Fairway, NAIFA debut Certified Home Equity Advisor program

"The CHEA credential will be offered exclusively to NAIFA members through an eight-hour program of academic research, case studies and fiduciary-aligned planning frameworks. The partnership is seeking to address a long-standing gap in traditional financial education that often overlooks home equity as a retirement asset. Fairway and NAIFA developed the program together and will use licensed reverse mortgage specialists as teachers."

"The goal is to make more borrowers aware of reverse mortgages as a potential financial tool but not necessarily to increase product sales. Those who complete the program earn the CHEA designation, along with access to a professional toolkit of consumer education resources and more. This program is about education, not origination, George Bain, Fairway's vice president of reverse lending initiatives, said in a statement."

"Our goal is to help advisors better understand how housing wealth fits into retirement planning conversations, while maintaining the highest standards of compliance, ethics, and consumer protection. Housing wealth is one of the largest and most underutilized assets in retirement planning, said John Wheeler, NAIFA's president-elect. The CHEA credential reinforces NAIFA's commitment to ethical, client-first education by equipping our members with the knowledge and confidence to address this asset responsibly and collaboratively."

"The course is being launched virtually and is initially available to NAIFA members in Colorado, with additional states being added during the first half of 2026. Those in Colorado can register online for a pair of four-hour sessions that are scheduled for March 17 and 19. The CHEA credential reflects growing industry recognition that retirement planning must evolve alongside demographic and economic realities, including longevity risk, market volatility, and rising healthcare costs, said Brendan Bernat, senior director of credentials for NAIFA."

NAIFA members can obtain the CHEA credential through an eight-hour program featuring academic research, case studies, and fiduciary-aligned planning frameworks. Fairway and NAIFA jointly developed the curriculum and will use licensed reverse mortgage specialists as instructors. The program aims to increase borrower awareness of reverse mortgages as a potential financial tool without focusing on product sales. Graduates receive the CHEA designation plus a professional toolkit of consumer education resources. The curriculum prioritizes education, compliance, ethics, and consumer protection while helping advisors integrate housing wealth into retirement planning amid longevity risk, market volatility, and rising healthcare costs. The course launches virtually in Colorado, with more states added in early 2026.

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