The Institute for Certified Investment Management Consultants (ICIMC) recently formed The American Academy of Professional Investment Consultants(SM). The goal of The Academy is to provide education and training for investment consultants who want to learn how to operate their financial advisory practices as profitable businesses and attract more clients.

The ICIMC believes The Academy is different because the education offering goes beyond traditional skills and actually focuses on Practice Management issues. The organization believes that investment consultants are looking for client development strategies. Courses range from marketing and consultative strategies to lectures on industry trends.

The Academy has a little something for everyone and is divided into three levels. Level I is for those practitioners attempting to transition their business model from transaction-oriented to fee-based advisory services. Level II is designed for consultants who have already transitioned and desire to move their practices to a higher level. The third level is for the most advanced practitioners who want to keep abreast of the newest techniques and seek to "fine tune" their practices.

The formation of the Academy was supervised by Steve Gresham of The Gresham Company and already has an extensive faculty including many highly regarded business development and practice management experts in the investment industry today. For more information on The Academy, call Christopher Davis, Executive Director of the Institute at 202/452-8670.