CedarPoint Investment Advisors: Local investment advisor earns accredited investment fiduciary designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies

Contact: Daniel Wilson
Release: Immediate

(Delafield, Wisconsin – February 13, 2013) Robert Dignan, CFP®, AIF® of CedarPoint Investment Advisors, a Delafield-based Investment Advisory and Financial Planning Firm, has been awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) Designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies™, the standards-setting body for fi360. The AIF Designation signifies specialized knowledge of fiduciary responsibility and the ability to implement policies and procedures that meet a defined standard of care. The Designation is the culmination of a rigorous training program, which includes a comprehensive, closed-book final examination under the supervision of a proctor, and agreement to abide by the Code of Ethics. On an ongoing basis, Designees are required to complete continuing education to maintain the AIF Designation.

Dignan, along with his business partner, Daniel W. Wilson, CFP®, founded CedarPoint in 2009 after developing a strong distaste for the conflicts of interest that went along with the sales emphasis and tactics that go along with the traditional Broker/Dealer model of “investment advice.” As an SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm, CedarPoint and its team are legally bound to serve in the capacity of a Fiduciary, which means always putting the needs of the clients above all else. Dignan and Wilson have also both voluntarily accepted this responsibility by completing the rigorous requirements associated with, and accepting the designation of Certified Financial Planner™.

According to Dignan, “Whenever compensation changes hands in any professional relationship there are going to be inherent conflicts of interest, and advisors that suggest otherwise are not being forthright with their clients. There simply is no perfect, altruistic system. As fiduciaries, one of our primary duties is to constantly work to minimize these conflicts of interest to the greatest degree possible, and then to disclose them completely in readily accessible, easily understandable terms when we cannot. While the AIF® Training program is primarily designed to train firms and individuals that will be working with ERISA-based employer-sponsored plans, I believe that CedarPoint’s clients will see the greatest benefit of the training in the continuing improvements that the firm will implement in the areas of systematic investment oversight and evaluation.”

Fi360, based near Pittsburgh, Pa., is the first full-time training and research facility for fiduciaries, and conducts training programs at universities throughout the United States and abroad. The Center for Fiduciary Studies confers the AIF Designation as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst™ (AIFA®) Designation. AIFA Designees are the only recognized professionals trained to perform fiduciary assessments, which measure how well investment professionals are fulfilling the fiduciary duties required of them by the applicable investment legislation, case law, and regulatory opinion letters.

About fi360
1Fi360 offers training, tools and resources to promote a culture of fiduciary responsibility and improve the decision making processes of investment fiduciaries – individuals who manage money for others. Fi360 provides investment education and training programs, and develops sophisticated Web-based tools and reporting include the innovative fi360 Fiduciary Score® and the Family Fund Fiduciary Rankings™ for trustees and investment professionals. The Center for Fiduciary Studies confers the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst™ (AIFA®) professional Designations. For more information on future fi360 events, training programs and fiduciary products, visit www.fi360.com.

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