Jo Prabhu ⋅ San Rafael, CA International Services Group ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi,

You have given a substantial part of your life to our country. Now its time that you get something back in return. By all means pursue the certification which will only enhance your visibility and increase your income substantially but I suggest that you find a job first targeting Employers that have an internal program that pays for career certification or advancement. with your degree. They get tax breaks for these programs and FYI every company needs a Financial Analyst. Given your background, service to our country, et al,why not let your future Employer pay that out for you? It's only fair!

Paul Salniker ⋅ Englewood, CO Wellington Management Company LLP ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi, Justin,
I'm a little late to this party but only recently joined this network. Hopefully, you can see see my answer or perhaps others may benefit.

I obtained my CFA designation more than 15 years ago. I believe it benefited me by complementing my understanding of the accounting and finance theory I learned in business school. I believe I ultimately became a very good investment analyst (stocks, bonds), but much of that came through lengthy experience. The CFA gave me a very good foundation to do this.

I can say that the asset management firms where I've worked highly value and encourage the CFA for not only the people who pick investments or manage portfolios, but they are also encouraged for client contact and relationship people as well. Most "investors" at these firms had the CFA, but not all. And some without the CFA still became very successful because there were smart and good at what they do. Clearly, to pass the CFA it helps to be smart, also.

The CFA is becoming increasingly popular outside of the asset management industry (e.g., investor relations, treasury departments). While I can't speak for those outside of the AM industry, my guess it is less of a marketable credential than it is within the industry. Many people outside the industry don't even know what a CFA is ("Cat Fanciers' Assn? Financial planner?").

I know very few CPA's in the AM space, but there are a handful. In fact the two or three I know are also CFA's. From my viewpoint, a CPA is probably most helpful for someone working as a CFO, in an accounting role, or in a tax analysis/prep role. Personally, if I wanted to hire a stock or bond picker or portfolio manager, the CFA would win out - all else equal.

David Akre ⋅ New York, NY A NYSE listed financial company ⋅ 25 years experience

Depends where you want to go. If you want to be CFO of a public REIT, go CPA. If you want advancement in general, CFA is very good but as important is to understand what your company is doing and what others in the space are doing. Tell mgmt what others you're compared to are doing and you'll do just fine.

j B ⋅ Chicago, IL U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 1 years served

Thanks everyone for their advice it is greatly appreciated.