Fairway Home Mortgage and NAIFA Announce New Certified Home Equity Advisor (CHEA) Credential Program

MADISON, Wis. and ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairway Home Mortgage and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) today announced a new strategic education partnership. Together, the two organizations will launch the Certified Home Equity Advisor (CHEA) credential, a first-of-its-kind program designed to help financial and insurance professionals responsibly integrate home equity into comprehensive retirement planning.

Offered exclusively to NAIFA members, the CHEA credential provides advanced continuing education. The approved training focuses on the ethical and strategic use of housing wealth - including reverse mortgages, when appropriate - as part of modern retirement strategies for clients age 55 and older.

The 8-hour program combines academic research, real-world case studies, and fiduciary-aligned planning frameworks, addressing a long-standing gap in traditional financial education that often overlooks home equity as a retirement asset.

"Housing wealth is one of the largest and most underutilized assets in retirement planning," said John Wheeler, NAIFA 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."

Developed and delivered in partnership with Fairway Home Mortgage, the CHEA program is taught by licensed reverse mortgage specialists and emphasizes suitability, disclosure, and coordination with broader financial plans — not product sales.

"This program is about education, not origination," said George Bain, Fairway VP of Reverse Lending Initiatives. "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."

Participants who successfully complete the program earn the Certified Home Equity Advisor designation and access to a professional toolkit that includes consumer education resources, scenario modeling support, and ongoing educational updates. The program provides 8 hours of approved continuing education credit for financial and insurance professionals, as well as for the CFP designation. The first of these sessions will launch virtually in the Colorado market with two four-hour sessions March 17^th and 19^th (Additional states will be added through the first half of 2026).

NAIFA members can access the class offering via NAIFA's course offering website. Brendan Bernat, Senior Director of Credentials for NAIFA, adds, "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."

About the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA)

Founded in 1890, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors is the preeminent association for financial service professionals in the United States of America. NAIFA members, in every Congressional district and every state house, subscribe to a strong Code of Ethics and represent a full spectrum of practice specialties to promote financial security for all Americans. Complimented by its professional development and consumer divisions, the Society of Financial Service Professionals, and Life Happens, the association delivers value through advocacy, service, and education.

About Fairway Home Mortgage

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, doing business as Fairway Home Mortgage (NMLS #2289), is a full-service mortgage lender offering innovative lending solutions designed to support long-term financial well-being. A national leader in both traditional and reverse mortgage lending, Fairway is committed to education, service excellence, and responsible lending practices. For more information, visit www.fairway.com.

SOURCE Fairway Home Mortgage