About IMCA

Investment Management Consultants Association®

Investment Management Consultants Association was established in 1985 to deliver the premier investment consulting and wealth management credentials and world-class educational offerings through membership, conferences, research, and publications. IMCA sets the standards and practices for the investment management consulting profession and provides investment consultants and wealth managers with the credentials and tools required to best serve their clients. For more information download a copy of our comprehensive brochure.

Credentials
Certified Investment Management Analyst®
The cornerstone of IMCA is the Certified Investment Management Analyst® certification. The CIMA® certification reflects experience, education, examination, and ethical standards. Those who have earned the CIMA certification have at least three years of experience in financial services, have passed an extensive background check, have completed a demanding two-step, graduate-level program of study, and have passed a comprehensive examination.

Certified Private Wealth Advisor®
IMCA’s newest designation, the Certified Private Wealth Advisor®, or CPWA®, was launched in 2007 and facilitates an advanced expertise in the life cycle of wealth: accumulation, preservation and protection, and distribution. Those who earn this designation learn to identify and analyze challenges facing high-net-worth clients and how to develop specific strategies to minimize taxes, monetize and protect assets, maximize growth, and transfer wealth.

IMCA’s credentials are offered in conjunction with two of the top business schools in the country: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business; and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

The association is proud to serve more than 8,700 members including more than 6,200 CIMA certificants and 485 CPWA designees, as of March 31, 2012. Each member must subscribe to and each designee must adhere to IMCA’s Code of Professional Responsibility. In addition, IMCA’s Standards of Practice and Performance Reporting Standards provide practical guidance to investment management consultants in the course of conducting their practices and providing services to clients.

Advanced Education
To further distinguish its members, the association is dedicated to the advanced education of investment and wealth management professionals. IMCA conferences hosted more than 4,300 attendees in 2011. The IMCA Annual Conference offers headline general sessions and leading-edge workshops covering topics such as practice management, technology, international investments, and wealth management. The 2011 specialty conference calendar delivered five focused-topic agendas including behavioral finance, investment theory, advanced wealth management, and practice management. IMCA also holds a Summer Institute at The Wharton School each year.

In addition to onsite offerings, IMCA provides interactive audio broadcasts that concentrate on current industry hot topics. IMCA also offers an entry-level certificate program, Essentials of Investment Consulting. The association’s publications include Investments & Wealth Monitor, a bi-monthly educational magazine featuring professional contributors addressing everyday issues; the Journal of Investment Consulting, which delves into the research and theory of investments; and IMCA Research Quarterly, which provides proprietary, in-depth research for IMCA members, by IMCA members.

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

For the advanced investment and wealth management professional, IMCA is an ethical and trustworthy conduit to cutting-edge investment strategies that maximize wealth potential.