Fi360 surpasses 10,000 active fiduciary professional designees

Fi360 Press Release
August 01, 2017

Pittsburgh, Pa. (Aug. 1, 2017) — Fi360, the nation’s leading provider of fiduciary-related education and tools, has reached the significant milestone of naming 10,000 active fiduciary professional designees. Since its founding in 1999, Fi360 has been committed to helping financial professionals use prudent practices to profitably gather, grow and protect investors’ assets, and the three professional designations offered through Fi360 reflect the firm’s core belief that investors’ wealth should be managed under a fiduciary standard.

The total number of designees on the Fi360 platform has increased substantially over the past few years, with total designees rising 80 percent since 2012. This achievement not only reflects Fi360’s forward-thinking views when it comes to an advisor’s fiduciary responsibility, but also the industry’s growing acceptance of this new standard.

“The transition to greater transparency and objectivity in financial services is undeniable. As the regulatory environment changes and more investors demand fiduciary oversight, the need for highly skilled and educated professionals has skyrocketed,” says Blaine Aikin, executive chairman at Fi360. “Our designations help more professionals exceed these heightened investor expectations.”

Fi360 offers three designations for financial professionals. The Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation is the firm’s flagship credential and provides designees with comprehensive education on investment processes and fiduciary standards of care. Initially offered in 2002, the AIF® mark is widely recognized as the standard of fiduciary excellence among financial services professionals. Fi360 added the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst® (AIFA®) designation in 2006 to provide professionals with advanced fiduciary concepts and knowledge in order to assess whether an investment fiduciary conforms to the Global Fiduciary Standards of Excellence. The firm also offers the Professional Plan Consultant® (PPC®) designation for retirement plan advisors to manage the legal and regulatory environment and efficiently administer plans.

“Fi360 has been at the forefront of the fiduciary movement, and we are proud to honor our designees, past and present, who have advanced the profession of financial advice by embedding fiduciary principles and prudent practices in their client relationships. The Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule is certainly adding momentum to the fiduciary trend but we have long recognized that aligning business practices to serve clients’ best interests provides a major competitive advantage in the marketplace that is at the heart of the trend,” Aikin explains.

As an extension of the designations, Fi360 is committed to offering its designees ongoing business development opportunities to ensure they maintain their competitive edge in the marketplace. In support of this effort, Fi360 is introducing the Fiduciary Essentials for Defined Contribution Plans (FEDC) training course for delivery by AIF® and AIFA® designees to retirement plan sponsors, stewards and investment committee members. With the new designee-delivered training option, AIF® and AIFA® designees can provide an Fi360 fiduciary training curriculum tailored to clients and prospects in a face-to-face setting. The program is an ideal way for advisors to foster relationships with investment stewards while adding significant value to their services. The updated course will be available in the fall.

More information on the designations Fi360 offers can be found at www.fi360.com.

 

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