CFA
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)* is an international professional designation offered by the CFA Institute of USA (formerly known as AIMR) to financial analysts who complete a series of three examinations. Candidates must have a U.S. bachelor's degree (or equivalent), be in the final year of their bachelor's degree program, or have at least four years of qualified, professional work experience in order to take the exams. In order to become a "CFA Charterholder" candidates must pass all three exams, agree to comply with the code of ethics, pay member dues, and have four years of work experience deemed acceptable by the CFA Institute. The CFA Institute's CFA program is not related to the Indian CFA offered by ICFAI in India. CFA charterholders are also obligated to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards governing their professional conduct.
CPA
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)** is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA. In most U.S. states, only CPAs who are licensed are able to provide to the public attestation (including auditing) opinions on financial statements. The exceptions to this rule are Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina and Wyoming, where although the "CPA" designation is restricted, the practice of auditing is not. In order to become a U.S. CPA, the candidate must sit for and pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination (Uniform CPA Exam), which is set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and administered by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
Series
FINRA*** is responsible for regulatory oversight of all securities firms that do business with the public; professional training, testing and licensing of registered persons; arbitration and mediation; market regulation by contract for The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., the American Stock Exchange LLC, and the International Securities Exchange, LLC; and industry utilities, such as Trade Reporting Facilities and other over-the-counter operations. FINRA was formed by a consolidation of the enforcement arm of the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Regulation, Inc., and the NASD. The merger was approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 26, 2007.
CFP
The Certified Financial Planner (CFP)**** designation is a certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. To receive authorization to use the designation, the candidate must meet education, examination, experience and ethics requirements, and pay an ongoing certification fee. To earn a CFP designation, candidates must meet several requirements -- the first of which is the "educational requirement." After March 2007, at minimum, a college education and bachelor's degree is required from an accredited U.S. college or university. As a first step to the present CFP certification criteria, students must master a list of 89 topics on integrated financial planning.
* See Wikipedia, Chartered Financial Analyst, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_Financial_Analyst (optional description here) (as of Mar. 4, 2008, 16:05 GMT).
** See Wikipedia, Certified Public Accountant, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_Public_Accountant (optional description here) (as of Mar. 4, 2008, 16:16 GMT).
*** See Wikipedia, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Industry_Regulatory_Authority (optional description here) (as of Mar. 4, 2008, 16:29 GMT).
**** See Wikipedia, Certified Financial Planner, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_Financial_Planner (optional description here) (as of Mar. 4, 2008, 16:21 GMT).
|
Products By Vendor
