Mission Statement

The mission of Consumer IQ (CIQ) is to be an advocate for Quality in Financial Services by providing Consumers & Certified Specialists with targeted resources that promote Education, Consultation, and Organization.

Breaking thru the Barriers

Consumer IQ is an independent resource for financial services education, consultation, and organization.  We bring transparency and legitimacy to a business that has been beaten by negative headlines and ponzi schemes because our goal isn't to open accounts, but to be a credible resource for information. We do not sponsor any company, we won't refer any one individual over another, and we will not deviate from this model in exchange for advertising dollars. 

What you can count on is this...

1. A Pressure and Sales free community for high quality education.
2. Tools designed to organize and stay informed
3. A certification based registry with quality control tools that will ensure the long term validity of the company.

A Quick History of Consumer IQ

While working with groups of consumers in financial planning education, Jayven M. Rappa noticed a big educational gap between consumers and specialists in the financial services industry.  With more research into the matter he noticed that there were literally hundreds of individual websites and other resources available, so why were so many people confused about their options or hesitant to consult with a specialist.  Working with a team of specialists in consumer research the answers quickly became clear that with so many options for research the task itself can become overwhelming with all the opinions and hidden agendas.  With regards to the consultation side, it was simply because of the vast majority of "salespeople" lining up at these consumers doors trying to quick sell products and services that need more attention and planning.  According to these consumers, these professionals had nothing but commissions in mind and it showed as they did everything possible to make a deal vs. really taking the time to consult and develop a plan. 

In 2008, with an experienced team of educators and online specialists in place Consumer IQ was established to become the first independent resource for Education, Consultation, and Organization.  The first goal of education was to develop professional level tools, videos, checklists, etc. and provide them in a pressure-free environment so the messages and agenda would be clear. 

In 2009 the effort was made to establish the educational resource more effectively online and also begin working on adding organizational and consultation tools that would allow for a more full service experience for consumers.  Initially working with online affiliates to handle the consumer requests, the educational tools began to take hold and Consumer IQ quickly became a viable one-stop-shop for no-pressure education and access to vendors who could assist in their planning needs. 

In 2010, our goal has been to quickly establish a professional registry of Local Specialists who are available to assist with more pressing organizational and planning needs.  We are working to establish the registry as quickly as possible but are also committed to the principal of accountability in financial services so the registry is certification based.  This means that we won't list any local specialist who has not passed our Professional, Personal, and Criminal background investigation.  Additionally we have established an accountability survey follow-up for all consultation requests, which is used to not only ensure we are aware of bad practices, but can hold the registry accountable for it's treatment of consumers who choose to use the registry for help.       

We have only gotten started and look forward to bringing more targeted and specific tools in the years to come...