800.875.1760
Purpose
The Board of Advisors Policy (the Policy) for IDFA sets out the approach to ensure a diverse Board of Advisors. This policy helps to ensure that the Board of Advisors represents the majority of the CDFA candidate’s backgrounds. The Board of Advisors is the final authority on certification requirements, disciplinary action, and the strategic goals of IDFA. IDFA staff cannot waive eligibility requirements or change certification requirements without Board of Advisors' approval. The Board of Advisors is a self-perpetuating body.
Responsibilities
- Establish and review the certification requirements including prerequisites.
- Approve educational materials prepared by external consultants
- Establish and review the Code of Ethics
- Final authority on all disciplinary measures.
- Establish and review recertification requirements.
- Assist in planning and presenting the annual conference.
- Final authority on complaints or exception requests from candidates and certificants.
- Provide oversight on exam development and delivery.
- Call for Job Task analysis at a minimum of every seven years.
Each will be reviewed at a minimum of once every three years and the Chair will appoint one Board member to lead a Task Force reviewing the standard(s). In addition, the BofA will be the final decision on all requests for exceptions and disciplinary appeals.
In addition, the BofA will participate in quarterly calls to review the strategic plans for IDFA and the CDFA designation. During the quarterly calls, the BofA will also hear any appeals escalated from the Ethics Steering Committee, requests for exceptions to the experience requirement, and concerns regarding the staff implementation of the policies and procedures. During the fourth quarter BofA call, the election for the new class and new Chair of the BOA will take place.
For information about the Board selection process, please see the Board of Advisors Nomination and Selection Policy.
Chair
Jason prides himself on investing the time and attention to become a complete financial partner to his clients. He takes a holistic, personalized approach to financial well-being, providing his clients the tailored guidance and advice necessary to invest based on their needs, help secure their futures, and achieve their goals.
Jason graduated from Ball State University in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and received his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 2002. After graduating, Jason specialized in providing high-level tax and financial solutions with a national accounting firm where he advised individuals, families, and companies for 10 years. During his time there, he co-founded the financial services division of the firm for the Indianapolis area, helping to build the division from the ground up.
From there, Jason went on to serve as a financial advisor at a nationally recognized brokerage firm for 7 years. During this time, he received his Certified Divorce Financial Analyst license (CDFA®). The insight and expertise he gained during that process is critical to the advocacy he provides clients going through divorce.
Today Jason is actively engaged in helping the legal community understand the financial needs of their clients, especially those navigating the complexities of divorce. He is a regular speaker at the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum and the Indianapolis Bar Association.
Jason – a life-long resident of Indiana – is originally from Terre Haute and now resides in Fishers with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Grace and Macy. He is an avid Indianapolis Colts fan and enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.
Third Year Members
Nancy Hetrick CDFA®,MAFF®,AWMA® is the founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions LLC, and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center.
As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and forensic specialist, she assists divorcing clients by providing the financial expertise necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes. For financially complex cases, her team ensures all of the puzzle pieces are clearly identified and all strategies for division are explored.
She has over 20 years of experience in both investment management and financial planning and has specialized in divorce since 2011.
Nancy has become a nationally known trainer for Divorce Financial Planners and offers continuing education and intensive advanced training for CDFA® holders through www.DivorceFinancialTraining.com.
She is the author of “Divorce Financial Planning; Building a Successful Niche Business”, Divorce Is Not For Dummies; How To Cover Your Assets and the co-author of The Stress-Free Divorce, Volume 2.
Andrew Hatherley is the founder and CEO of Wiser Divorce Solutions, LLC and Transcend Retirement, LLC and the host of The Gray Divorce Podcast.
Andrew founded Wiser Divorce Solutions in 2017. After going through his own divorce, Andrew decided to help others avoid the financial and emotional stress so common to the process. Andrew earned the designation Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and is trained in both divorce mediation and Collaborative Divorce. In 2022, Andrew started The Gray Divorce Podcast, which is focused on mid-late life divorcees. Andrew also founded the Wiser Divorce Workshop in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the workshop, Andrew and other divorce professionals educate people about the legal, financial, and emotional aspects of divorce.
Andrew has over 25 years’ experience in investment management and financial planning and has earned the designation Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®. He has also studied with leaders in the field of humanistic and positive psychology. He is a strong advocate for the role creativity can play in growing personally after trauma.
Through his investment advisory firm Transcend Retirement, he helps people with the financial transition after divorce. Andrew believes in the concept of financial life planning and seeks to help his clients build the financial foundation for a meaningful life after divorce. Andrew believes that money should not be an end, instead it is a tool used to live a life of contentment and purpose.
Andrew has a Master of Business Administration from McGill University and ESADE. He has lived and worked in five countries and speaks Spanish. Andrew loves to write, travel, play pickleball and tennis and discuss classic movies with fellow film buffs.
Second Year Members
Sam established Coastal Divorce Advisors to provide clients with the support and guidance they need to make smart, unemotional financial decisions as they navigate the often overwhelming divorce process. Prior to founding the firm, Sam was a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in New York City, where he developed financial plans, asset allocation models, and appropriate investment strategies for high-net-worth clients.
Born and raised in Savannah, Sam graduated from St. Andrew’s on the Marsh. He received a BA in Spanish from Furman University, in Greenville, South Carolina, and an MBA, with a dual concentration in finance and management, from Fordham University in New York City.
Sam also earned both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA™) designations as well as holds life, health and accident life insurance licenses. He is a member of the CFA Institute, the Atlanta Society of Financial and Investment Professionals (ASFIP), the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA) and the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP).
Sam frequently testifies as an expert witness in divorce cases, having testified in over 30 bench and jury trials.
After spending 16 years in New York City, he returned to Savannah with his wife and their two young sons in 2015. Sam enjoys running and biking, and completed the NYC Marathon in 2004. He is also proficient in Spanish.
First Year Members
After watching my parents go through a divorce at a young age, and going through a tremendously expensive and emotionally-draining one myself in 2017, I launched Allegiant Divorce Solutions as a sister company to my financial planning firm, Woodson Wealth Management.
I recognize the challenges people face as they decide how to handle their finances relating to divorce. My parents struggled and it was challenging for me, too. Looking back, there were mistakes I made during my own divorce that could have been avoided had I had the support of a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®.
At present, armed with this ever-growing knowledge and almost 20 years of financial planning experience I am dedicated to helping our clients navigate the complex aspects of divorce and gain a fair settlement, with much less stress.
Rhonda Noordyk is the founder and CEO of Financial Divorce Advocate, Host of Divorce: Conversations for Women podcast and Best-Selling Author.
Rhonda founded her company in 2014. Prior to that, she spent over a decade working with a boutique Registered Investment Advisory firm during the day and teaching college courses in the evenings. Her background afforded her the opportunity to develop curriculum, deliver training programs and communicate in an encouraging and empowering way. She has worked with over 900 clients. She wants women to know they don't have to walk this journey alone—and they certainly don’t have to settle for anything less than a joy-filled, vibrant life! Rhonda Noordyk and Financial Divorce Advocate are dedicated to empowering women with the financial confidence to navigate divorce and secure their futures. Through expert guidance and strategic support, Rhonda ensures her clients are equipped to make informed decisions and overcome challenges in a system that often overlooks their needs.
With a vision to transform the divorce process and reach one million women by 2027, Rhonda is dedicated to helping clients move forward with clarity, strength, and lasting impact for themselves and future generations. In her free time, Rhonda loves to visit coffee shops, spend time outdoors and hang out in the gym watching her high school daughters play sports.
