Fall is a season of excitement, where students go back-to-school to learn and grow. It is also a time of great change. In one of our posts last month, we referenced IMCA’s strategic growth plan focused on “GEARS” – clear objectives to grow, strengthen our educational position, add value, create relevance, and live by high standards. Our goal is to support your growth by transforming the knowledge you gain as a member into value for you, your clients, and the profession. As we move into a new season, there are many changes underway to help you achieve your own goals.
IMCA’s mission, as an educational and standards-setting organization, is to provide you with the most up-to-date, Ivy League level education, along with practical techniques, to ensure that you’re providing the latest and most ethical advice to your clients. That’s why we’ve introduced our Investments & Wealth Competency Matrix, a framework used to shape our educational offerings and to ensure that the rigorous requirements of our CIMA® and CPWA® certifications align with the changing needs of the profession.
We developed the Investments & Wealth Competency Matrix with you and your business in mind. The Matrix defines the competencies that advanced investment and wealth professionals need to exceed the expectations of their high-net-worth and/or institutional investors. We develop these advanced competencies by continuously analyzing the knowledge and skills required of practitioners in the field, through studies like the current “Future of Investment Advice Study: 2017 CIMA Job Analysis.” The Matrix will evolve and expand on the subjects within its domains to meet the needs of your evolving profession.
The Investments & Wealth Competency Matrix will drive new product development. Using the Matrix, we will refine and expand our educational product offerings, apply rigorous standards, and adjust each product for enhanced relevance. Over the next several months you can expect to see several new educational opportunities – two new online courses will be released by year-end along with our 2018 schedule of live events. In addition, you will see a new Online Learning Center that will better organize our content storehouse and better facilitate a best-in-class, online learning experience.
We encourage you take a closer look at our live learning options, especially the upcoming Private Wealth Advisor Conference and our variety of courses to formulate your own, professional “back-to-school” plan. Perhaps you’re looking to get ahead of the latest developments on the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule; our Focus on Fiduciary event and Fiduciary Best Practices course can help you. If you have clients thinking about retirement in the near-term, you might find our Focus on Decumulation program valuable. Finally, our Focus on Global Macroeconomics program will discuss disruptive trends in the global economy and how they impact your investment strategies.
Whatever your needs, we have created a wide breadth of offerings to ensure you remain on the cutting edge of the industry—and to ensure that you are able to transform knowledge into extraordinary results for your clients.