With the graying of America, small business is already trying to capitalize on the increase of aging baby boomers. Many service-driven businesses have concocted designations that signify they “specialize” or are “experts” in working with seniors. As a consumer, you should know what the service professional did to earn the designation of “senior specialist.” Some designations simply require the professional to warm a chair in a classroom for eight hours, while some require study and grueling written tests. Then, once the designation is earned, still others require the professional’s ongoing dedication to classroom work, and some don’t. Realtors are famous for stringing letters behind their names. It’s never been more important to be sure you can trust the professionals you hire. So how do you evaluate that string of letters—a virtual alphabet soup—behind someone’s name?