Nineteen years ago, the Institute of Business & Finance launched its first certification program, CFS (Certified Fund Specialist). The Institute of Business & Finance (IBF) was founded by a small group of registered representatives and financial planners. These practitioners were disenchanted with the materials, politics, and direction of the other schools offering designations to the financial services community.

Over 11,000 members of the financial services industry have gone through one or more IBF programs, including several dozen Fortune 500 companies. The flagship designation, CFS, is the 4th oldest designation in the financial services industry. The CFS program is the oldest mutual fund designation in the country. CAS (Certified Annuity Specialist) is the only fixed-rate and variable annuity designation.

Today, IBF personnel are dedicated to continually making the content of each program better, servicing the needs of several thousand students and graduates, as well as increasing the awareness of IBF designations to brokers, insurance agents, accountants, financial planners, investment advisors, bankers, and the general public.