Many states participating in the electronic registration of IA representatives (RAs) will accept certain professional designations as a basis for waiving a qualifying exam requirement or serve as an alternate qualification for a registration as an IA representative (RA).
To request to qualify for registration as an IA representative (RA) using a professional designation, the applicant must hold at least one of the five following professional designations:
- *CFA - Chartered Financial Analyst
Awarded by the CFA Institute - CFP - Certified Financial Planner
Awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. - ChFC - Chartered Financial Consultant
Awarded by the American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania - CIC - Chartered Investment Counselor
Awarded by the Investment Advisor Association - *PFS - Personal Financial Specialist
Awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
*Note: Firms with individuals that hold the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation with the AICPA and/or the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation with the CFA Institute must contact the respective designating authority in order to have their information forwarded to Web CRD if they wish to request to qualify as an IA representative (RA registration) with one of these professional designations. For additional information regarding the CFA professional designation, please visit the CFA website.
For helpful information regarding professional designations and IA representative (RA) registration, view the Uniform Forms Reference Guide.