The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is the gold standard in asset management, globally recognized by employers, investment professionals, and investors as the benchmark by which to measure serious investment professionals.

The CFA Program reflects a broad Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK) developed and continuously updated by active practitioners in countries around the world to ensure that charterholders possess knowledge grounded in the real world of today’s global investment industry.

Value for Your Career

The CFA Program equips you with the practical and fundamental knowledge you need for a wide variety of career choices in the investment profession. Completing the program confirms your mastery of the rigorous CFA curriculum and your success in passing all three exam levels.

While most MBA programs cover a broad range of topics, the CFA Program focuses specifically on the practical and fundamental investment knowledge you need for a wide variety of career choices. The self-study nature of the CFA Program also enables many candidates to continue working full time.

• If you’re already working in the investment industry and want to specialize, change focus, or gain greater respect, the CFA Program complements your experience with a broad range of skills determined to be most relevant by active practitioners.
• Non-investment professionals, such as attorneys and accountants, choose to earn the CFA charter to gain broader professional expertise.
• Students planning to enter the finance or investment professions learn there is no better way to signal commitment and the ability to perform at a high level than by enrolling in the CFA Program and earning the CFA charter.

Value for Employers

Employers cite the extensive knowledge charterholders possess in investment topics outside their own specializations as one of the primary reasons for hiring them. Employers can post jobs and gain access to this highly qualified, exclusive group of investment professionals through our job board.

CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing and promoting the highest educational, ethical, and professional standards in the investment industry.

World economies and markets depend on widespread trust. This responsibility – the trust bestowed on investment professionals – informs the core of the CFA Institute organizational mission: “To lead the investment profession globally by setting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence.”

Professionalism at Every Level

The CFA designation is a mark of distinction that is globally recognized by employers, investment professionals, and investors. In addition to a pledge to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professional conduct, CFA charterholders have demonstrated a mastery of the analytic skills most needed in today’s fast-evolving and competitive workplace.