Certified Kingdom Advisers: Why CKA-Certified Wealth Managers Like Cooke Can Help You Align Your Finances With Your Values

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Following Christ can transform your relationship to money, if you let it. For Christians, wealth is not something to lavish on yourself or to stockpile in the bank until you die. It's a tool that can be used to accomplish the priorities and purposes God has placed on your heart, further the kingdom of God, and bless your family for generations to come.

The best Christian financial advisors provide more than sound wealth management advice. They also bring a Christian worldview to their work, recognizing there is a spiritual aspect to how we use and manage our money. They are aware there are implications (both financial and value-based) of the advice they give. As more Christians are fast discovering the importance of principled, Biblically sound financial advice, they are quickly turning to Certified Kingdom Advisors (CKAs). In fact, more than 1,500 people search each month for a CKA near them.

As Christian financial professionals, CKAs work at the intersection of faith, finance, and family wealth planning. They recognize that personal finance is, well, personal. Therefore, it demands an approach that aligns with their clients' personal values and priorities. One that helps each client apply biblical principles to their unique circumstance so that they can confidently navigate your finances as a faithful steward.

Cooke Wealth Management (CWM) is a Christian wealth management firm. One of the key ways many of our advisors demonstrate their faith-based values and financial expertise is by becoming CKAs.

What are the Key Values Kingdom Advisors Espouses?

Kingdom Advisors espouse core values underpinned by scripture and sound financial planning methodology. Among these values are:

  • Exemplary standards of integrity and character — CKAs maintain confidential relationships with their clients, operate within legal frameworks, and adhere to Kingdom Advisors' Code of Ethics. Proverbs 10:9 says, "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." 

  • Commitment to biblical stewardship — Biblical stewardship recognizes that nothing is eternally ours. God owns everything, and He has entrusted the management of His world to the people He formed. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

  • Fidelity to biblical wealth management values — We do not accumulate wealth solely for ourselves. God's kingdom and His righteousness serves as the focal point of our finances. Consequently, we encourage our clients to avoid debt, set long-term goals, build wealth for the future, and give generously to those in need. Luke 16:11 says, "If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"

Why Does CKA® Certification Matter To You?

In our experience, families of faith want a competent wealth manager who also holds their values of wise stewardship and generosity. Many financial managers can suggest making philanthropic contributions, but helping you align your money with God's principles means more than writing occasional checks to charity.

CKAs understand how to manage wealth based on the time-tested principles found in scripture, leading to financial stability, confidence, and contentment. thus protecting your family and your future. As financial professionals, aspiring CKAs must already hold industry-approved designations such as a CPA or a CFP® certification, or they need 10 years of experience in financial management just to apply for membership. In addition, these professionals complete a university-based educational program and pass a national, proctored exam to receive the CKA designation.

Unlike other professional financial management designations, however, the CKA also serves as a mark of shared values. The women and men who hold a CKA understand the principles of biblical stewardship and are active members of a local church body. Consequently, CKAs share an eternal, not a temporal, perspective on family wealth.

Foundationally, CKAs believe that everything belongs to God. As I Corinthians 10:26 says, "The earth is the Lord's and all it contains." 

As professionals, CKAs know that responsible stewardship means avoiding a lifestyle of debt-fueled consumption. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

And CKAs strive to earn and maintain a sound reputation. Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,” highlighting the servant mentality many CKA strive to put into practice. 

These professionals receive their certification from Kingdom Advisors, an international network of Christian financial managers founded by wealth management advisors and authors Ron Blue and the late Larry Burkett. The organization's roots stretch back to 1997 when Burkett and Blue invited 16 professional colleagues together to discuss teaching and empowering men and women to provide biblically empowering financial advice.

That group began as the Christian Financial Professionals Network and officially rebranded as Kingdom Advisors in 2007. The organization's current president, Rob West, hosts "MoneyWise," a show that appears on more than 1,000 stations and serves over 675,000 listeners.

What is a CKA®?

A CKA® is a financial professional that has completed the Certified Kingdom Advisor® course of study in biblically wise financial advice, and core financial training through Kingdom Advisors. 

To become a CKA, applicants must hold 10 years of experience in the discipline they are applying for, or they need a financial professional designation such as the CFP® certification, ChFC, or CPA. 

In addition to having academic or professional financial credentials, CKAs must complete a university-based educational program and pass a proctored exam covering the principles of Christian wealth management. 

CKA applicants need to submit three references, including one from a senior pastor or other church leader who has known them for two years or more.

Earning a CKA designation is not a set-it-and-forget-it initiative. To maintain their certification, advisors must pass 10 hours of Kingdom Advisor Continuing Education prior to their annual renewal date. 

So far, 2,200 financial advisors have completed this process. All of these women and men held the qualifications to provide financial advice about wealth building before they became CKAs. But they — and we — wanted more. We wanted to better orient our faith with our financial education, and certification as a CKA authenticates both our financial competency and our Christian values. 

As Christian wealth managers, CWM aims to implement biblical wealth management while looking out for your long-term financial interests. The CKA certification highlights our commitment to faithful values and sound financial advice. 

Reach out to us today to set up a free consultation, for a wealth management team that combines decades of wealth management experience with an approach that’s in line with your core values.