The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally seres by the US-based CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research, or AIMR) to investment and financial professionals. The program teaches a wide range of subjects relating to advanced investment analysis—including business analysis, statistics, probability theory, fixed income, derivatives, economics, financial analysis, corporate finance, alternative investments, portfolio management—and provides a generalist knowledge of other areas of finance.
A candidate who successfully completes the program and meets other professional requirements is awarded the "CFA charter" and becomes a "CFA charter-holder". As of November 2022, at least 190,000 people are charter-holders globally, growing 6% annually since 2012 (including effects of the pandemic).[1] Successful candidates take an average of four years to earn their CFA charter.[2][3]
The top employers of CFA charter-holders globally include JPMorgan Chase, UBS, Royal Bank of Canada, and Bank of America.[4]