TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2002 – CAIFA/CAFP, the association created when the two groups representing Canada’s professional insurance advisors and financial planners voted to join forces in September, announced today that it will officially become known as “Advocis.”
“Advocis focuses on the key attributes of our Association: professionalism, education, and a commitment to advocacy. Not only to do we advocate on behalf of our members, but our members also advocate for and represent the interests of their clients,” said Brian Mallard, current chair of CAIFA and incoming chair of Advocis.
The official Advocis logo was also released today on both the www.caifa.com and www.cafp.org Web sites. The Advocis name will be preceded in the official word-mark by the words “Listening first.”
“Listening first” spells out clearly how our members operate,” said Mallard. “They listen to their clients first, to find out their goals for their financial future. Only then are they able to determine the financial plan, or recommend the products and services that are suitable for that client. Clients can be comfortable in the knowledge that an Advocis member has made a commitment to professional development and continuing education, adheres to a Code of Professional Conduct, and will listen first before recommending a course of action.”
“An aggressive branding campaign to inform consumers about the benefits of working with an Advocis advisor is planned for the new year,” said Brian Davis, chair of CAFP. “Until then, the organization will be focussing on introducing Advocis to the industry at events throughout the fall.”
The official launch of Advocis will take place January 1, 2003. The legal name of the organization is the Financial Advisors Association of Canada, but the Association will be known by its operational name Advocis.
The Canadian Association of Financial Planners is the membership organization for Canada’s practicing financial planning professionals. Its 2,750 members have the ethics, the education, the experience, and the expertise to help Canadians make the best financial decisions.
The Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CAIFA) is a voluntary, not-for-profit professional association whose members, gathered in 50 chapters, are represented in most major cities and towns across the country. CAIFA members provide financial advice, and market and sell financial products to over nine million Canadians.
In September 2002, CAIFA and the Canadian Association of Financial Planners (CAFP) voted in favour of merging their two organizations to create a single organization representing professional insurance and financial advisors. The CAIFA/CAFP merger will become official in January 2003, and the new organization will be known as Advocis.
For more information about CAIFA and CAFP and to view the Advocis logo, please visit our Web sites at www.caifa.com and www.cafp.org.
