Institute-accredited CE refers to any continuing education that has been formally reviewed by and has successfully met the requirements of The Institute’s CE Accreditation Services. All material submitted to The Institute’s CE Accreditation Services is evaluated against the The Institute CE Accreditation Guidelines.

All courses, presentations and seminars offered by third-party providers that align with The Institute’s standards as published in the Practice Guidelines for Financial Advisors and Planners, but have not been submitted to The Institute and evaluated against its Practice Guidelines. Attendees may be required to demonstrate that CE claimed as “Institute-approved” meets The Institute’s standard and should therefore retain copies of the course description and record of completion in the event of an audit.

To record your CE credits directly with Advocis and The Institute, you can login to your account here.

If you need assistance with your login, please contact the Advocis Member Services department by email at info@advocis.ca or phone at 1-877-773-6765.

Institute designees are encouraged to record their CE activities throughout the year in order to prevent an audit situation. Designees who have not recorded the full CE requirement could be randomly selected to participate in the annual CE audit and be required to submitwritten proof of CE activity to The Institute.

The Institute provides CE activity tracking services wherein designees submit supporting documentation and record their attendance of continuing education they have attained.

Institute-accredited CE programs are automatically recorded on the member profile of any individual who has obtained Institute-accredited CE delivered by Advocis.

The Institute tracks all proof of CE activity reported to Advocis and The Institute. Only non-accredited CE credits will be audited in the event that a member has not already provided verification of these credits. At any time, members can obtain a printed listing of all CE activity reported to Advocis. This service is available only to Advocis members and Institute designation holders in good standing.

Access more than 5,500 CE credits currently on file here (by provider) and here (by Practice Competencies, Behaviours & Ethics). If you cannot find the CE provider you are looking for, email us at accreditation@iafe.ca and we will follow up with the education provider.

Accredited CE offers near universal assurance that CE will be accepted by many organizations, regulators and licensing bodies in the financial services industry. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec have specific CE requirements for individuals licensed within their jurisdictions. Please contact the relevant Insurance Council for more details. The Institute, however, cannot speak on behalf of other organizations. It is the responsibility of participants to confirm that Institute-accredited and Institute-approved CE meet the CE requirements of other relevant organizations and provincial licensing bodies.

Any CE that has been accredited by The Institute’s CE Accreditation Services is audit-proof. Accredited CE programs are automatically recorded on the member profile of any individual who has obtained Institute-accredited CE. Only non-accredited CE credits will be audited in the event that a member has not already provided verification of these credits.

The Institute will begin auditing CE credits for the previous calendar year in January of the current year. Institute designation holders agree to maintain sufficient CE credits for their respective designation(s). They are therefore subject to a possible random CE audit.

The Institute recognizes that there may be times when a designation holder is unable to meet the continuing education requirements on an annual basis. More specifically, The Institute recognizes that medical situations may impact a designation holder’s ability to balance their professional obligations, personal life, and practice. The Institute offers the opportunity for a designation holder to apply for a CE exemption for the reporting year based on either

1. maternity leave, or
2. medical necessity

Designation holders who wish to apply for an exemption are required to complete the CE Exemption form and attached written confirmation, to substantiate the request for an exemption based on one of the above listed grounds. The application can be found here. View CE Exemption form

Carry-over of up to 5 CE credits from one renewal cycle to the next based on the following criteria:

• Carry-over of up to 5 Institute-accredited CE credits from one renewal cycle to the next
• Carry-over of up to 5 hours obtained from the successful completion of Institute designation courses
• Carry-over of up to 5 hours obtained from Institute-approved courses leading to recognized designations (e.g. CFP, CA, CFA, CGA, CIM, CMA, CMP, FCSI, REBC, RFP, RPA, TEP, EPC and CEBS).

Note: Only Institute-accredited CE credits (or equivalent) can be carried over to the next renewal cycle as The Institute is confident in the value of Institute-accredited CE. Quantification of study hours must be provided in order to carry over CE credits from recognized courses. Courses must be a minimum of 30 hours of study, excluding evaluation time, in order to be eligible.

Carry-over of up to 15 CE credits (or equivalent) from one renewal cycle to the next is based on the following criteria. Please note that Institute-approved CE is not eligible for carry-over.

• Up to 15 (fifteen) Institute-accredited CE credits may be carried-over from one renewal cycle to the next;
• Up to 15 (fifteen) hours obtained from the successful completion of Institute designation courses may be carried over as equivalent to Institute-accredited CE. For example, three hours carried-over would qualify as the equivalent of three Institute-accredited CE. It is the responsibility of the designation holder to maintain the necessary documentation in the event of an audit.
• Up to 15 (fifteen) hours obtained from the successful completion of a course leading to a recognized designation may be carried over as equivalent to Institute-accredited CE (e.g., CA, CFA, CEBS, CFP, CGA, CIM, CMA, CMP, CSWP, EPC, FCSI, MTI, PFP, RFP, RPA, TEP). For example, three hours carried-over would qualify as the equivalent of three Institute-accredited CE. It is the responsibility of the designation holder to maintain the necessary documentation in the event of an audit.

