The following guidelines outline the routes towards earning the Accredited Professional Fund Investor (APFI) qualification.
APFI Membership Eligibility and Status
At any point in time an APFI Member’s status falls under the following 2 categories:
APFI Member
An individual fund investor or manager due diligence professional may become an APFI Member by meeting the following requirements:
- Sign and adopt the APFI Member Charter and/or renew the pledge annually; AND
- Have their employment status as a fund investor or manager due diligence professional confirmed by a member of the APFI Leadership Team or their designee.
APFI Members may list themselves as an APFI Member on their CV or LinkedIn profile or other biographical materials like they would other professional bodies. “APFI Member” status is not a designation/title and should not be used/referred to with the intention of deliberately misleading consumers of a Member’s biographical materials into thinking that the Member has been conferred with a title of sort by the APFI.
Accredited Professional Fund Investor (APFI)
An APFI Member may earn the status and privilege of the Accredited Professional Fund Investor (APFI) designation by meeting the following requirements:
- Be an APFI Member in good standing, AND
- Hold an approved qualification including a CIMA® certification, CFA® Charter, CIPM® Certificate, CAIA® Charter, CEFA Diploma, or CIIA® Diploma; AND
- Have three years in fund selection or manager due diligence experience; AND
- Have their three years of relevant experience confirmed by a member of the APFI Leadership Team or their designee; AND
- Pay the $100 accreditation fee.
Upon successful completion of all of the above criteria, members may apply to use the designation and title of ‘Accredited Professional Fund Investor’ or ‘APFI’ like CIMA®, CFA®, CAIA®, CPA®, PhD, or other such professional designations. Should an individual fail to maintain their good standing as an APFI Member or leave their role as a professional fund investor/manager due diligence professional, they shall lose the privileges conferred by the APFI designation. In the future, the APFI will offer its own APFI Technical Exam for those APFI members who do not already have another industry equivalent certification.