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http://www.joincir.com/

Cambridge is the leading independent broker/dealer specializing in fee-based asset management.  Cambridge’s independence from the large investment and insurance companies allows the advisory practices with whom they partner to retain their independence in the service of their clients.

Located in our nation's heartland, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. was established in 1995 and has grown rapidly as more financial planning professionals seek freedom for themselves and their clients.  The mission of Cambridge from the beginning was to better meet the needs of investment advisors that wanted to move away from the traditional commission model to the more service oriented fee-based model of investment management.

Today Cambridge continues to combine the small-town traditions of honest hard work, common sense solutions, and courteous personal service with the large-firm opportunities of cutting edge technology, economies of scale, and comprehensive product selection.		    
       
 


http://www.aboutschwabinstitutional.com/public/html/index.html

Schwab Institutional is a division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and is the leading provider of custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors.  Schwab Institutional focuses on providing independent advisors with the platform, products, programs and resources they need to serve their clients and grow their businesses efficiently and effectively.

In recent years, Schwab Institutional has made major investments in business development and management programs in order to help advisors evolve their practices into highly sophisticated and successful businesses.

Other important facts:

  • Schwab Institutional launched in 1987 and has more than 1.4 million client accounts
  • Current client assets total more than $406 billion
  • More than 5,000 independent investment advisors utilize Schwab Institutional
Schwab’s excellent service is provided by a team of more than 1,000 professionals		    
       


http://www.pershing.com/

Pershing works behind the scenes to provide the people, services, and technologies that help make successful investing possible.  They are a source for a diverse array of securities trading, clearing, information management, and financial products and services.

Pershing is made up of more than 3,700 highly focused, experienced people developing and supporting the interests of financial organizations.  Each partnership is built with a service team approach and is managed by an experienced and dedicated Relationship Manager.

Pershing supports more than 1,100 financial organizations worldwide, with regional offices in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and Charlotte.		    
       
 


http://www.morningstar.com/

In the early 1980s, individual investors could not readily access comprehensive information about mutual fund performance. Believing that such fundamental information ought to be widely available, founder Joe Mansueto created Morningstar in 1984.  By providing useful, informative mutual fund analysis and commentary, Morningstar has become the leading source of investment data and information.

Morningstar offers an extensive line of internet, software, and print-based products for individual investors, financial advisors, and institutional clients.  With operations in 16 countries, they currently provide data on more than 145,000 investment offerings worldwide.		    
       


http://www.pacificlife.com/

Founded in 1868, Pacific Life provides life insurance products, individual annuities, and mutual funds, as well as a variety of investment services to individuals, businesses, and pension plans.  Pacific Life counts more than half of the 100 largest U.S. companies as clients and is a member of Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), whose membership promotes high ethical standards for the sale of individual life insurance and annuities.

Pacific Life’s financial ratings are as follows:

  • Moody’s Investors Service:  Aa3 (Excellent)
  • Standard & Poor’s:  AA (Very Strong)
  • A.M. Best:  A++ (Superior)
  • Fitch Ratings:  AA (Very Strong)
Their life insurance products were recognized by Worth magazine in its annual “A List” feature, which stated that Pacific Life “has a history of extending improvements retroactively into existing policies—a sign that it cares.” 		   
       
 


http://www.metlife.com/Applications/Corporate/WPS/CDA/PageGenerator

MetLife is one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the U.S.  Over the last 137 years, their franchises, brand names and innovative products have positioned them as a leading provider of protection, savings and investment products.

MetLife’s well-recognized brand names, competitive and innovative products and financial strength will help drive future growth and ensure continued financial strength, all building on a long tradition of integrity.  The company continued its growth when it acquired Citigroup's Travelers Life & Annuity and substantially all of Citigroup's international business in 2005.

MetLife’s financial ratings are as follows:

  • Moody’s Investors Service:  Aa2 (Excellent)
  • Standard & Poor’s:  AA (Very Strong)
  • A.M. Best:   A+ (Superior)
  • Fitch Ratings:  AA (Very Strong)
   
       


http://www.cfp.net/ CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

The Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation and certification marks are financial planning credentials awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to individuals who meet education, examination, experience and ethics requirements.

Education

As a first step to CFP® certification, students must master more than 100 integrated financial planning topics.  The topics cover major planning areas such as:

  • General principles of financial planning
  • Insurance planning
  • Investment planning
  • Income tax planning
  • Retirement planning
  • Employee benefits planning
  • Estate planning

CFP® Certification Examination

The CFP® certification examination is a 10-hour exam, divided into one four-hour session (Friday afternoon) and two three-hour sessions (Saturday).  The exam includes three major case problems and is designed to assess the student's ability to apply his or her financial planning education to financial planning situations.

Work Experience

Even after the student passes the exam, he or she must also:

  • Have three years full-time experience in the financial planning field
  • Obtain approval by the CFP® Board during initial certification
  • Undergo an exstensive background check

Ethics

The final component is the ethics requirements.  Students and certificants are required to adhere to the CFP® Board Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and to the Financial Planning Practice Standards.  The CFP® Board has the right to enforce these standards through its disciplinary rules and procedures. 		   
       
 


http://www.finra.com

The FINRA is the world's leading private-sector provider of financial regulatory services and has been instrumental in bringing integrity to the markets - and confidence to investors - for more than 60 years.

The FINRA oversees the activities of more than 5,100 brokerage firms, approximately 130,800 branch offices and more than 658,770 registered securities representatives.  In addition, they provide outsourced regulatory products and services to a number of stock markets and exchanges.

From oversight to education, their efforts touch virtually every aspect of the securities industry.  FINRA licenses individuals and admits firms to the industry, writes rules to govern their behavior, examines them for regulatory compliance and disciplines those who fail to comply.  They provide education and qualification examinations to industry professionals while supporting securities firms in their compliance activities.

In addition, the FINRA operates the largest securities dispute resolution forum in the world, processing over 8,000 arbitrations and 1,000 mediations a year.  With a staff of nearly 2,000 and an annual budget of more than $500 million, FINRA is a world leader in capital markets regulation.

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