FOR RELEASE
January 26, 2009

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IMCA Raises Standards for CIMA Certification Program
Changes Provide More Financial Advisors Access to Advanced Investment Designation

DENVER—January 26, 2009—Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA^®) announced earlier this month that it is instituting changes to the Certified Investment Management Analyst^SM (CIMA^®) certification program. The changes are designed to enhance IMCA’s high standards, while allowing more financial professionals the opportunity to demonstrate a level of competence as an advanced investment professional through the CIMA certification program.

“The CIMA certification program will maintain the high standards we’ve developed over its 20-year history while continuing to focus on the ‘Four E’s’ of experience, education, examination, and ethics,” said Dede Pahl, IMCA’s executive director. “However, these changes will simplify and streamline the application process, and will allow IMCA to better serve the financial services industry.”

As part of this process, IMCA will broaden the experience requirement for applying for the CIMA certification program. Currently applicants must demonstrate a minimum of three years of investment management consulting experience. Going forward, new applicants must have a minimum of three years of experience in the financial services industry. In addition, candidates in the program will have more personal ownership over the certification process through a new unbundled system that offers a flexible, pay-as-you-go, five-step process.

“The CIMA certification will become more accessible to financial advisors who want and need to expand their knowledge of the investment management consulting process and sophisticated investment techniques,” said Ms. Pahl. “We have seen increased interest from various sectors of the financial services industry as they realize the value and importance of obtaining advanced investment education.”

Candidates must continue to successfully complete the education portion of the program, offered in conjunction with The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. However, candidates who apply after July 1, 2009, also must successfully pass a comprehensive certification examination in order to attain the designation.

IMCA also announced changes to the CIMA certification renewal process. All CIMA designees will continue to be responsible for completing and reporting 40 hours (including two ethics hours) of continuing education (CE) credit every two years. But under the program’s new structure, designees will no longer be required to obtain half of their CE credit through IMCA.

“We will continue to provide high-quality conferences with focused investment management consulting agendas and our conferences will continue to be the community gathering place for the investment consulting and wealth management industry,” said Garry Bridgeman, CIMA^®, IMCA’s president.

IMCA is instituting these changes in an effort to better-align the CIMA certification program with third-party accreditation standards. Accreditation by an outside organization assures the public that specific standards have been met in developing the educational program and examination for the designation.

The majority of these changes will take effect on July 1, 2009, and IMCA has developed a special online resource center for new applicants, current candidates, and current designees.

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