Chartered financial analyst Definition
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is a designation offered by the CFA Institute (formerly known as AIMR) to financial analysts who complete a series of three examinations and work for at least four years as some type of financial analyst. The curriculum for the CFA program is based on a Body of Knowledge established by the CFA Institute. The curriculum includes
- Ethics and Professional Standards
- Quantitative Methods (such as the time value of money, and statistical inference)
- Economics
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Corporate Finance
- Analysis of Investments (stocks, bonds, derivatives, venture capital, real estate, etc.)
- Portfolio Analysis (risk, performance measurement, etc.)
The exams are generally taken one per year for three years and are written at a postgraduate level for financial professionals. Exams are challenging, with only 34% of candidates passing the Level I exam in June 2004.