Institute-accredited CE is:  

• Content formally reviewed by The Institute and satisfies the requirements of The Institute’s CE Accreditation Services,
• Is evaluated against The Institute CE Accreditation Guidelines, and
• Has an 8-digit IAS code. (e.g. IAS12345678)

Advocis offers over 5,500 CE credits, which can be found here: by provider, and here: by Practice Competencies, Behaviours & Ethics.

Institute-approved CE is:  

• Content delivered by external providers that are consistent with The Institute’s standards outlined in the Practice Guidelines for Financial Advisors and Planners, but have not undergone evaluation through The Institute’s CE Accreditation Services.
• Institute-approved CE will not have an IAS code.

You may track your completed CE using any system of your choice. Alternatively, Advocis and The Institute offer a CE Tracker, accessible through the Member Portal. We recommend recording CE activities throughout the year and retaining all related documentation for a minimum of 7 years, in case of an audit.

To determine CE eligibility, please contact the relevant provincial licensing/regulatory body (e.g. AIC, CIRO) directly.

• Basic Licensing Courses (e.g., LLQP, IFIC, CSC): Not eligible, as they meet initial licensing requirements but don’t support ongoing professional development.
• Informal Learning: Activities like reading, personal research, or writing papers are not eligible.
• Sales/Admin/Operations Training: Training focused on sales, office procedures, or internal operations is excluded.
  1. Does the IAFE recognize the completion of any other activities/courses as equivalent to meeting the annual CE requirements?

Only Institute-approved and Institute-accredited CE are recognized as meeting the annual CE requirements.

Yes, however, it is important to note that you must successfully complete the course for it to be recognized towards your CE requirements. Additionally, courses must be a minimum of 30 hours in duration, your designation must have ongoing CE requirements, must be overseen by a governing body and be bound to a code of conduct.

If you are unsure of whether your designation is recognized, please email info@iafe.ca.

Audits are conducted on an annual basis. We recommend recording CE activities throughout the year and retaining all related documentation for a minimum of 7 years.

If selected, you will be advised by email and must respond within 30 days of receiving your audit selection notice. You will be required to provide specific course details for each course completed throughout the previous calendar year.

The Institute will review your response to ensure it aligns with ongoing CE requirements. You will be advised by email if there are any next steps.

Designation holders who are unable to meet annual CE requirements due to circumstances such as parental leave or medical grounds may apply for a one-year exemption. To do so, they must submit the CE Exemption Form with supporting documentation. All exemptions require IAFE approval.val.

If you hold more than one Institute-issued designation, you must meet the standards of the designation with the highest CE requirements. Additionally, if you are an Advocis member, you must also meet the Advocis CE requirements.  For a detailed understanding of what your CE requirements are please visit here.

No, retired members and students are exempt from completing annual CE requirements. To learn more about the criteria for retired members and for students, please refer to our CE Guide.