The Investments & Wealth Foundation
The mission of the Investments & Wealth Foundation scholarship program is to accelerate career advancement of populations who are currently underrepresented in the financial services profession, thereby fostering a more diverse and sustainable workforce to address client solutions.
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About Investments & Wealth Foundation
In support of our mission to increase public access to and trust in the financial advisory profession, IWI’s Foundation provides scholarships for financial certifications, supporting the advancement of individuals who are underrepresented in our industry.
By reducing the financial barrier to IWI certification, we enable career-transforming access for talented individuals who both represent and serve many communities, genders, ages, and ethnicities.
“Your military experience and training provide you with a sense of integrity and the necessary discipline needed to survive, persevere and ultimately thrive in this profession. This is an honorable profession, and it continues the mission of serving others, who need our help.”
Matt Hudnall, MBA, CPWA®, ChFC®
Founder of Hudnall Wealth and former U.S. Army Combat Medic
A Commitment to Creating Opportunities for Excellence
As a provider of premier education programs, Investments & Wealth Institute recognizes that the sharing of ideas, information, and insights creates a currency beyond the classroom. Those ideas and experiences drive change and move our profession forward.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for financial advice will far exceed the historic supply over the foreseeable future. The Foundation’s scholarships are a catalyst for a meeting that challenge with the highest standards: to create a profession where financial advisors from all backgrounds thrive, ensuring a more diverse and sustainable workforce and a bright future for the profession.
IWI is proud to offer educational programming and resources to aid in the professional development of underrepresented individuals throughout the community of financial advisors.
"As a minority woman who has been in the industry for more than a decade and in settings where I am often the only person of color and/or woman in the room, I am used to the stereotypes that can often come with the territory. One of the ways I counter those misconceptions is through my proven experience in working with HNW clients. Another way I do so is through my credentials. As a complement to my other strategically selected and hard-earned designations, I obtained the CPWA® certification as another example of my commitment towards continuing education and ethical standards. The assistance from the Foundation made it easier for me to pursue the CPWA® certification, and it has helped fine-tune my knowledge on how to better serve the complex wealth management and planning needs of my clients.”
Solitaire Dasher-Smiley, CFP®, CEPA®, CPWA®, CAIA®, MBA
Financial Advisor, Raymond James & Associates
Foundation Leadership
Investments & Wealth Foundation is governed by a board dedicated to our goal of growing and supporting an expansive workforce within the financial advisor profession through scholarships.
“I can personally attest to the Institute’s commitment to lifelong learning and adherence to ethical standards as I pursued my CIMA® certification early on my career, which helped open the door to many professional opportunities for me and helped bring me to this next exciting chapter in leadership.”
April Ferrell, CIMA®
Managing Director, Head of Global Sales, IWI
View the Investments and Wealth Foundation Board
The Impact of Donation
The mission of the Investments & Wealth Foundation scholarship program is to accelerate career advancement of populations who are currently underrepresented in the financial services profession, thereby fostering a more diverse and sustainable workforce to address client solutions.
From the program's inception in 2020 through summer 2025, the Institute's scholarship fund had given more than $1.7M and more than 1,000 scholarships to students seeking CIMA®, CPWA®, and RMA® certification.
See the Impact: Read our Impact Report