What do CFP®, CIMA®, and CPWA® mean?

They are three of the more demanding credentials in my field, and most people have never heard of them, so here is what each one means for you.

CFP®, Certified Financial Planner, is the broad one. I am trained to plan across your whole financial life, retirement, taxes, estate, investments, and how they fit together, and I am held to a fiduciary standard when I advise you.

CIMA®, Certified Investment Management Analyst, is the investment one. It means advanced training in how portfolios are actually built and vetted, the same rigor used at the large firms.

PWA®, Certified Private Wealth Advisor, is the complexity one. It means specialized training for the complicated situations that come with significant wealth, things like equity compensation, business sales, and layered tax and estate questions.

Plenty of good advisors hold one. Holding all three is less common, and it is why I can handle the harder situations under one roof.