Ne Dis Jamis, Jamis (Never Say Never)
It wasn’t too long ago that I thought I was finished accumulating financial planning credentials, but now I’m proud and more than a bit relieved to say that I’m a CDFA® professional. That stands for Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and the idea to pursue it happened by chance.
I’d just passed the CLU® exam in Spring of 2023 and I allowed the mental exhaustion of the moment to cloud my thoughts. Surely CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® and RICP® were satisfactory for my practice. Seriously, how many initials does a guy need attached to his name to finally to feel secure?
Then came reality – divorce cases that inadvertently entered my practice. They came, without solicitation and clearly showed why I needed this specialty, partly because of how much people can become traumatized through divorce.
The notion to pursue the CDFA® certification happened back when I worked in the corporate world. I attended a training session on public speaking and coincidently sat next to a woman who had the designation. We talked and I thought that she was on to something. She was, so here I am, years later adding those letters to my resume, with gratitude and more than a touch of humility.
I learned plenty about the technical aspects surrounding divorce, but I also learned never say never. Never believe there’s a limit to what you can accomplish. Your constraints are the ones you impose upon yourself and I’m not so into that.