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# "Senior" Specialists and Advisors: What You Should Know About Professional Designations

Some financial professionals use designations that imply that they are      experts at helping seniors with financial issues. Many seniors, however,      don't understand the sets of initials that may follow the names of these      financial professionals or the meaning of the titles - such as      "senior specialist" or "retirement advisor" - they use      to market themselves.

The education, experience, and other requirements for receiving and      maintaining a "senior" designation vary greatly. In some cases,      a financial professional may need to study and pass several rigorous exams      - after working in a designated field for several years - to receive a      particular designation. In other cases, it may be relatively easy in terms      of time and effort to receive a "senior" designation, even for      an individual with no relevant experience

If you want to find out more about a particular professional      designation, check out the "Understanding      Investment Professional Designations" page on the FINRA's website.      The page provides the education and experience requirements for many      professional designations. In addition, you can find out whether the      granting organization for a particular designation requires continuing      education, offers a public disciplinary or investor complaint process, or      provides a way to check the status of a financial professional. Keep in      mind that neither the FINRA nor the SEC endorses any professional      designation.

Even after doing some research, it may not be clear to you whether a      professional designation represents legitimate expertise, a marketing      tool, or something in between. That's one reason you should always look *beyond*      a financial professional's designation and determine whether he or she can      provide the type of financial services or product you need.

We encourage you to thoroughly evaluate the background of anyone with      whom you intend to do business - *before* you hand over your      hard-earned cash. You also should ask questions - that's the best advice we can give you about how to invest wisely. 	  We see too many investors who might      have avoided trouble and losses if they had asked basic questions from the      start. 

You can learn more about the questions you should ask about investments      and financial professionals by reading our Ask      Questions brochure. Our Check Out      Brokers and Advisers brochure tells you how to get background      information on a financial professional, including prior employment      history and disciplinary actions. 

For more on this topic, please read the NASAA's "investor      alert" concerning senior specialists. You also can find helpful      resources and links on our web page dedicated to seniors at www.sec.gov/investor/seniors.shtml.

						Modified:																			Feb. 27, 2009					STAY CONNECTEDTwitterFacebookRSSYouTubeFlickrLinkedInPinterestEmail Updates-  Site Map 
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