Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS)

AAMS is accredited for financial professionals who specialize in asset management and investment. The College for Financial Planning (CFFP), a division of the Kaplan Company, which administers the AAMS, equips financial advisers with the in-depth knowledge required to evaluate and suggest a range of investment options.

Financial professionals who finish a self-study program, clear an examination, and agree to abide by an ethics code are eligible to get the Accredited Asset Management Specialist professional designation from the CFFP.

Successful candidates are granted the right to utilize the AAMS designation alongside their names for a period of two years, which may enhance their salary, professional status, and career prospects.

What is the meaning of AAMS?

People with an AAMS frequently assist customers with taxes, college, and retirement plans so they can achieve their long-term financial objectives. They have to successfully complete a ten-module education program covering a range of subjects like the asset management process, risk and return, investments, and taxation.

AAMS holders have to complete an educational program and a final test. The exam will test their ability to apply theory to potential clients' possible real-life problems. Generally, entry-level or more recent financial professionals frequently pursue the AAMS designation. Also, they sometimes use it to assist their more experienced co-workers.

Financial professionals who join the AAMS program obtain credits that they can utilize towards the CFP designation, which is well-known and recognized in the industry. The AAMS can assist them in learning more about their professional objectives and determining whether a more intensive program, such as the CFP, is a good fit for them.

Since its inception in 1994, the AAMS program has been exclusively taught online. The CFFP is an organization that provides financial education to working individuals in the financial services sector.

AAMS practitioners should finish 16 hours of continuing education every two years and pay a fee to maintain the privileges connected with the designation. Some of the leading investment businesses in the country have also collaborated on the development of the AAMS continuing education program. Candidates examine case studies based on actual events designed to become more productive in the workplace and foster long-lasting client relationships.

What are the core functions of AAMS?

The AAMS certification is meant to give new advisors the knowledge they need to assist clients in making plans for and achieving their financial goals. The experts offer advice on retirement savings, tax planning, and education finances.

An AAMS specializes in managing personal finances, including asset management, investments, and many more, in addition to managing banking accounts.

How to get an AAMS certification?

The CFFP has outlined several requirements that applicants must meet in order to receive the AAMS designation. Some such requirements include the following:

Education Requirements for AAMS

The education component, which consists of 10 modules, is the initial stage toward receiving an AAMS designation. Streaming video lectures, audio files, and interactive quizzes are all available to AAMS candidates through an accessible online portal. The modules mainly include the following topics:

• The Asset Management Process
• Asset Allocation & Selection
• Risk, Return & Investment Performance
• Estate Planning
• Investment Strategies
• Deferred Compensation and Other Benefit Plans
• Investment for Retirement
• Insurance Products
• Taxation of Investments
• Fiduciary, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues for Advisers

Being available for self-study, AAMS applicants typically spend around 80 to 100 hours on these modules.

AAMS Exam

Applicants for the AAMS should take an 80-question final examination after finishing the education component. The majority of questions concern investment strategies, risk and return on investments, investment policy, and performance on investments.

To pass, they need a grade of at least 70%. Candidates for the AAMS must take and pass the exam within a year of enrolling in the education component, according to the CFFP.

Requirements for AAMS Continuing Education

AAMS holders are required to fulfill sixteen continuing education credits every two years and pay a yearly renewal fee in order to keep their designation. These topics must touch on at least a few subjects covered in the AAMS modules.

AAMS Code of Ethics

Holders of an AAMS are expected to act in a professional manner. It states that they must uphold integrity, objectivity, competence, secrecy, and professionalism when they deal with clients and offer their services.

CFP vs. AAMS

Personal finance, asset management, and investments are the main areas of the AAMS certification. It is mainly designed for financial planners who are just starting out or making the switch from another financial role.

On the other hand, CFFP has certified financial experts known as Certified Financial Planners (CFP) to assist clients in making financial plans and achieving their objectives. A CFP can provide assistance to someone throughout their life, helping them modify their finances to accommodate shifting life situations and revised financial goals.

The CFP certification is the highest level of recognition offered to financial planners, and it calls for 6,000 hours of professional planning experience to be accumulated over the ten years prior to the certification exam.