Halpern Financial Team Members Achieve A New Designation: Accredited Investment Fiduciary®
Halpern Financial has long upheld a strict fiduciary standard of care for our clients. But recently, we made it official.
This summer, Ted Halpern, Kirsty Peev, Melissa Sotudeh, Milena Nilsen, Jennifer Davis, and Aaron Clarke studied the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) curriculum as a study group.
All successfully passed the test and earned the AIF® designation.
What is the AIF® designation?
The purpose of the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) Designation is to assure that those responsible for managing or advising on investor assets have a fundamental understanding of the principles of fiduciary duty, the standards of conduct for acting as a fiduciary, and a process for carrying out fiduciary responsibility. The course requirements include four areas of study, all intended to improve the firm’s management and processes:
- Organize: Fiduciary roles and responsibilities are clearly documented and defined.
- Formalize: The investment policy is consistent with the portfolio’s objectives and risk and return assumptions.
- Implement: Decisions regarding investments and services are implemented in accordance with the duties of loyalty and care.
- Monitor: The portfolio is monitored regularly to ensure consistency with benchmarks and overall objectives.
Why pursue the AIF® designation?
At Halpern Financial, we already fulfilled—and surpassed!—these requirements across the board. However, as part of our fiduciary commitment, we make an investment in the continuing education of our staff members. We used this course as an opportunity to review best practices, and ensure all the proper steps are being followed in our planning and investment processes. The AIF® designation is a sign of our commitment to doing right by our clients.
We are very proud of the Halpern Financial team members who achieved this designation—but we are even more proud to act in our client’s best interest at all times. Congratulations to Ted Halpern, Kirsty Peev, Melissa Sotudeh, Milena Nilsen, Jennifer Davis, and Aaron Clarke—and here’s to many more years of a rigorous fiduciary standard of care!