Education Research Current About VU Amsterdam NL
Login as
Prospective student Student Employee
Bachelor Master VU for Professionals
Exchange programme VU Amsterdam Summer School Honours programme VU-NT2 Semester in Amsterdam
PhD at VU Amsterdam Research highlights Prizes and distinctions
Research institutes Our scientists Research Impact Support Portal Creating impact
News Events calendar Woman at the top
Israël and Palestinian regions Culture on campus
Practical matters Mission and core values Entrepreneurship on VU Campus
Organisation Partnerships Alumni University Library Working at VU Amsterdam
Sorry! De informatie die je zoekt, is enkel beschikbaar in het Engels.
This programme is saved in My Study Choice.
Something went wrong with processing the request.
Something went wrong with processing the request.

Boost your personal development and professional growth

The RBA Program is ideally designed to provide you with a unique experience, as an integral complementary program with a modular certification.

The program consists of 12 interactive modules in total, combined in a 2.5 years track. You can schedule the modules in the way that fits best your individual needs and working schedule. The 12 modules of the RBA programme form a consistent portfolio and will boost your personal development and professional. 

The completion of an individual module after successfully passing the exam, qualifies you for the certificate. Once you have completed all 12 modules, you are qualified for the RBA designation. The RBA accreditation is reserved for CFA Society VBA Netherlands. 

The RBA Program consists of different sets of modules revolving around three pillars, Learn, Change and Lead

The five modules of the first pillar Learn are offered by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 

  • Learn: the modules provide you with the latest insights about investment management and finance with the aim to foster your understanding of core-investment foundation. The focus lies with a focus on strategic asset allocation and investment implementation.
  • Change: the modules help you to become tomorrow’s game changer in the investment industry, by gaining the latest insights about new investment beliefs to structural market shifts, new technologies, disruption  and the growing need for personal financial planning.
  • Lead: the modules cover the latest insights into the board room dynamics, of the role of investment leadership and disruptions that shape the future of the investment industry. Thanks to this last pillar you will strengthen your personal impact as a leader in the investment industry

Modules 1 & 2

The first pillar consists of five modules, taught by VU Amsterdam.

1 - Understanding Clients and Behaviors: Knowing your client should be the first step in every financial advice, and especially since the financial crisis of 2008-2009 it is the main keyword in financial supervision. In this module, we dig into a few essential elements of client profiling, such as 'What are the client’s investment beliefs?', 'What is the client’s risk appetite and how can we measure it?', and 'What behavioral biases are well known and how can we cope with these?'. The answers to these questions amongst others will provide you with building blocks to make a sound and “supervisory proof” investment policy statement of your client.

2 - Regulatory Dynamics and Practical Implications: Laws, legislation, and guidelines are essential to define the playing field for the investment. At the end of this module, you will understand how the different legislations interact and the underlying ethical principles and assumption choices are. These will help you perform in this seemingly complex playing field.

Modules 3, 4, & 5

3 - Advanced Asset Allocation: The choices underlying asset allocation are key to generating the right long-term risk-adjusted investment returns. In this module, you will grasp the latest findings on new and emerging allocation methods such as resampling-, risk parity-, All-Weather-, and Factor Investing models. You will be able to understand and manage the practical application of portfolio allocation, for example rebalancing the portfolio and other implementation challenges.

4 - Balance Sheet Management: Balance sheet or asset and liability management (ALM) can be seen as a pioneering Dutch product. This module provides insight into strategies and implementation of balance sheet management for institutional and private investors. An important topic in this module is dynamic asset allocation, e.g. should the way pension funds allocate their money be dependent on their financial position? What are the challenges and latest academic insights? You will understand the functioning of risk models and the interpretation of the outcomes of these models, as well as methods to translate expectations into a concrete portfolio. You will be able to independently interpret existing and new scientific articles on anomalies.

5 - The Future of Selection, Monitoring, and Evaluation: Selection, monitoring, and evaluation processes provide investors with essential feedback on strategy implementation in order to improve its forward-thinking and long-term results. Upon completion of this module, you will have learned the latest practical and behavioral finance insights to be able to apply selection and monitoring in daily practice. For instance, back-test a quantitative investment strategy, or evaluate the performance of an investment fund by means of a returns-based style analysis for example.

  • Pillar 1: Learn

    Modules 1 & 2

    The first pillar consists of five modules, taught by VU Amsterdam.

    1 - Understanding Clients and Behaviors: Knowing your client should be the first step in every financial advice, and especially since the financial crisis of 2008-2009 it is the main keyword in financial supervision. In this module, we dig into a few essential elements of client profiling, such as 'What are the client’s investment beliefs?', 'What is the client’s risk appetite and how can we measure it?', and 'What behavioral biases are well known and how can we cope with these?'. The answers to these questions amongst others will provide you with building blocks to make a sound and “supervisory proof” investment policy statement of your client.

    2 - Regulatory Dynamics and Practical Implications: Laws, legislation, and guidelines are essential to define the playing field for the investment. At the end of this module, you will understand how the different legislations interact and the underlying ethical principles and assumption choices are. These will help you perform in this seemingly complex playing field.

    Modules 3, 4, & 5

    3 - Advanced Asset Allocation: The choices underlying asset allocation are key to generating the right long-term risk-adjusted investment returns. In this module, you will grasp the latest findings on new and emerging allocation methods such as resampling-, risk parity-, All-Weather-, and Factor Investing models. You will be able to understand and manage the practical application of portfolio allocation, for example rebalancing the portfolio and other implementation challenges.

    4 - Balance Sheet Management: Balance sheet or asset and liability management (ALM) can be seen as a pioneering Dutch product. This module provides insight into strategies and implementation of balance sheet management for institutional and private investors. An important topic in this module is dynamic asset allocation, e.g. should the way pension funds allocate their money be dependent on their financial position? What are the challenges and latest academic insights? You will understand the functioning of risk models and the interpretation of the outcomes of these models, as well as methods to translate expectations into a concrete portfolio. You will be able to independently interpret existing and new scientific articles on anomalies.

    5 - The Future of Selection, Monitoring, and Evaluation: Selection, monitoring, and evaluation processes provide investors with essential feedback on strategy implementation in order to improve its forward-thinking and long-term results. Upon completion of this module, you will have learned the latest practical and behavioral finance insights to be able to apply selection and monitoring in daily practice. For instance, back-test a quantitative investment strategy, or evaluate the performance of an investment fund by means of a returns-based style analysis for example.

Would you like personal advice?

For questions about how the program is organised, please contact Emiel Erbé

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
School of Business and Economics for Professionals
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV AMSTERDAM

Quick links

Homepage Culture on campus VU Sports Centre Dashboard

Study

Academic calendar Study guide Timetable Canvas

Featured

VUfonds VU Magazine Ad Valvas Digital accessibility

About VU

Contact us Working at VU Amsterdam Faculties Divisions
Privacy Disclaimer Veiligheid Webcolofon Cookies Webarchief

Copyright © 2025 - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam