It might get lost between the cuteness of National Puppy day and the dry, flakiness of National Melba Toast Day, but fiduciary giant Fi360 has proclaimed March 23, 2017 National Fiduciary Day.
“While the fate of the DOL fiduciary rule is uncertain, most firms are following through on their commitment to serve clients’ best interests by implementing strong fiduciary practices,” the company said in a statement. “Fi360–a provider of fiduciary-related education, designations, training and tools–is answering advisors’ call to receive proper guidance.”
For the first time ever, it will hold Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) training in three major cities on the same day. Financial professionals in New York, Chicago and San Francisco will have access to a classroom seminar to learn about the investment methodology and take an exam to become an AIF.
Fi360 has always offered nationwide training, but given the intensifying spotlight on the rule, the firm felt the time was now to roll-out simultaneous learning.
“Advisors are craving answers to their biggest questions about the rule and what it means for their clients and their own practices,” Blaine Aikin, executive chairman of Fi360, said. “After the March 23 sessions, the new designees will be armed with a strong working knowledge of fiduciary obligations that apply to professional investment advisors. They will also learn how to successfully implement a prudent investment process for the benefit of their clients.”
In terms of the locations, Aikin continued, “We selected cities that are hubs for financial professionals with a goal of providing the highest value to the greatest number of advisors.”
Prior to attending, participants will complete an online self-paced portion of the training. The Prudent Investment Process will be covered during the day, which includes the four-step decision-making process for investment fiduciaries (organize, familiarize, implement, monitor). The AIF final exam is administered at the end of the day.
Sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local times), with a different Fi360 instructor in each city, including 401(k) Specialist contributor Mario Giganti in New York, Keith Loveland in Chicago and J. Richard Lynch in San Francisco.