TD Ameritrade Institutional Unveils Online Campus for Principals, Newbies and Everyone Else at RIA Firms

As kids across America settle in to the new school year, TD Ameritrade Institutional1 is making it easier for independent registered investment advisors (“RIAs”) to bolster their own professional knowledge and earn continuing education credits through its newly expanded and redesigned online Education Center.

Available at no cost to registered investment advisors (“RIAs”) who custody assets with TD Ameritrade Institutional, Education Center is a comprehensive system that brings together professional development resources, tools and content that can help everyone at advisory firms – from the CEO to the intern – enhance their expertise, hone their skills and become real students of the business.

Access to ongoing professional education is desirable to today’s talented professionals. More than 80 percent of employees place high value on the learning and development opportunities offered by their employer2, yet most companies fall short when it comes to training employees, according to a 2012 Harvard Business Review study. Often, the study found, there were gaps between what employers provided by way of mentoring, training and manager support and what employees said was important. Typically, this gap was the result of insufficient resources, HBR concluded.3

TD Ameritrade Institutional helps address that issue by making top notch education and training resources available at no cost to advisory firms, the majority of which have limited in-house training and development resources. The Education Center offers access to more than 1,200 e-learning courses from Skillsoft, a premier provider of professional development courses typically available only through very large corporations.

Advisors and other RIA firm employees also enjoy seamless access to 140 complimentary on-demand continuing education courses that help advisors maintain their CFP® Board professional designations through their partnership with The College for Financial Planning (“CFFP”).

The Education Center moreover serves as a hub for TD Ameritrade Institutional resources, from iRebal® training and the Options Market Center to industry-leading practice management insights. More resources are being added from other industry thought leaders as well, including content from FA Insight, and investment management companies such as SPDR University, Invesco and Legg Mason.

“This powerful combination of content, technology and different learning experiences makes our new Education Center among the most robust offerings in the industry,” said Jim Dario, managing director, TD Ameritrade Institutional Product Management and Strategy. “TD Ameritrade provides advisors the resources to help improve the performance of their employees and, over time, bolster their efforts to increase the value of their firms.”

Ease of Use

In addition to adding more resources, TD Ameritrade redesigned the site to make it easier to search and navigate content. Advisors can browse education resources by format, choosing among online e-learning courses, webcasts, live workshops and white papers, based on personal preferences and experience.

The Education Center also takes the guesswork out of finding what training is relevant to them, by organizing content into learning plans designed to meet the needs of different roles, from principals and operations staff to junior advisors and even interns. Available content is mapped based on core skills and knowledge pertinent to that job. Clients can also choose from an array of courses and content according to topic, such as investment management, technology, social media, leadership strategies and operations management.

With content being added to the site on a weekly basis, and a focus on providing a comprehensive learning experience, there is always a new reason to come back to the Education Center. Regardless of what courses they take, or how they search, the Education Center helps advisors and their employees track their progress toward learning goals.

Learn More

To see the expanded and improved Education Center, TD Ameritrade Institutional clients can log in through their Veo accounts or go to www.tdainstitutional.com/educationcenter. Advisors can also get more information by contacting TD Ameritrade Institutional at 800-934-6124 or email institutionalsales@tdameritrade.com.

The College for Financial Planning, Skillsoft and the content providers mentioned above are separate from and not affiliated with TD Ameritrade, which is not responsible for their services or policies.

CFP and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.

About TD Ameritrade Institutional
TD Ameritrade Institutional is a leading provider of comprehensive brokerage and custody services to over 4,500 fee-based, independent registered investment advisors and their clients. Our advanced technology platform, coupled with personal support from our dedicated service teams, allows investment advisors to run their practices more efficiently and effectively while optimizing time with clients. TD Ameritrade Institutional is a division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., a brokerage subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation.

About TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation
Millions of investors and independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) have turned to TD Ameritrade’s (NYSE: AMTD) technology, people and education to help make investing and trading easier to understand and do. Online or over the phone. In a branch or with an independent RIA. First-timer or sophisticated trader. Our clients want to take control, and we help them decide how - bringing Wall Street to Main Street for more than 39 years. An official sponsor of the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, as well as an official sponsor of the National Football League for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, TD Ameritrade has time and again been recognized as a leader in investment services. Please visit TD Ameritrade's newsroom or www.amtd.com for more information.

Brokerage services provided by TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA (www.FINRA.org) / SIPC (www.SIPC.org)

1 TD Ameritrade Institutional, Division of TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC
2 Monster.com 2010 survey, “What Matters Most: Attracting Talent in the Recovering Economy.”
3 Source: July–August 2012 Harvard Business Review, Monika Hamori and Burak Koyuncu