AIF stands for Accredited Investment Fiduciary, which is a professional certification that demonstrates an advisor or other person serving as an investment fiduciary has met certain requirements to earn and maintain the credential. The purpose of the AIF Designation is to assure that those responsible for managing or advising on investor assets have a fundamental understanding of the principles of fiduciary duty, the standards of conduct for acting as a fiduciary, and a process for carrying out fiduciary responsibility.
The AIF designation is administered by Fi360, formerly known as the Center for Fiduciary Studies. The training for this certification focuses on knowing and complying with all legal and regulatory mandates concerning an advisor’s fiduciary responsibilities. AIFs prioritize their clients’ financial interests above their own and implement best practices to show they are managing their clients’ money in good faith.
To receive this certification, a financial advisor must complete either Fi360’s in-person training course or online training that satisfies AIF Training requirements, pass the AIF Examination, meet the experience requirement (prerequisites), satisfy the Code of Ethics and Conduct Standards, and submit the application and dues.
