[KJCPAwannabe]

CFA Exam Requirements? I am interested in that and maximizing my future income. Is this a good designation to get? I figure if i get the CPA, I might as well go all out and get the CFA too.

 

AUD - 11/16/2011 - 86
REG - 1/12/2012 - 77
BEC - 2/29/2012 - 90
FAR - 11/29/2012 - 85

[MyCogitate]

Yes, CFA is well respected and high paid designation to be taken after 3year experience in cpa

[justsail]

I believe expectations of $184k for someone passing all three CFA exams are unrealistic. Notice I didn't mention someone that is a new CFA, which means you have at least met the work requirements and now have the designation. Most here seem to be coming from an area of no related financial experience applicable to the CFA work experience requirements.

I disagree with MyCogitate if by high paying you mean $184k. Most of the high paying finance jobs are located in NYC, Boston, San Francisco. Unless you live in some of these few places, $184k will be very difficult to achieve, even for a newly minted CFA. If you are a C or C++ programmer, have a mathematics, physics or related “hard” degree, you don't need a CFA to make $184k in a larger number of locations.

Mayo's points are well taken. CFA is certainly a finance specialization and can only help you with getting a job in that area.

[Anonymous]

It often happens so that the people with the designations CPA+CFA do not have ivy league bachelor's and top 15 MBA.

And those people are not the ones on top either. Many of them are analysts or associates.

[HFinn]

The way the finance field is now, CFA is becoming a designation required to advance in the respective careers (Asset Mgt, Equity Research, Security Analysis, Portfolio mgr; less so valuation since there's other designations).

Go to the CFA forums and you'll see plenty of people with all three exams passed and having difficulty finding that “dream job”.

It's doable, but one needs some good luck/hard work. But it should be good for some lower hanging fruit that can lead to some nice finance positions that you would otherwise not get, depending on the firm.

[ks126]

I think CPA is way better than CFA. CPA is enough.
 
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