Investments & Wealth Institute

Investments & Wealth Institute Investments & Wealth Institute delivers CIMA®️, CPWA®️ & RMA®️ certifications, events and education.

The Investments & Wealth Institute is a professional association, advanced education provider, and standards body for financial advisors, investment consultants, and wealth managers who embrace excellence and ethics. Through our events, continuing education courses, and acclaimed certifications—Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®)—we deliver rigorous, highly practical education.

The clients worth competing for now have the most complicated needs—and the most options. Tax law shifts, state estate r...
08/06/2026

The clients worth competing for now have the most complicated needs—and the most options. Tax law shifts, state estate rules, 30-year retirements, concentrated positions, long-term care. Any one is a specialty. No single advisor can keep current on all of them.

Broad-but-shallow coverage is now a disadvantage before the first meeting. New on our blog: why the generalist model is running out of room. https://hubs.li/Q04rphyj0

✨ Member Spotlight: Brenden Gebben, MBA, CIMA®, EF This month we're featuring Brenden Gebben, Chief Executive Officer of...
08/05/2026

✨ Member Spotlight: Brenden Gebben, MBA, CIMA®, EF

This month we're featuring Brenden Gebben, Chief Executive Officer of Absolute Capital Management. His path into the profession started with an MBA focus on financial services and a pull toward retirement and investment management that led him to the Investments & Wealth Institute and the Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) certification.

Brenden talks about what's kept him engaged since he joined the Institute as a member in 2007, and gets into life outside the office, including a stint running a professional bungee jumping company—his first real lesson in risk management.

Read our Q&A: https://hubs.li/Q04rJj5f0

This month's Board Leadership Spotlight is Anuj Gupta, Head of Sales Engineering at Envestnet and a member of the Invest...
07/31/2026

This month's Board Leadership Spotlight is Anuj Gupta, Head of Sales Engineering at Envestnet and a member of the Investments & Wealth Institute Board of Directors.

Anuj helps organizations expand their use of Envestnet's wealth management platform, working with advisor teams to turn strategy into scalable, advisor-focused solutions.

With more than 20 years in financial services, Anuj has held a range of advisor-facing roles spanning recruiting, product management, and relationship management. He has also worked directly with high-net-worth investors.

Anuj holds a BSBA in finance and business information technology from American University, and the CIMA® and CPWA® certifications.

We're proud to have Anuj's voice and vision represented on our Board.

Advisory firms can be structured vertically, horizontally, or as a hybrid. All three can produce a high-performing firm,...
07/30/2026

Advisory firms can be structured vertically, horizontally, or as a hybrid. All three can produce a high-performing firm, but each one has its own failure point.

Vertical gives you clear leadership, until it creates a bottleneck. Horizontal gives you specialization, until it's unclear who actually decides. Hybrid mirrors a true enterprise, but it demands real operations to back it up.

Read our blog for an overview of all three and the infrastructure each one needs: https://hubs.li/Q04qt-8p0

Could you explain the difference between a certification and a certificate in under 30 seconds? Certifications like CIMA...
07/29/2026

Could you explain the difference between a certification and a certificate in under 30 seconds?

Certifications like CIMA®, CPWA®, and RMA® require verified experience, an independently built exam, and ongoing continuing education to stay active — a standard you have to keep meeting after you earn it. Certificates are simpler: a course, a test on that course, and that's it. No renewal required.

If a client asks which one you hold, it's worth having a clear answer ready. Full breakdown on our blog: https://hubs.ly/Q04qFtv_0

88% of high-net-worth investors say advanced certifications matter. Only 54% say they understand what those credentials ...
07/23/2026

88% of high-net-worth investors say advanced certifications matter. Only 54% say they understand what those credentials mean for them.

In a new Barron's column, Institute CEO Sean Walters argues firms aren't doing enough to explain what credentials actually do for their clients.

Read more: https://hubs.li/Q04q8LBg0

07/22/2026

An AI tool can build the plan. It can't read the room.

On The Exceptional Advisor Podcast, CFP Board CEO K. Dane Snowden tells Investments & Wealth Institute CEO Sean Walters that the advisors who thrive in an AI-driven industry won't be the most technically proficient. They'll be the ones who catch the emotional cues and family dynamics an algorithm can't see.

🎧 Watch the full episode: https://hubs.ly/Q04pFFn40

07/15/2026

Most financial content your clients see online isn't built for them—it's built to sell them something.

K. Dane Snowden, CEO of CFP Board, joins Investments & Wealth Institute CEO Sean Walters to talk about what separates competent, ethical advice from AI-generated noise and social media hot takes.

They cover four scenarios for how AI reshapes the advice profession, why financial planning is still fundamentally a psychology problem, and what needs to change for the next generation of advisors entering the field.

🎧 Listen on The Exceptional Advisor Podcast: https://hubs.li/Q04psYKw0

More advisors are adding retirement-focused certifications to their practice. Libet Anderson, CIMA®, RMA®, chair of the ...
07/09/2026

More advisors are adding retirement-focused certifications to their practice. Libet Anderson, CIMA®, RMA®, chair of the Investments & Wealth Institute, told Financial Planning not to chase every credential out there. Instead, look at who's actually sitting across the table from you first.

For her, that meant clients in retirement who weren't so worried about the plan itself. What kept them up at night was how long they'd actually need it to last.

📖 Read more: https://hubs.li/Q04nWWD_0

✨ Member Spotlight: Mark F. Burns, CFP®, CIMA® Mark F. Burns is CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of Synergy...
07/08/2026

✨ Member Spotlight: Mark F. Burns, CFP®, CIMA®

Mark F. Burns is CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-Founder of Synergy Capital Solutions—and a member of the Investments & Wealth Institute since 1994. He earned his CIMA® designation to add institutional investment depth to his financial planning work, and three decades later he's still showing up for the learning.

Read our Q&A with Mark: https://hubs.li/Q04nDK2P0

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