewal Requirements area of the Dashboard, or a Certification Renewal Invoice can be sent to the certificant to complete with payment information. The Certification Renewal Invoice can be downloaded from the My Renewal Requirements area of the Dashboard or downloaded from NetForum to be emailed to the certificant.
How can I submit my CE?
You may report CE online through the Dashboard. After logging into your Dashboard, click on Report CE to begin the reporting process.
Can I see all the courses that have been posted to my CE record?
Yes. Under the My Renewal Requirements area of the Dashboard there is a CE Summary button that will provide you with a summary of CE courses/programs that have been reported to your current renewal period.
Can I get a CE Summary for a past renewal period?
Yes. Once you click on the CE Summary Button under My Renewal Requirements there will be a drop down at the top of the page that will allow you to select a past renewal period.
How can I obtain a receipt for a payment I made?
You may print off a receipt from the My Transactions area of your Dashboard. There is a My Transactions link on the left side of your Dashboard.
I’m planning to attend a conference next week that is not preapproved, can you tell me if it will be accepted for CE?
Unfortunately we are unable to verify CE over the phone AND are unable to review events before they occur.
A third party calls in to verify certification for employment, what I can tell them?
- You may verify if a CIMA® or CPWA® certificant is certified by looking them up in NetForum. You can only say if they are currently certified, if they are listed as Not Certified-Cease and Desist then you can say that you are unable to locate them in the database and the certificant can all us directly.
- Find An Advisor on the website is another resource you can provide to the caller. Go to Investors at the top header > Find an Exceptional Advisor > Then select CIMA® or CPWA® or RMA® > Use Search to locate certificant.
Does this impact me as a CPWA or RMA certificant?
Yes, all Institute certifications are governed by the same continuing education requirements.
What’s driving these discussions around tax and regulations?
Per the latest Job Analysis study conducted in 2018, the Institute, in conjunction with its CIMA® Certification Commission, announced several enhancements to the knowledge competencies and requirements, which included dedicated CE requirements in the areas of local tax and/or regulations content. This change also applies to wealth and retirement management so it will be applicable to all Institute certifications.
Is there someone I can talk to about my certification?
Absolutely. Feel free to contact the Certification Department at certification@i-w.org or call us at 303.770.3377 option 2 with any questions.
How much is the fee to report independent, third party CE (Self-Reported CE)?
Individuals who complete in-person or online continuing education from a third party that is not a CE Sponsor or the Institute will pay a US $5/per credit hour fee to add the hours to their CE record. The hours will be applied to the 40-hour CE requirement immediately upon entry.
Do I have to include documentation when I report independent, third party CE (Self-Reported CE)?
No. You should retain all documentation in the event you are audited, but you will not upload, email or mail supporting documentation when you report Self-Reported CE through your online Dashboard.
Can I still take courses outside of the Institute?
Yes. You can complete in-person or online continuing education hours from a CE Sponsor or independent third party.
Is there a fee to use the online tool to report programs completed through a CE Sponsor?
No. Programs completed through a registered CE Sponsor (Sponsored CE) can be reported through your online Dashboard using the assigned program/course ID specific to that program. CE credit is applied to your certification record immediately upon completion, and no fee is applied.
How is Premier CE completed through Investments & Wealth Institute added to my record?
Both live and online programs completed through the Institute will be reported on your behalf approximately 10 business days after the conclusion of a live event, and two business days after completion of an online program.