IMCA—Investment Management Consultants Association was established in 1985 to deliver the premier investment consulting and wealth management credentials and world-class educational offerings—membership, conferences, certificate programs, and publications. IMCA sets the standards and practices for the investment management consulting profession and provides investment consultants with the credentials and tools required to best serve their clients.

The cornerstone of IMCA is the Certified Investment Management Analyst^SM designation. The CIMA^® designation reflects experience, education, and ethical standards. Every financial professional who has earned the CIMA designation has at least three years of broad experience in the field of investment management, has passed an extensive background check, and has completed the demanding two-step, graduate-level program of study. IMCA also delivers the advanced designation for wealth management professionals working with high-net-worth clients, the Chartered Private Wealth Advisor^SM or CPWA^SM. IMCA’s designations only are offered through three of the top business schools in the country: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; and The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

The association is proud to serve 7,000 members including more than 5,700 CIMA designees. Each member must subscribe to and each CIMA designee must adhere to the IMCA Standards of Practice, Code of Professional Responsibility, and Performance Reporting Standards. These standards provide practical guidance to investment management consultants in the course of conducting their practices and providing services to clients.

To further distinguish its members, the association is dedicated to the advanced education of investment professionals. IMCA conferences and certificate programs hosted more than 4,000 attendees in 2007. Our bi-annual national conferences offer headline general sessions and leading-edge workshops with topics such as practice management, technology, international investments, and wealth management. Our 2007 specialty conference calendar delivered five focused-topic agendas such as international investments, wealth management, practice management, mathematics of investing, and conferences for our members in New York and Canada. IMCA also held an advanced CIMA workshop at The Wharton School in July 2007.

For investment professionals seeking in-depth specialized study we offer three advanced-level certificate programs—Alternative Investments, Endowments and Foundations, and Investment Strategist—and one entry-level certificate program, Essentials of Investment Consulting.
In addition to on-site offerings, we provide interactive audio broadcasts that concentrate on current industry ‘hot topics’. Our professional publications include the Investments & Wealth Monitor, a bi-monthly educational magazine featuring professional contributors addressing everyday issues, and the semi-annual Journal of Investment Consulting, which delves into the research and theory of investments.

For the investment professional, IMCA is an ethical and trustworthy conduit to cutting-edge investment strategies that maximize wealth potential—Investment Management Consultants Association. Know More. Be More.

 

Governance Structure—A 13-member board of directors, including four officers, governs IMCA. The membership elects 12 positions, the past president serves one additional term of office and the executive director serves on the board ex-officio. Volunteer committees, such as certification, conferences, membership, wealth management, and practice management provide input to the board and assist in directing the activities of the association.