Toronto � Effective September 1, The Institute for Advanced Financial Education (The Institute) will be offering the Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) designation. This new designation will more effectively meet the needs of Canadian advisors in the highly specialized field of living benefits by offering courses that are Institute-owned, timely and Canadian-focused.
“We’re delighted to be able to bring this new designation to the financial services industry marketplace,” said Greg Pollock, The Institute’s Chief Operating Officer. “This year marks the leading edge of Baby Boomers turning age 65. As more and more Boomers move into retirement and are poised to live longer in their retirement than preceding generations, there will be an increasing need for advisors who have specialized knowledge of living benefits.”
Over the last few years, The Institute has committed significant resources to the revision of RHU courses to ensure that they are more relevant to living benefits specialists. These courses now form the core CHS curriculum. As a more robust and comprehensive designation, the CHS also includes an elective course in financial planning.
CHS designation holders will be required to maintain their designation with The Institute, including 10 hours of continuing education credits and a written commitment to the Code of Professional Conduct.
Finally, a Practice Profile for the CHS designation has been created to provide validation to the industry and information to the interested public regarding the credibility, competencies and value that CHS-designated advisors will provide to clients.
“I’m so proud of the work done by The Institute in the last few years that has brought us to where we are today,” said Institute Chair Caron Czorny. “With the changes we have announced, consumers will now have an accurate picture of the services and expertise that they can expect from their CHS-designated advisor.”
The CHS will be gradually phased in, replacing the RHU designation. Until October 26, 2011, current RHU designation holders can upgrade their designation to the CHS. A transition process is in place and all current RHU designation holders will be contacted with details. Any student enrolled in at least one RHU course before August 31, 2011, will not be subject to the CHS elective course requirement, provided they complete the program by April 30, 2012. Students who complete the core education requirements by that date can apply to The Institute for either the CHS or RHU designation.
For more information about the CHS designation, please visit www.iafe.ca.
About The Institute for Advanced Financial Education
The Institute for Advanced Financial Education is the professional standards body for financial practitioners holding the CLU, CHS, RHU and CH.F.C. designations in Canada. The Institute is responsible for administering the Code of Professional Conduct for its designation holders. The Institute offers continuing education providers accreditation services to ensure their learning programs meet a clear standard of educational quality and relevance. Institute designation holders are specialists in tax and estate planning, wealth management, disability and critical illness insurance, long-term care and group benefits, life insurance and business succession planning. For more information about The Institute, visit www.iafe.ca.
