John and Greg are happy to announce our latest news. The pencils are down and papers turned in. The exams are over, and…WE BOTH PASSED! Greg earned the AIF® designation, and John is now a CPM®. These accomplishments were to further our commitment to being the best we can be for our clients. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and happy to help.
Congrats to Greg!
Greg just completed the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) course. He took the exam Friday!
The Center for Fiduciary Studies offers financial advisors the opportunity to enhance their fiduciary knowledge and demonstrate that they are serious about their fiduciary responsibilities. The Center for Fiduciary Studies awards the designation of Accredited Investment Fiduciary. Recent cases of fiduciary negligence and resulting legislation have placed the focus on fiduciary responsibility and the need to be trained in it. As we are proud of the profession we are in and strive to uphold its integrity, it saddens us when hearing of maleficence in the profession by unscrupulous industry peers. As with most other professional designations, the AIF® and the process of obtaining it, requires considerable study time and successfully completing an exam. The AIF® program provides detailed instruction on how to comply with the fiduciary standards of care, and introduces the participant to the 22 Prudent Investment Practices developed by the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies. These practices combine “the minimum requirements of pertinent legislation with industry best practices.” Fiduciaries may be confident that they are meeting their obligations by holding to these practices. A client will benefit from using the expertise of an advisor with the AIF® designation, as the advisor will be held to a standard of excellence to which others may not adhere.
Again, congratulations to Greg on his hard work and accomplishment.
John and the CPM®
November 6, 2018 was graduation day for John at Columbia University. He received the Certified Portfolio Manager (CPM®) designation. The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University, in conjuction with the Academy of Certified Portfolio Managers (ACPM), awards the designation for successfully completing the curriculum set forth by the ACPM.
The art and science of successful portfolio management requires a thorough understanding of concepts and disciplines such as fundamental security analysis and valuation, asset allocation, and risk management. The ACPM curriculum consisted of these and other concentrations.
The entirety of the Certified Portfolio Management Program was comprised of 55 exams covering 8 core concepts, designed by Columbia University and the Academy of Certified Portfolio Managers. The CPM® designation was awarded to those qualified candidates who successfully scored 80% or higher on all 55 module exams and a passing grade on the cumulative final exam.
There are now approximately 450 Certified Portfolio Managers in the country, which is a considerable few, relative to more than 630,000 licensed investment advisors in America. John is honored to one of the recently designated CPM’s, and it is a milestone in his 34-year career.
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Blackhawk Wealth Advisors
Blackhawk Wealth Advisors employs a collaborative, multi-generational model by using tax efficient and risk mitigation strategies to maintain your current lifestyle while meeting your long term needs and goals. BWA brings together all aspects of your financial life with the expertise of ERPE and BAM.
Blackhawk Asset Management
At BAM, we take the research we obtain from ERPE and utilize it to manage our clients’ assets. Our founder, John Gardner, CFP®, CPM®, offers high net worth investors experienced investment portfolio management based on a disciplined methodology. John is one of the nation's approximately 400 Certified Portfolio Managers and has managed billions of dollars in equity portfolios over his professional career since 1984. He has created four effective, proprietary portfolios: Thematic Growth, Strategic Income, Diversified Value, and Global Opportunity, which have helped clients prosper.
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Equity Research & Portfolio Evaluation (ERPE) utilizes its propietary approach in analyzing investments. Its proven success researching equities is based on a blend of fundamental and technical analysis. ERPE's time-tested Top 10 Tenets guide the investment process to achieve Portfolio Optimization: This is through minimizing risk without sacrificing return.
