Effort furthers firm’s commitment to fuel growth for advisors focused on increasing services for high-net-worth clients.

Commonwealth Financial Network^®, a national firm dedicated to providing financial advisors with holistic, integrated business solutions, announces its partnership with Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI) and Executive Education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to offer the Certified Private Wealth Advisor^® (CPWA^®) certification to its network of affiliated advisors. The CPWA program equips advisors with the tools and strategies to strengthen their expertise and support more high-net-worth (HNW) clients.

The custom CPWA program will run as an IWI-guided self-study curriculum for six months and is designed specifically for advisors looking to grow their practices by better serving HNW clients with complex needs. The capstone of Commonwealth’s CPWA program is an in-person, week-long course taught by faculty and industry experts at Chicago Booth, one of the world’s leading business schools. After successfully completing the program and exam, Commonwealth will continue supporting credentialed advisors as they put new expertise into practice through a one-year HNW Business Development Extension. This offering will help participants position themselves for success in the HNW marketplace through ongoing education, coaching, and networking to share best practices.

“We’re excited to offer this opportunity for our advisors to work with experts at the Institute and Chicago Booth to earn their CPWA,” said Kenton Shirk, vice president, practice management, at Commonwealth and one of the lead architects of this offering. “We developed our program and selected our partners to ensure the quality of content and value for our advisors. Our collaborative, community-based approach is designed to provide advisors with the follow-up, reinforcement, and additional insight to transform their businesses.”

“We look forward to partnering with Commonwealth to deliver a rigorous, highly practical certification program to its affiliated advisors,” said Sean Walters, CAE, CEO of Investments & Wealth Institute. He added, “Commonwealth and the Institute have a shared commitment to providing advisors with an exceptional experience that will create a foundation to better serve clients and drive additional growth.”

“We are partnering with Commonwealth and IWI to bring a unique educational experience to Commonwealth advisors as they prepare to sit for the CPWA exam,” said Mark Lewis, executive director, executive education, at Chicago Booth. “The course will follow our structured format, focusing on human dynamics, wealth management technical design, legacy issues, and specialty services for HNW clients. Commonwealth advisors will leave our class with deepened analytical thinking and sharpened problem-solving skills.”

The inaugural Commonwealth 2023 CPWA program is fully enrolled with 50 participants.

About Commonwealth Financial Network^®

Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser, provides financial advisors with holistic, integrated solutions that support business evolution, growth acceleration, and operational efficiency. J.D. Power ranks Commonwealth Financial Network “#1 in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms, Nine Times in a Row.” Privately held since 1979, the firm has headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. Learn more about how Commonwealth partners with more than 2,100 independent financial advisors overseeing more than $242.9 billion* in assets nationwide by visiting www.commonwealth.com.

Commonwealth received the highest score among independent advisors in the J.D. Power 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018‒2022 U.S. Financial Advisor Satisfaction Studies. Presented on July 6, 2022, for January to May 2022, it is based on responses from 3,039 advisors employed by or affiliated with the firms included in the study. Not indicative of the firm’s future performance. Your experience may vary. Use of study results in promotional materials is subject to a license fee. Visit jdpower.com/awards for more details.

*As of 12/31/2022

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