Former President George H. W. Bush famously once said, “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!”. As adults, we can choose to pass on the vegetables and yet most of us still eat them. Why? Because we know they’re good for us. Similarly, as daily money managers we can choose to skip renewing our AADMM membership with the required background check, but deep down we know it’s good for us.
In addition to the many benefits of AADMM membership, background checks are a valuable enhancement. Background checks give our clients and referral sources a higher level of confidence and comfort in us as individual daily money managers. They also increase the credibility and integrity of our profession. AADMM membership renewals are coming up, and if it’s been two years since you went through a background check, that’s coming up as well. Here is my experience from renewing just days ago:
Easy and affordable: Go to AADMM.com to join or renew your membership. Simply follow the prompts and you will be led to the Global Investigative Services, Inc. secure site. It only takes a few minutes to enter the information and the background check is usually completed within 3 business days. The background check is valid for two years so the cost for an individual comes to a very reasonable $42.50 per year. Depending on where you live, there may also be an additional fee to access court records paid directly to Global Investigative Services, Inc.. If so, you will receive an email from them with the amount and payment method options. You can find a list of court fees by county here: Court Access Fees
Pay more, get more: You may choose to select Option B and participate in the Background Check Cleared Program. It costs a bit more, but you will receive a badge that you can use on your website, social media and marketing materials.
What Global Investigative Services, Inc. does:
- Social Security Verification
- Address History Trace
- County Criminal (All counties of residence in the past seven years)
- Federal Criminal (All states of residents in the past seven years)
- National Criminal Database Search
- National Sex Offender Search
- Global WatchList (OFAC)
Confidentiality is assured: The information submitted to Global Investigative Services, Inc. and their subsequent report will be shared with you alone through a secure link that is only active for 24 hours. Global Investigative Service, Inc. will notify AADMM only that you passed.
Exceptions: If you are an affiliate member, or a new member who had a clean background check in the past year for another credential, you may be exempt. Check out AADMM background check FAQs for more information.
Keep your business and your profession healthy by getting your background check when you renew your AADMM membership. Whether or not you eat your vegetables is up to you.
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Elizabeth Zeldes, CPA is a consultant and trainer for accounting and daily money management firms. Elizabeth has been a DMM for 15 years, is a Certified Daily Money Manager® and a member of the AADMM Public Awareness Committee. You can find her at Elizabeth Zeldes, CPA, CDMM®
