Our qualifications & practice

IFS  understands the critical importance of close client relationships based on individually tailored services, personal engagement and deep fiduciary trust, always placing client best interest above all.

We focus on providing our clients with respected intellectual capital, extensive resources, professionalism, and a deeply ingrained service ethic.

Our service to plan sponsors has been developed based on extensive experience in corporate strategy consulting, investment management and investment banking work. We bring these disciplines together to serve the best interests of our clients in a way that is unique in the retirement plan industry. We understand corporate strategy and the impact human resource management can have on the optimization of shareholders interests.

We have extensive training in fiduciary matters and have always advocated the interests of the participants to the fullest extent. We are unique among retirement plan advisors in our emphasis on fiduciary awareness and training.

AIFA® Certification

The Principals of IFS have received certification as Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA®)  by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. This designation represents a thorough knowledge of and ability to apply the Global Fiduciary Standard of Excellence. The Standard of Excellence is based on the fiduciary practices developed by the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies. AIFA® designees have received comprehensive instruction on the Practices and the legal and best practice framework they are built upon.

Expertise in this area is critical in today's fiduciary landscape. All investment industry scandals have one common thread: A fiduciary parlayed their position of trust for personal profits. “Breach of fiduciary responsibilityâ€� is the leading cause for arbitration against brokers, and the leading cause for civil and regulatory suits against RIAs. Investment fiduciaries are constantly exposed to legal and practical scrutiny - it comes from multiple directions and for various reasons. The AIFA® training and designation help mitigate this liability by instructing in practices that cover pertinent legislation and best practices. For this reason the AIFA was named one of the ten most wanted in the investment industry by Financial Planning magazine.

Please visit www.fi360.com for more information.

How do we help Clients to meet their Fiduciary Obligations?

Unfortunately most of the advisors in this country who are serving the 401k/403b space do not have: The legal capacity to act in a fiduciary role The credentials to demonstrate their knowledge in delivering prudent plan governance procedures to help mitigate this personal liability for fiduciaries This is where IFS sets itself apart from the typical commissioned broker-of-record or standard investment advisory firm: A Registered Investment Advisory firm, we act in the sole interest of our clients and are legally considered a fiduciary, side-by-side with our clients As Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst®, we have armed ourselves with the knowledge of the prudent fiduciary practices needed to mitigate liability. We utilize a "best-practices-standard" developed by the Center for Fiduciary Studies to develop a due diligence process that includes, but is not limited to, the assessment of manager/investment performance, fee benchmarking, relevant document organization, and periodic vendor searches. To assure complete objectivity, IFS sells no investment or insurance based products (such as proprietary mutual funds, annuities, etc.), IFS charges no asset-based fees; IFS agrees, in writing, to serve in a co-fiduciary status; IFS requires that it provide Fiduciary Education to all clients as a condition of any engagement.