The CFA program

1. CFA Charter

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA® program is a globally accepted as the designation of professional excellence within the global investment community.. The CFA charter is awarded by the CFA Institute (previously Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR®)), based in Charlottesville, Virginia / USA. The first charter was presented in 1963 and there are aproximatly  90,000 charter holders from over 130 countries. 

The candidate must have a U.S. Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree or four years of qualified, professional work experience. 

The CFA Program is based on three levels, each culminating in an examination.

• The Level I curriculum and examination focus on tools and concepts that apply to investment valuation and portfolio management. Level I also includes an overview of the processes of asset valuation and portfolio management.

• The Level II curriculum and examination focus on asset valuation. Candidates must apply the tools and concepts emphasized at Level I in analyzing and valuing investments, and should have a thorough understanding of industry and company analysis.

• The Level III curriculum and examination explore in greater depth the discipline of portfolio management. Candidates must demonstrate a working knowledge of the entire portfolio management process and must be capable of applying the concepts learned at Levels I and II to the portfolio management process.

• Sequentially pass the Level I, Level II, and Level III examinations;
• Have at least four ( three for the previous candidates) years of acceptable professional experience working in the investment decision-making process
  

The CFA® Level 1 examination is sat twice a year; on  June and December. The CFA® Institute have a sliding scale of entry fees according to the date of enrolment.The CFA® Institute can be contacted at: