CAIA Association Marks Third Anniversary of its Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Program

Thousands of professionals have enrolled in the “Fundamentals” certificate program NASBA joins IMCA, CFP Board in accepting CAIA’s educational offerings for continuing education credit AMHERST, MASS. (April 12, 2017) – The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association, the global leader in alternative investment education, recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of the launch of its Fundamentals of Alternative Investments certificate program (“Fundamentals”). Fundamentals is an online, self-directed course of study that provides a foundation in the core concepts of alternative investing and fills a critical educational gap for professionals in areas such as asset and wealth management, accounting, and law. “Interval funds and other regulatory and technological advances are now putting asset classes such as private equity, real estate and infrastructure within the grasp of the individual investor or their intermediaries,” said Keith Black, Ph.D., CAIA, CFA, Managing Director, Curriculum and Exams for CAIA. “This presents enormous opportunity to access these uncorrelated asset classes, which must be understood and introduced through the lens of education.” Seeking to bridge that educational gap, close to 4,000 professionals have enrolled in Fundamentals since CAIA began offering this program, and multiple firms have made it a core component of their internal training and education efforts around alternative investments. Additionally, Fundamentals is now accepted for Continuing Education (“CE”) or Continued Professional Development (“CPD”) credits for the following designations and institutions: • Certified Public Accountant (CPA®) – National Association of State Boards of Accounting (NASBA) • Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) – Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) • Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) – Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) • Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) – IMCA • Certified Investment Management Consultant (CIMC®) – IMCA “Education provides net benefits not only for the professionals who successfully complete our programs, but also for their end clients, and we continue to be very happy with the reaction that Fundamentals has received across a number of industries and their major standard setting bodies,” said Dr. Black . “We’re thrilled that NASBA has approved CAIA as a National Registry CPE Sponsor, making the Fundamentals program available for accountants to fulfill their continuing education requirements. Accountants, along with wealth managers, asset managers, wholesalers, lawyers, and a host of other professionals are increasingly finding that their work is being impacted by the alternative investment space, and Fundamentals is an excellent way for them to ensure they keep pace with the increasing rate of change in the industry.” The Fundamentals course encompasses 20 one-hour modules and draws its materials from the CAIA Charter curriculum, the most in depth alternative investment education curriculum in the world. Fundamentals provides an overview of alternatives, including risk management and due diligence, for private equity, hedge funds, real assets, commodities, and structured products. It includes critical insights into each topic and product category, helping professionals further their own understanding and better equipping them for the rapidly changing alternative investment landscape. As is the case with the full CAIA Charter, Fundamentals has a global reach as professionals in more than 30 countries, including many emerging markets, have used the program as a tool to help hone their understanding of the alternatives space. CAIA has also begun to incorporate live classroom trainings, facilitated by Dr. Black, in limited markets to further assist those working through the Fundamentals program. So far, CAIA has held these live sessions in the Cayman Islands, Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Switzerland, Dubai, and New York City, and plans to roll them out in other markets over the next few quarters. Dr. Black also noted that a number of university programs have begun to incorporate Fundamentals into their respective curricula, in recognition of the growing role that alternative investments are playing across a number of disciplines. University students are eligible for a discount when registering for the Fundamentals program, and participants in Fundamentals are eligible to receive a $500 discount towards the registration costs for the CAIA Level I exam should they decide to pursue further in-depth training in alternative investments. About the CAIA Association The CAIA Association is the world leader in alternative investment education, offering the only education pro-gram uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional-quality alternative investments. The Association is best known for the CAIA Charter, an internationally-recognized credential granted upon successful completion of a rigorous two-level exam series, combined with relevant work experience. Earning the CAIA Charter is the gateway to becoming a Member of the CAIA Association, a global network of more than 8,700 alternative investment professionals located in more than 90 countries. CAIA also offers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program (”Fundamentals”), an introductory-level online course, designed to provide a foundation in the core concepts in alternative investing. This program represents a natural extension of CAIA’s mission to provide solutions to specific market needs for alternative investment education. To learn more about the CAIA Association, contact Deborah McLean (413) 253-7373 or dmclean@caia.org. For more information on the CAIA Charter, please visit caia.org. ###