The Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA®) is the premier national organization dedicated to the certification, education and promotion of the use of financial professionals in the divorce arena.
The Institute for Divorce Finance Analysts® acknowledges and supports the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within its professional organization.
This support and acknowledgment highlight a commitment to fostering and encouraging a membership culture dedicated to an awareness of the impact of systemic racism, gender inequality, physical, neurodivergent, and emotional disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community and other historically underrepresented groups with the goal of embracing the uniqueness of all individuals.
The Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA®)
Founded in 1993, IDFA provides specialized training to accounting, financial, and legal professionals in the field of pre-divorce financial planning. Over the years, we have certified more than 5,000 professionals in the US and Canada as Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) professionals.
The Institute provides comprehensive training using a variety of knowledge and skill-building techniques. CDFA candidates learn how to help their clients with financial issues that will affect the rest of their lives, including:
- Personal vs. marital property
- Valuing and dividing property
- Retirement assets and pensions
- Spousal and child support
- Splitting the house
- Tax problems and solutions
- Expert witness testimony
- Tax law and financial issues affecting divorce
To acquire the designation, a candidate must successfully pass the exam and be in good standing with their Broker/Dealer(if applicable) and the FINRA/SEC or any other licensing or regulatory agency.
Success Stories
“Becoming a CDFA® has been both personally and professionally rewarding. I have become the financial ‘go to’ person for many of the top Massachusetts attorneys, and as a result, many of their clients have become my clients at settlement time.?-Barbara Shapiro (CFP®, CDFA®, CFS, EdM, MSF), Dedham, MA