Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada (TFAAC) is the largest voluntary professional membership association of

financial advisors A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...

in Canada, representing more than 13,000 members and 40 chapters across the country.

History

On June 4, 1906, members of the Life Underwriters Associations of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

met and founded the Life Underwriters Association of Canada (LUAC) in the interest of

life insurance Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typical ...

agents, and to represent their views to government and the public. On October 1, 1997, a resolution was passed to change the name of LUAC to the Canadian Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CAIFA). On November 7, 2003, CAIFA merged with the Canadian Association of Financial Planners (CAFP) via the passage of a special act through the Federal Parliament of Canada and was formally incorporated as Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada.

Advocacy

Through member-driven committees, Advocis engages with federal and provincial governments across Canada to pursue both the interests of financial advisors and the general public. In recent years, Advocis has been predominantly focused on issues related to title protection, advocating strongly for greater regulation of who is permitted to use the title of 'Financial Advisor' and 'Financial Planner' in jurisdictions across Canada. To date, such legislation has been passed in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Education

Advocis provides educational programs for a range of financial designations in Canada, including the

Chartered Life Underwriter The American College of Financial Services (The American College) is a private online university focused on professional training for financial practitioners and located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It offers several professional certifica ...

(CLU), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Professional Financial Advisor (PFA) and Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) designations. Advocis also offers programs for the Life License Qualification Program (LLQP) and a variety of other certificates and courses intended to meet regulatory requirements for financial advisor

Continuing Education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

FORUM Magazine

FORUM Magazine
is a quarterly magazine published by Advocis which focuses on issues of interest to professional financial advisors. It was originally founded in 1914 by LUAC as ''The Life Underwriters News''.

Associated organizations

The Institute for Advanced Financial Education (IAFE)

As part of TFAAC prior to its incorporation
IAFE
operated as the designation body and business unit of The Financial Advisors Association of Canada (TFAAC). The Institute also serves as the enforcement body for The Institute, and the Advocis Code of Professional Conduct (CPC).

Advocis Broker Services (ABS)

Advocis Broker Services
is a boutique insurance agency focused on financial advisors, and specifically members of Advocis.

The Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU)

CALU
is a 'sister organization' to Advocis, representing a subsection of approximately 650 Advocis members who are advanced practitioners.

GAMA International Canada (GAMA)

is the Canadian associate of GAMA International, a professional association limited to financial services professionals in managerial positions.

References

{{reflist Financial advisors Professional associations based in Canada Non-profit organizations based in Toronto