The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)¹ charter is a globally recognized graduate-level investment credential. Earning the charter demonstrates a professional’s commitment to ethics and expertise. An investor who works with a CFA charterholder is “partnering with a professional with unparalleled expertise, integrity, and adaptability in the financial sector.”²

The CFA charter is a rigorous test of a candidate’s analytical abilities and ethics knowledge. More than 100,000 people globally sit for the exam each year; on average, less than 20% testing receive a CFA charter. To be eligible for the charter, a candidate must pass three consecutive annual examinations, involving approximately 1,000 hours of research relating to:

Ethical and professional standards in finance
Investment analysis
Economic theory and analysis
Financial statement reporting and analysis
Asset valuation, including derivatives, fixed income, and equities
Portfolio management

In addition to the annual examinations, candidates must meet additional education and experience requirements, and attest annually to the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The Code of Ethics maintains that a CFA charterholder must³:

Place the integrity of the profession and the interest of clients above [the investment advisor’s] own interests
Act with integrity, competence, and respect
Maintain and develop professional competence

Working with an investment adviser who has earned the CFA charter means you can trust that the advice you receive is objective, based on a foundation of research and facts, and that recommendations are based on your best interests. All clients of Callahan Financial Planning Company receive the oversight of an investment management professional that is a CFA charterholder.

Clients of Callahan Financial Planning Company work directly with a dedicated Certified Financial Planner™ professional in Omaha, Nebraska or the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and their investment services are overseen by a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

References
¹ CFA^®,Chartered Financial Analyst^®,Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS^®), and the Financial Analysts Journal^® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute
² Source: CFA Institute, Partner with a CFA Charterholder, https://cfainstitute.org/about/difference/Pages/investors.aspx
³ Source: CFA Institute, Code of Ethics & Standards of Professional Conduct, https://cfainstitute.org/ethics/codes/ethics/Pages/index.aspx