Christian advisors offered certification
Today’s Family News
May 24, 2006
Canada’s Christian financial advisors will soon be able to enroll
in a new certification program that will help them to better align
their faith with their professional skills, Financial Post
columnist Mark Brown reported recently.
This month, the
Canadian National Christian Foundation will unveil a new
certification for financial professionals. Its tentative name is the
Certified Christian Advisor Program.
Rick Harper, the foundation’s vice-president of member services, said
that those who take the course will need to produce written references
from their clients and a pastor. They will also be expected to do more
to engage their communities, such as through teaching people how to
become more responsible in managing their debt.
Although some Christian investors will deliberately seek out a
financial advisor who shares their faith, many others will never know
whether their advisor is an accredited Christian professional.
Two years ago, the foundation – comprising 1,000 financial planners,
accountants and estate lawyers – formed
Advisors with Purpose. It teaches members how to bring a Christian
perspective to their practice. Their members, said Harper, “humbly ask
the question, ‘As the gatekeepers, what would God have us do?’ ”
Like any financial advisor, they seek ways to improve the return on
their clients’ investment portfolios. But as Christians desiring to live
out the faith, they will also emphasize, for example, charitable giving
and socially-responsible investing. |
