CIMA Certification

CPWA Certification

World-class Education
Membership

CIMA

Certified investment management analyst

A new standard for investment advice.

CIMA CERTIFIED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ANALYST

IMCA offers the only financial services credential accredited by the American National Standards Institute
under an international personnel certification standard.

Who Is a CIMA Professional?

The Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA)

certification is the only certification designed specifically
for financial professionals who want to attain a level
of competency as an advanced investment consultant.
CIMA professionals integrate a complex body of
investment knowledge to provide objective investment
advice and guidance to individuals and institutions. That
knowledge is applied systematically and ethically to help
clients make prudent investment decisions.
The CIMA certification earned accreditation by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), making
it the first financial services credential in the United
States to meet international standards (ISO 17024) for
personnel certification.
As a result, the financial services industry recognizes
CIMA certification as a new standard for investment
advice. The CIMA certification demonstrates that the
consultant has completed a rigorous process reflecting
a high level of competency, professionalism, and
investment expertise.

Educational Program Overview

Clients look to their advisor for competence, credibility,

and expertise. Certification programs that test principles,
topics, and practices from the field ensure that a program
is valid and accreditation standards ensure fairness
and objectivity. The content included in the CIMA
certification program is derived from a job analysis
survey of knowledge and skills needed by CIMA
professionals to fulfill real-world work requirements. The
topics are subject to testing in the programs examinations
and are covered by Registered Education Programs.
The education component of CIMA certification is only
offered at top-25 business schools which meet strict
criteria. Visit www.IMCA.org/pages/registered-educationproviders for an up-to-date list of CIMA certification
providers.

Topics include
1. Business, economic, governance, and statistical
fundamentals
Ethics and Regulatory Considerations
Statistics and Methods
Applied Finance and Economics
Global Capital Markets History and Valuation
2. Portfolio performance and risk measurement
Performance Measurement and Attribution
Attributes and Measurement of Risk
3. Traditional and alternative investments

Traditional Global Investments (Equity and

Fixed Income)

Fixed-Income Vehicles

Foreign-Exchange Market

Alternative Investments

Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives

Tools and Strategies Based on Technical Analysis

4. Portfolio theory and behavioral finance

Portfolio Theories and Models

Behavioral Finance Theory

5. Investment consulting process

Client Discovery

Investment Policy Statement (IPS)

Portfolio Risk Management Strategies

Manager Search, Selection, and Monitoring

Perform Portfolio Review and Revisions Process

One-third of CIMA professionals

report earning more than $380,000
a year, compared to only 6 percent
of other advisors.

Having more than one CIMA

professional in a practice tends to
open up the business to
institutional clients (foundations,
endowments, and 401(k) plans);
Multi-CIMA certificant practices
focus about 13 percent of their
business on institutional clients.

Eighty-four percent of CIMA

professionals are practice owners
or team leaders compared to 57
percent of other financial advisors.

Earn
More.
Possess
Important
Institutional
Expertise.

Gain
Higher
Satisfaction.

CIMA professionals are nearly

twice as likely to be very satisfied
with their careers than non-CIMA
professionals.

Capture
Additional
Assets.

Why
Earn
CIMA
the CIMA
Professionals
Certification?

Have
Ownership
in their
Practice.

Are Part
of an
Experienced
Group.
Eighty-four percent of CIMA
professionals have 10 or more
years of experience as financial
advisors.

Steps to Earning the Certification

The CIMA certification process requires that candidates
meet all eligibility requirements, including experience,
education, examination, and ethics.
Step 1

Submit CIMA Certification Application

Step 2

Pass Qualification Examination

Step 3

Complete Registered Education Program

Step 4

Pass Certification Examination

Step 5

Sign Licensing Agreement and Adherence

to IMCAs Code of Professional
Responsibility, Standards of Practice, and
Rules and Guidelines for Use of the Marks

Advise
More
Affluent
Clients.

Manage
More
Assets.

Seventy percent of practices with

a CIMA professional attract 75
percent or more of their clients
investment assets.

Fifty-two percent of practices with

more than one CIMA professional
advise high-net-worth ($1 million
to $9.99 million) and ultra-highnet-worth ($10 million or more)
clients.

Both solo and team practices with

CIMA professionals manage twice
the assets per client and generate
twice the revenue per client
compared to other practices.

Certification Renewal

CIMA professionals demonstrate that they have voluntarily

agreed to meet high standards of professionalism in a
changing financial world. Compliance with these standards
helps ensure the integrity of the certification marks.
Following initial certification and authorization to use the
CIMA marks, the CIMA certification must be renewed
every two years by meeting IMCAs ongoing competency
requirements:
Complete and report 40 hours of continuing education
credit during each two-year certification period,
including two ethics hours.
Agree to continued adherence to IMCAs Code of
Professional Responsibility, Standards of Practice, and
Rules and Guidelines for Use of the Marks. Report any
complaints or disciplinary actions registered during the
previous two-year certification period.
Pay a certification renewal fee for each two-year
certification period.

Visit www.IMCA.org for more information and to apply today.

5619 DTC Parkway

Suite 500
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Phone: 303.770.3377
Fax: 303.770.1812
www.IMCA.org

IMCAInvestment Management Consultants Associationwas established in 1985 to deliver the premier

investment consulting and wealth management credentials and world-class educational offerings.

IMCA and INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS ASSOCIATION are registered trademarks of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. CIMA, CERTIFIED INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ANALYST, CIMC, CPWA, and CERTIFIED PRIVATE WEALTH
ADVISOR are registered certification marks of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. does not discriminate in educational opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion,
gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. @2013 Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. 01.130731.02.503.ctrl