IMCA and Yale team up to offer the group's trademark accreditation

The Investment Management Consultants Association, IMCA, has joined forces with the Yale School of Management to deliver the association's trademark accreditation. The partnership with Yale University will enable IMCA members to study online on their own schedule to earn the Certified Investment Management Analyst certification. Yale will begin offering the program in December. IMCA's certification is already offered through The Wharton School, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, and at the Paul Woodley Centre at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. But what makes the latest partnership unique is full online access, according to Jim Dobbs, of Dobbs Education, who will serve as director for the program. “People will be able to do the whole CIMA experience online, and the enrollment is ongoing,” he said. Jeff Griswold, principal at Merit Wealth Management, is an IMCA member who does not yet have IMCA certification, but said the Yale partnership could change that. “Having that Ivy League relationship attached to a course of study I already want to take is a tipping point for me,” he said. “I think high-quality designations matter to clients.” The online aspect is particularly appealing to advisers like Mr. Griswold, who is based on the other side of the country in Bend, Ore. “Getting to some of those locations would not be easy for me,” Mr. Griswold said. “The flexibility to be able to do it on my own time as quickly as I want is appealing.” To earn the IMCA certification candidates must complete “the four Es” which are broadly defined as experience, examination, education and ethics. “The addition of the Yale School of Management as an education provider reinforces IMCA's commitment to high-quality, advanced investment and wealth management education,” said Sean Walters, executive director and chief executive of IMCA.