Learning In An Evolving Environment
That faculty includes W. Scott Stornetta, chief scientist and partner at Yugen Partners and co-inventor of blockchain technology; Anders Bronworth, a former MIT blockchain lecturer; Showanna Offman, the chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Distributed Ledger Technology and Market Infrastructure Subcommittee and leader of IBM’s global blockchain strategy; and Del Wright, UKMC professor of finance, business and Tax, as well as Edelman.
The first part of the curriculum is about understanding the technology, including an introduction to bitcoin, an introduction to blockchain technology, an explanation of the differences between bitcoin and other digital assets, an explanation of tokens and decentralized finance (DeFi), and real-world use cases for digital assets.
Part two of the curriculum includes modules on the digital assets investment theses; investment opportunities; portfolio construction; regulation and taxation; operations, compliance and risk; and communicating with clients.
The certification program was introduced last May, according to Edelman, and is already being updated. The DACFP intends to update the program annually and offer a slate of additional continuing education courses for ongoing certification holders.
“When we created this course, there was no such thing as DAOs—or distributed autonomous organizations,” said Edelman. “There wasn’t any such thing as the metaverse. So now we’re adding content to help advisors stay current. The only way you can access these additional courses is to first obtain your certificate—then we make available additional CE opportunities for additional CE credit for those who hold certificates.”
Edelman says that the DACFP will introduce eight additional courses per year that advisors can complete for additional CE credit and to further their knowledge in the crypto space. The organization is also planning events exclusively for certificate holders, economic and market outlook, and other networking opportunities.
The DACFP has become the official blockchain and digital asset education partner for the CFP Board, XY Planning Network, Money Management Institute, Investment Advisor Association, Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Personal Financial Planners, according to Edelman.
“These organizations provide substantial amounts of educational content, but don’t have content in the crypto space,” said Edelman. “They’re turning to us because we have the expertise that allows them to provide this content to their membership without them having to reinvent the wheel.”
The DACFP course costs $549, Edelman said.
“We have partnerships with other organizations where we provide discounts for memberships,” said Edelman. “Advisors should talk to their employers to see if there are discounts available.”