# Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA)

> The CDFA is a credential from the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts for financial professionals who analyze the money side of a divorce settlement.

Canonical page: https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/cdfa/
Also called: CDFA, divorce financial analyst

Candidates need a bachelor's degree and three years of relevant experience, or five years of experience without a degree, in fields such as financial analysis, family law, tax, investment advice, lending or insurance. They complete the Institute's program and pass one certification exam.

To keep it, a CDFA completes 30 hours of divorce-related continuing education every two years, pays an annual renewal fee, and follows the Institute's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Breaking the code can lead to revocation.

A CDFA helps clients and their attorneys understand settlement options: who keeps the house, how to divide retirement accounts, what support payments mean over time. The credential doesn't make someone a lawyer, and it doesn't say how they're paid. In the public graph, 75 fee-only advisors list a CDFA.

## How to check

Search the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts' Find a CDFA directory at institutedfa.com. If the CDFA will also manage your investments, check their registration on the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site.

## Sources

- [Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts: Certification overview](https://institutedfa.com/certification-overview/)
- [Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts: FAQs (exam, continuing education, renewal)](https://institutedfa.com/faqs/)
- [Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts: Find a CDFA](https://institutedfa.com/find-a-cdfa)
- [FINRA: Professional designations, CDFA](https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/cdfa)

## Related terms

- [CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) certification](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/cfp.md)
- [Fee-only financial advisor](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/fee-only.md)
- [Hourly financial planning](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/hourly.md)
- [Flat-fee financial planning](https://find.wellspent.co/glossary/flat-fee.md)