TD Ameritrade International, which is a custodian for assets placed by registered investment advisors, has rolled out a new education portal for such clients.

The service is designed to help RIAs enhance their expertise, obtain professional certifications and designations from third-party institutions and develop the skills of key employees, the firm said.

The education portal is being launched at a time when spending on professional development and training has risen by 30 per cent over the last six months, according to a recent survey of 500 RIAs released by TD Ameritrade Institutional.

“As the business of providing advice continues to become more complex and competitive, advisors should consider investing in professional development to enhance their staff's knowledge and skill sets to maintain an industry-leading positioning,” said Mike Watson, director of practice management, TD Ameritrade Institutional.

Scheduled to launch this fall, the education portal will give advisors the ability to access educational tracks for themselves and their employees as well as leverage industry-leading third-party courses and programs.

“Continued education can help advisors to maintain credibility and add value for their clients. However, advisors may often be paralyzed by disparate offerings and difficulty in assessing the quality of programs,” said Jeff Rossi, director of human capital development and client education, TD Ameritrade Institutional.