File a Complaint | Français   Login 

Registered Life Insurance Specialist® (RLIS®)

What is the Registered Life Insurance Specialist (RLIS) Designation?

The Registered Life Insurance Specialist Designation program was established in 2022 and provides the learner with a basic understanding of insurance concepts and strategies. The program contains technical knowledge of insurance products and programs to enable an advisor to speak to clients about insurance with confidence and competence. It also contains content on the financial services marketplace, economics, investment planning, establishing a client's risk profile, and ethical practices and professional conduct.

The RLIS designation is pending approval through FSRA in Ontario as a Financial Advisor (FA) Title.

With successful completion of the CIFP Registered Life Insurance Specialist course and subject to meeting a qualifying work experience requirement and agreeing to abide by a code of conduct and ethics and standards of practice, the learner has earned the right to use the prestigious RLIS certification mark (the individual must satisfy an annual continuing education obligation to maintain RLIS certification).

Registered Life Insurance Specialist Course

  • Unit 1: Financial Services Marketplace
  • Unit 2: Economics
  • Unit 3: Ethical Practices and Professional Conduct
  • Unit 4: Strategic Investment Planning
  • Unit 5: Investments
  • Unit 6: Investments in Financial Planning
  • Unit 7: Disability, Health and Long-term Care Insurance
  • Unit 8: Risk of Death and Property and Liability Losses
  • Unit 9: Insurance Provisions, Tax Considerations and Segregated Funds
  • Unit 10: Insurance Contracts and Risk Management
  • Final Examination

Estimated self-study time to complete: 3-6 months

To attain full certification as a Registered Life Insurance Specialist licensee, candidates must complete the following educational and non-educational components:

Educational Components

Successful completion of the CIFP Registered Life Insurance Specialist Program of study which entails:

  • learning the content contained within the education Program
  • attaining a minimum grade of 60% on the proctored final Program examination
  • attaining a minimum cumulative Program grade of 60% (i.e. based on a weighting of 30% for the end-of-unit formal assessments and 70% for the final Program examination)

Annual professional development

Once certified, RLIS licensees must, on an annual basis, complete a minimum of ten (10) verifiable continuing education activities approved by the CIFP Retirement Institute.

Non-Educational Components

RLIS licensees must:

  • have a minimum of one year of qualifying work experience as adjudged by the CIFP Retirement Institute to attain certification
  • following certification, on an annual basis, licensees must:
    • attest to abide by the terms and conditions of the RLIS Certification Marks License Agreement
    • attest to abide by the Code of Conduct for RLIS licensees
    • attest to abide by the Practice Standards for RLIS licensees

As a Registered Life Insurance Specialist professional, you have an obligation as per the Code of Conduct (Principle of Disclosure of Information and Compensation) to notify clients and prospective clients that you hold the Registered Life Insurance Specialist credential in good standing. This disclosure must be done in a timely manner:

'A Registered Life Insurance Specialist licensee is required to disclose all material information to clients, in keeping with relationship disclosure information obligations, that may reasonably be construed to potentially impact the engagement. This includes disclosing to clients and prospective clients, in a timely manner, that the licensee holds the Registered Life Insurance Specialist designation in good standing (provided such disclosure is factually accurate)…'


Program Fees

RLIS Program Enrollment: $399.00 + GST/HST

  • Includes enrolment into all courses within the program and first exam attempt
  • Subsequent exam attempts (maximum of 2): $80.00 + GST/HST
  • Optional Printed Text Material: $80.00 + GST/HST

Designation Yearly Renewal: $99.00 + Applicable Provincial Regulation Fee* + GST/HST

To enrol into the Registered Life Insurance Specialist (RLIS) Program, you can either call the CIFP Education Services Department at 1-866-635-5526 or enrol directly through the CIFP.ca website by creating an account.

*Provincial Regulation fees are only applicable to those who hold a Financial Advisor (FA) title in Ontario