The Investment Management Consultants Association has rebranded as the Investments & Wealth Institute.

The rebrand is key in facilitating the plan’s objectives for the Institute based on GEARS: Grow, Educate, Add Value, Relevance and Standards.

In addition to the name change, the Investments & Wealth Institute, a nonprofit professional association that provides the certified investment management analyst and certified private wealth advisor certifications, has acquired the retirement management advisor designation as part of its strategy to attract a wider audience to its educational programs.

The Institute plans to spend $3.5 million over the next two to three years on a multipronged marketing and communications strategy. It plans to target five segments: certified financial planners, team advisers, the enterprise and firm level, next-generation advisers, and consumer education and resources.

The Yale School of Management has expanded its collaboration with the Institute and is launching an online CPWA Certification Program beginning in early 2018. CPWA certification is the premier wealth management credential created specifically for professionals working with high-net-worth clients.

The Institute has also made a strategic acquisition of the Retirement Management Advisor^sm (RMA^sm) designation to enhance its existing education offerings and add curriculum for retirement income planning and retirement management. Previously administered by the Retirement Income Industry Association since 2006, the RMA designation offers a unique approach to retirement income planning that focuses on a client-centered fiduciary model, the Procedural Prudence Map^SM. The program gives advisers practical tools, techniques and methodologies that can guide his/her decision-making. The result is a set of knowledge and skills that can satisfy their clients’ retirement income needs and wants while complying with the industry’s increasing regulations.