COLLEYVILLE, Texas — The Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals (AFIP) announced that Judy Vann Karstadt, president of JV Solutions, is the first person in the United States to successfully complete the newly released AFIP Certification Program Master Course final exam.

In his congratulatory remarks, the AFIP Executive Director David Robertson underscored the challenges of posting a score of 80 percent or higher on the sanctioning body’s most stringent course of study.  “Based on the current roster of AFIP Certified F&I practitioners, captive lender field operatives, and professional trainers, less than seven percent qualify for Master Certification.” Robertson said.

Upon accepting her diploma, Karstadt, who also serves as director of training for the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, said: “I had to draw on three decades of automotive industry experience as well as my expertise in the Basic and Senior curricula while working as an AFIP Accredited Facilitator to pass that test.”

Karstadt spent nine years in automotive retail, serving in both sales and F&I. She continued her career with Pat Ryan & Associates, where she defined her F&I training experience. Judy spent the next 10 years training F&I managers on ethical sales and compliance practices with New Jersey-based F&I Product Suppliers. She then formed JV Solutions six years ago, where she trains and certifies NJCAR members and managers at large dealer groups. 

“The dealerships who utilize JV Solutions to prepare their F&I personnel for the AFIP final exams find that the successful candidates post passing scores well above industry norms,” Robertson added. “The time demands of working F&I, coupled with the years away from an academic environment, make Ms. Vann’s command of the course material and practical experience the key contributors to dealership personnel scoring high marks.”