Sometimes referred to as a chartered financial analyst, a charter holder in finance is an expert in corporate and personal finance who has completed the rigorous Chartered Financial Analyst Program. Administered by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, the largest association of investment professionals in the world with some 123,000 members in almost 150 countries, the program uses graduate-level coursework and a series of exams to ensure these professionals have a thorough understanding of corporate and personal finance and the capability to apply their knowledge appropriately in real-world situations.
What Types of Businesses Employ Charter Holders?
Chartered financial analyst is an internationally recognized professional designation. Since employers from all around the globe are cognizant of the intelligence, skill and intense level of commitment required to earn it, many international organizations recruit charter holders. In fact, several top investment firms now include the designation in their job listings as a requirement for applicants. Who employs charter holders? Most people will recognize the company names. Major multinational companies like Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and J.P. Morgan Chase are among charter holders’ top ten biggest employers. Charter Holders work as financial advisors, consultants, portfolio managers, research analysts, chief-level executives, relationship managers, risk managers, corporate financial analysts and investment banking analysts for investment banks, trust companies, investment firms, consulting firms and an assortment of similar financial organizations.
How Does Someone Become a Charter Holder?
Becoming a charter holder is neither quick nor easy. Professionals who wish to earn the chartered financial analyst designation must become a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, join one of its local chapters, and promise to follow the institute’s code of ethics and professional standards. They must also accrue at least four years of appropriate work experience as a financial professional. Finally, aspiring charter holders must successfully complete the institute’s challenging Chartered Financial Analyst Program.
What is the Chartered Financial Analyst Program?
Designed to instill the knowledge and skills necessary to work as an expert in the complicated field of investments, the curriculum for the Chartered Financial Analyst Program is continually evolving and focused on real-world applications. A graduate-level program often compared to a master’s of business administration degree program, it requires two to five years to complete. Most students work at their own pace with independent study, although classes are also available. To be eligible to participate, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or be in their senior year of a program resulting in such a degree, have four years of experience as an investment professional, or have a combination of educational and professional experience that equals four years.
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What is Involved in Completing the Chartered Financial Analyst Program?
The Chartered Financial Analyst Program is arranged in three levels of increasing difficulty, each culminating in an intensive, six-hour exam. Subjects covered in the program include ethical and professional standards, portfolio management, wealth planning, corporate finance, economics, derivatives, equity investments, fixed income, alternate investments, quantitative methods, and financial reporting and analysis. In the initial level’s exam, students must prove they have a firm grasp of basic investment fundamentals. In the second level’s exam, they need to demonstrate the ability to merge that knowledge with suitable analytical methods. For the third level’s exam, test takers must be able to capably merge knowledge, analysis and the use of an assortment of evaluation tools to show their comprehension of the principles of portfolio management. There is no time limit for finishing the program. Attaining the chartered financial analyst credential requires intensive study, intelligence, skill, drive and self-discipline. Those qualities, combined with the expert knowledge and skills a participant gains while completing the Chartered Financial Analyst Program, make a charter holder in finance a valuable employee whose professional expertise is sought by financial companies from around the world.
