Regulators Separate Quality Senior
Designations from the Rest
It has never been more important to know that your senior or retirement designation is acceptable for use by regulators, and there have been important developments on that front over the past few months. California's new senior designation law, AB 2150, takes effect January 1, 2009. Senior designations used in California must receive approval from the California Department of Insurance, and The American College's CASL retirement designation is approved. Many states are adopting the model rules produced by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). CASL is also approved under those approaches. Further, the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging has introduced a bill that clarifies what constitutes a "misleading" senior designation - and a key test for quality in that bill is regional accreditation, the type of accreditation held by The American College.
CASL® - the mark of retirement coaches for life's second half - is currently accepted for use by every jurisdiction in the United States and meets the standards recommended by all of the regulatory bodies outlined above. It is the industry's most rigorous, most complete designation in the senior and retirement space.
It doesn't matter what the name of the credential is - whether it includes words such as "senior" or "retirement planning" or other similar terms - the issue is the quality and rigor of the content. Look for these important features:
- Does the organization providing the credential have regional accreditation, the highest level of academic accreditation available?
- Is the provider a non-profit public charity focused on education instead of on sales and marketing?
- Does the content have depth and rigor, and are examinations "closed book" and proctored?
- On average, does the credential take at least six to twelve months to achieve and do pass rates suggest a challenging course of study?
- Are there continuing education and ethics requirements in place to maintain the designation?
Don't take chances with something so important. Sign up today for the rapidly growing CASL® designation and truly set yourself apart for your clients!
