Adherence to a global standard of fiduciary excellence renews commitment to acting in the best interest of investors.
After undergoing a thorough and independent assessment of investment management processes, investment strategy implementation, and other fiduciary practices, Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, a subsidiary of Argent Financial, today announced formal renewal of its Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX®) certification from Broadridge. Argent remains part of the elite group of advisors from around the world to successfully complete the independent certification process.
Part of the rigorous evidence-based assessment included successfully demonstrating adherence to documented and legally substantiated best practice fiduciary standards. The annually renewed certification signifies an ongoing commitment to providing consistent objective advice that’s in a client’s best interest – both at the institutional and individual levels.
“At Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, our mission has always been to provide comprehensive services that support the oversight and management of our clients’ retirement benefits with impartial guidance and full transparency,” said Chris Shankle, Managing Director of Argent Retirement Plan Advisors. “Pursuing CEFEX certification reflects our deep commitment to ensuring our clients have concrete proof of a rigorous fiduciary process and clarity about the quality of their investments. In today’s complex financial world, the term ‘fiduciary’ can be confusing, but with our successful completion of this audit for our fifth recertification, we are proud to announce that the ARPA team continues to uphold the highest standards of fiduciary responsibility.”
The CEFEX certification program is based on the International Standards Organization (ISO) 19011: Guidelines for auditing management systems. The standard, “Prudent Practices for Investment Advisors” is substantiated by legislation, case law, and regulatory opinion letters from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Uniform Prudent Investor Act (UPIA), the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) and the Model Management of Public Employee Retirement Systems Act (MMPERSA) in the U.S.
According to the Vice President, Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, Carlos Panksep, “Maintaining certification requires a continued adherence to the industry’s best practices. This is verified through our annual renewal assessment.”
Argent is specifically certified for discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services for retirement plans and Pooled Employer plans. Official registration for Argent can be seen here and the Independent Assessment Report can be viewed here. To learn more about CEFEX certification visit cefex.org.
About Argent Retirement Plan Advisors
Argent Retirement Plan Advisors, part of the Argent Financial Group family of companies, offers investment and fiduciary services exclusively to sponsors of retirement plans. Since 2008, Argent has been providing plan sponsors with unbiased advice and transparency with the goal of improving participant outcomes. For more information, visit www.argent401k.com.
About Argent Financial Group
Argent Financial Group (Argent) is a leading, independent client asset services firm offering individuals, families, businesses, and institutions wealth management, asset management, and asset servicing. The firm is responsible for more than $85 billion in client assets. Formed in 1990 in Ruston, Louisiana, Argent can trace its roots back to 1930. For more information, visit www.ArgentFinancial.com.
About Broadridge
Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions that drive business transformation for banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge’s infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. Our technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work®, Broadridge is part of the S&P 500® Index, employing over 13,000 associates in 21 countries. For more information about us please visit broadridge.com.
