Career Directives

During the past year, business education institutions have been dealt some severe blows. Perceived greed, lack of foresight, and general incompetency of many offending CEOs have been traced back to those hallowed halls that minted MBAs.

But business schools and MBAs are not the only source of business training around. Letters behind the names of bankers and investment professionals tell another story. For years, professional organizations have been churning out certified accountants (CA, CMA, CGA) as well as investment professionals. The most prominent and prestigious one has always been the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

This professional designation is known for the breadth of knowledge it offers, its highly challenging curriculum, as well as its strict code of ethics by which it binds its members. The predecessor to the current CFA institute was set up in 1947 to boost the credentials of finance professionals. Nowadays, it sets the gold standard among investment analysis designations.

The rise of banking, wealth management, and hedge fund industries during the last few decades have elevated and subsequently put a premium price on anybody with a CFA designation. In Bill McGinnis’ opinion, a CFA charter can be more important than an MBA degree. As the president of Exponential Careers and a CFA charterholder, he views the successful completion of the program as something highly regarded by employers. If someone has earned the CFA designation and has significant professional experience, many employers may even view a MBA unnecessary.

But with poor performance in the investment industry and massive stumbles of the banking industry, I wondered if a CFA designation’s reputation had been in any way tarnished. A large proportion of the curriculum focuses on derivative pricing, including the valuation of MBS and ABS. One way or another, the mishandling of those complex instruments contributed to the downfall of the banking system. So given the across-the-board failure of most investment advisory firms, rating agencies, hedge funds and wealth managers, are principles espoused by the CFA designation still relevant?  Read more...