Code of Professional Responsibility
Preamble

The CSA Code of Professional Responsibility (Code) has been adopted by the CSA Board of Standards and ratified by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (the Society) with the purpose of providing ethical principles and rules for all persons who have been recognized and certified by the Society to use the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) designation. The Society determines who is recognized and certified to use the designation. Implicit in a designee’s acceptance of the authorization is an obligation not only to comply with the mandates and requirements of all applicable laws and regulations, but also to take the responsibility to perform all professional services and activities in an ethical and professionally responsible manner.

For the purposes of this Code, a person who has been recognized and certified by the Society to use the designation is known as CSA designee or Certified Senior Advisor designee. This Code applies to all CSA designees.

The Code consists of three parts: The Canons, The Rules, and The Disciplinary Procedures. The Canons express in general terms the ethical and professional ideals expected of CSA designees who should strive to adhere to them in their business and professional activities. The Canons are standards of exemplary professional conduct worth aspiring to; they are goals and are intended to be sources of guidance for each CSA designee. The Rules set forth practical guidelines that are drawn from the tenets embodied in The Canons. As such, The Rules detail the standards of ethical and professionally responsible conduct that is expected in particular situations. It should be noted that The Code does not, in any way, attempt to define the behavior of a CSA designee for the purposes of civil liability.

Because there are varied fields of endeavor enjoyed by the many members of the Society, certain Rules may not be applicable to a particular CSA designee. Each designee is obligated to determine what responsibilities he or she has in each of the designee’s fields of endeavor, including what duties he or she has in each of his/her professional relationships, including duties that arise in particular circumstances from a position of trust or confidence that they may possess.

The Canons

The canons are:

Canon 1. Competence: A CSA designee shall competently provide services to clients, and each designee shall maintain and further the necessary knowledge and skills to continue to do so.

Canon 2. Confidentiality: A CSA designee shall protect the privacy of clients, and others with whom he or she has a professional relationship or on whose behalf he or she has reason to possess confidential information — unless the client has specifically released the CSA from such duty or such information is required to be divulged in response to proper legal process.

Canon 3. Professionalism: A CSA designee shall serve the public, clients and employers with the highest professionalism, integrity, impartiality, objectivity and ethical behavior, work to enhance the reputation of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors and its members, and endeavor to extend public knowledge of the work of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors and its members as relates to the public good.

Canon 4. Fairness: A CSA designee shall perform professional services in a manner that is fair and reasonable to clients, prospective clients, colleagues, and employers, and the designee shall disclose any conflicts of interest associated with providing such services.

Canon 5. Integrity: A CSA designee shall provide services with honesty and trust and place the interests of the client above his/her own interests.

Canon 6. Diligence: A CSA designee shall act with timeliness and consistency in the fulfillment of all professional duties.

We invite you to review the Letter from the President.