The Institute of Business & Finance (IBF) is an industry leader in financial services education. Since 1988, IBF has been providing advanced level training for professionals at national banks, brokerage firms, insurance agencies, mutual fund companies, estate planners and annuity professionals.
The Certified Annuity Specialist(CAS)
Well over a million financial professionals provide annuity advice; less than 1% have achieved the elite level and earned the CAS® designation.
The CAS Education
The CAS Designation is an in-depth advanced training Six Module, Three Exam, Case Study and Code Of Ethics Curriculum for advisors committed to annuity mastery. The CAS will provide comprehensive guidance and advice on every aspect of immediate, deferred, traditional, fixed-rate, fixed-index, LIBR and LTC annuities within a retirement portfolio.
The CAS Code Of Ethics
• Client Best Interests above all else
• Advisor activities performed to the highest standards of integrity & honesty
• Perform all investment services in an unbiased, competent & economical manner
• Continuous education on industry standards, new strategies & legislation
• Uphold the code of the CAS Designation
The CAS Planning Process
• Assess your current situation
• Discuss & clarify your needs, goals and objectives
• Design strategies & investment planning based on your time frames, risk tolerance, liquidity, portfolio, income, taxes, LTC & estate
• Conduct unbiased independent annuity search to identify those annuities that best fit the client plan
• Implement plan and continually monitor plan at least annually
The CAS Objectives For The Annuity Investor
• Annuity discernment. Help the annuity investor understand the different types of annuities that exist today
• Annuity placement. Help the annuity investor to understand the purpose of each annuity type and the proper placement within a portfolio
• Proper annuity ownership. Nearly 1/3 of all annuities are titled incorrectly
• Help the annuity investor to understand surrender terms, surrender charges, MVAs, withdrawal features, riders and death benefits
• Help the annuity investor to understand annuity safety and the protection of state insurance department legal reserves