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.

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 CDFA certification examination and be in good standing with their Broker Dealer (if applicable) and the FINRA/SEC or other licensing or regulatory agency.

CDFA Certification Course

There are currently four methods of pursuing the CDFA certification. Here is a brief summary of each option and what is included in the package: 

1. Exam Only. You may purchase the exam vouchers from IDFA or Prometric and then schedule and take the examination. A blueprint of the current exam topics is available on our website and there is no requirement that you purchase any texts or testing materials from IDFA. Cost: $495

2. Self Study. You may purchase the text (hard copy or pdf). This option includes an exam voucher at no additional cost, access to the IDFA Insider student forum, and is designed for individuals who prefer to read and master the materials independently. Cost: Hard Copy $1,675; PDF $1,600

3. Self-Paced eLearning. This program is divided into ten modules that each include digital text, a video lecture, and a unit quiz. In addition, eLearning provides a calculator tutorial, a 150 question practice exam and the exam voucher. Access to the IDFA Insider Student forum is included with all eLearning programs. Cost: $1,675

4. Virtual Classroom. This program is offered periodically and includes everything in the self-paced learning program supplemented with a weekly live call to review the materials and answer any questions the participants may have. Cost: $1,875

What’s Included