It seems incredibly unfair that at a time when you are dealing with the emotional stress of separating from your spouse, you also have to deal with worrisome and complicated financial issues too. As much as any other time in your financial life, it is vital to get professional help with your money questions when you are experiencing a divorce. One person in particular who take a lot of weight off your shoulders is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst or CDFA®. For many clients, divorce is the largest financial transaction of their lives. The role of a CDFA® professional is to address the special financial issues of divorce and help litigants achieve a settlement that will work both today and in the future.
Prerequisites
The Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA™) is the premier national organization dedicated to the certification, education and promotion of the use of financial professionals in the divorce arena. The IDFA sets the standards for all CDFA professionals. The eligibility requirements for CDFA’s are established by the Board of Advisors and reflect the fact that a CDFA is not an entry-level designation but an advanced program.
Individuals with a minimum of three years of professional experience in finance or divorce and a Bachelors degree are eligible to enroll in the CDFA® Program. IDFA will accept ten years of professional experience from those candidates that do not have a Bachelor’s degree. This includes experience as a financial professional, accountant, or matrimonial lawyer. Candidates should also have working knowledge of financial calculators before purchasing the program.
Skillset of a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst
Divorce Financial Planning is the application of the discipline of financial planning to settlement strategies in divorce. The process requires the synthesis of tax, insurance, retirement and other areas of knowledge with their specific application to divorce. CDFA holders must possess experience with a and a strong knowledge base of a multitude of divorce related financial and legal issues, including:
• Personal vs. Marital Property
• Valuing and Dividing Property
• Retirement Assets and Pensions
• Spousal and Child Support
• Splitting the House
• Tax Problems and Solutions
• Expert Witness Testimony
• Tax Law and Financial Issues Affecting Divorce
Maintaining the CDFA Designation
Once a candidate completes the CDFA® course, the designation is valid for one year, after which a fee must be paid annually. To assure continuing competency in tax codes, legislative and other ongoing developments in the field of divorce financial planning, a candidate must report 15 hours of divorce-related continuing education every two years.
Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility is provided as an expression of the ethical standards that IDFA has adopted and every CDFA professional has agreed to abide by. The code applies to every CDFA designee and candidate in conducting divorce-planning work.
1. Integrity: Maintain the highest standard of honesty and integrity when dealing with colleagues, IDFA, clients or lawyers.
2. Competence: In addition to satisfying the continuing education requirement needed to maintain the use of the designation, every CDFA professional should serve their clients competently. Therefore, acquiring the knowledge and skill necessary to do so in the area of divorce planning is required.
3. Objectivity: Objectivity requires a CDFA professional to be intellectually honest and impartial. Regardless of who hired him or her, a CDFA professional will always be objective when dealing with clients and their lawyers.
4. Fairness: To alleviate the risk of potential conflict of interest as well as to not confuse the public, CDFA professionals should separate their financial practices and their divorce-planning practices to ensure divorce-planning recommendations are made independent of the potential financial planning relationship.
5. Confidentiality: CDFA professionals shall hold client information to the highest standard of confidentiality. Short of client consent or appropriate legal process, a CDFA professional shall not release any information about their client before, during or after the divorce.
6. Professionalism: A CDFA professional’s interactions shall project the highest level of professionalism. Whether dealing with clients, lawyers, IDFA or any of its partners or subsidiaries, a CDFA professional will behave in a professional manner.
7. Scope: A CDFA professional, by education and training, is a specialist dealing in the financial issues of divorce. Working alongside the lawyer who is licensed to practice law, a CDFA professional must never (unless licensed to do so) advise clients on their legal rights.
8. Compliance: A CDFA professional will comply with all the laws related to the business they conduct and report to IDFA any actions by other CDFA professionals that are illegal or in violation of this code. In addition, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst professional will comply with any requests from IDFA for information regarding any complaints brought against him or her. If IDFA, after comprehensive investigation, decides that either suspension or revocation of the CDFA designation is the proper remedy, a CDFA professional will comply with the order.
9. Unauthorized Practice of Law: A CDFA professional understands that in order to practice law, one has to be licensed. Under no circumstances will a CDFA professional represent that the IDFA certification is a license to practice law.
10. Support: A CDFA professional will always support our profession and IDFA as the main driving force behind the progress of the profession. Additionally, a CDFA professional will not collude, debase or discredit IDFA or the profession
Do you need a CDFA?
Simply put, if you and your spouse have assets of significant value, the financial ramifications can be quite complicated. At this emotional time, it’s best to trust someone experienced with these kinds of issues rather than trying to learn on-the-fly. Money mistakes made at this time could have far-reaching consequences for your new life.
How do I find a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst?
The easiest way to enlist the services of a CDFA is to ask your divorce attorney for a recommendation. If you want to find one on your own, the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts can help you locate an analyst in your area. Find them here.
You will likely find having one less thing to worry about—or several less things—during this difficult time is of tremendous value to you. A CDFA can lift some of the burden from your decision-making load. Schedule an appointment today with Denise French, CDFA who not only has the professional experience to help you with the finances of your divorce, but she’s walked through her own divorce and can help you navigate yours.
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