The ABCs of those financial letters.(Financial advusirs)(Brief Article)

Crain's Chicago Business, April, 2002 by Baeb, Eddie

Remember stockbrokers? How passe. Today, people who specialize in picking stocks or mutual funds for investors go by the titles ``financial consultants'' or ``financial advisers.'' Many who peddle stocks and other investments such as insurance now have three- or four-letter credentials following their names-such as AEP, ChFC, PFS or REBC-in what's become an alphabet soup.

Financial advisers are pursuing certification programs at an unprecedented pace in an attempt to bolster their professional standing amid increased competition. ``Financial service credentials are definitely more sought-after today than they were even five years ago,'' says Mary Suplee, associate vice-president of American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa., one of the first schools to teach...

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