Carry-over of up to 10 CE credits (or equivalent) from one renewal cycle to the next is based on the following criteria. Please note that Institute-approved CE is not eligible for carry-over.

• Up to 10 (ten) Institute-accredited CE credits may be carried-over from one renewal cycle to the next;
• Up to 10 (hours) hours obtained from the successful completion of Institute designation courses may be carried over as equivalent to Institute-accredited CE. For example, three hours carried-over would qualify as the equivalent of three Institute-accredited CE. It is the responsibility of the designation holder to maintain the necessary documentation in the event of an audit.
• Up to 10 (ten) hours obtained from the successful completion of a course leading to a recognized designation may be carried over as equivalent to Institute-accredited CE (e.g., CA, CFA, CEBS, CFP, CGA, CIM, CMA, CMP, CSWP, EPC, FCSI, MTI, PFP, RFP, RPA, TEP). For example, three hours carried-over would qualify as the equivalent of three Institute-accredited CE. It is the responsibility of the designation holder to maintain the necessary documentation in the event of an audit.

Institute designation holders who have obtained the CLU and an additional Institute designation (CHS, PFA, or both) are only required to complete a total of 30 CE credits (a maximum of 15 CE credits can be Institute-approved. Institute-approved CE credits must be industry-related and may be subject to The Institute’s review). Meeting the 30 CE credit requirement for the CLU will simultaneously satisfy your CE requirements for the CHS and/or the PFA.

A minimum of 30 continuing education (CE) credits each calendar year, two of which must be from a recognized Ethics program. A maximum of 15 CE credits can be Institute-Approved. Institute-Approved CE credits must be industry-related (courses, seminars, etc.), and may be subject to The Institute’s review.

Any deficiency in one year must be made up by the end of the next calendar year, in addition to the full year’s necessary requirement of CE credits.

10 continuing education (CE) credits each calendar year, one of which must be from a recognized Ethics program. These CE credits can be Institute-accredited and/or Institute-Approved.  Institute-approved CE credits must be industry-related (courses, seminars, etc.), and may be subject to The Institute’s review.

Any deficiency in one year must be made up by the end of the next calendar year, in addition to the full year’s necessary requirement of CE credits.

A minimum of 20 continuing education (CE) credits each calendar year, one of which must be from a recognized Ethics program. A maximum of 10 CE credits can be Institute-Approved. Institute-Approved CE credits must be industry-related (courses, seminars, etc.), and may be subject to The Institute’s review.

Any deficiency in one year must be made up by the end of the next calendar year, in addition to the full year’s necessary requirement of CE credits.

A number of programs/events submitted for CE accreditation reinforce ethical behaviour through their affirmation (expressed or implied) of the standard for advisors to put their clients’ needs first.

The following do not constitute Institute-approved CE:

1. Courses designed to meet basic provincial licensing requirements (e.g., LLQP, IFIC, CSC, mutual funds, securities)
2. Informal activities, such as reading, researching, writing papers, etc.
3. Training on sales techniques, office management, and administrative procedures

If an Institute designation-holder delivers an Institute-accredited CE program in a formal presentation setting, it qualifies as Institute-accredited CE. Example of qualifying activities:

1. Facilitating the delivery of an Institute-accredited CE program (e.g. delivering Update). Certain oral presentations aligned to section A of the Ability Statements qualify as Institute-approved CE (i.e. if a CLU, PFA or CHS-designated advisor is communicating information related to the Practice Guidelines in a formal presentation setting, it qualifies as Institute-approved CE).
2. Delivering financial-literacy presentations to consumers

NOTE

• Appropriate documentation would be required to verify these activities in the event of an audit situation.
• Only the single delivery of a presentation will count toward CE requirement during a CE audit cycle.
• A presenter is not eligible for additional CE credits in the event that they attend the same presentation they have facilitated (credits can only be applied once – either as a presenter or as an attendee).

The annual CE requirement can be met in several ways:

• The Institute will recognize the successful completion of one of its other designation courses as equivalent to and having met the requirement of the annual CE requirement.
• The Institute will also recognize the successful completion of designation courses when taken through recognized providers. For example, successful completion of any course for the CLU, CHS, PFA or CFP designation will be recognized as equivalent to and having met the annual CE requirement.
• The Institute will also recognize the successful completion of a course leading to one of the following designations: CA, CFA, CEBS, CFP, CGA, CIM, CMA, CMP, CSWP, EPC, FCSI, MTI, PFP, RFP, RPA, TEP. This list is not complete. In order for a designation course to qualify as equivalent to The Institute’s annual CE requirement for the CLU or PFA, the following must be in place:

1. 1. The course must be a minimum of 30 (thirty) hours in duration
   2. The designation must have an ongoing CE or professional experience requirement
   3. The designation must be overseen by a governing body
   4. Holders of the designation must be bound by a code of conduct.

Institute-accredited CE offers near universal assurance that CE will be accepted by many organizations, regulators and licensing bodies in the financial services industry. Accredited CE programs are objective and substance-based; they enhance professionalism and help advisors remain compliant in an ever-changing industry.