A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is employed by a company to improve their financial operations, often by seeking out promising stocks to buy and invest into, and giving the company’s directors advice on how to proceed in certain situations that can affect the company’s financial situation. A CFA may be employed to just analyze a company’s past progress, sometimes as part of an evaluation procedure performed on one or more of the company’s financial officers. A CFA will constantly analyze the market and inform the company’s directors of any upcoming changes which can potentially affect their status on the market.
A CFA’s job is heavily focused on finances, but also on closing deals and handling relations with various clients of the company. Thus, candidates are examined in two broad aspects – they must possess good skills in handling finances, and a Bachelor’s degree in economics is usually of benefit. Additionally, the candidate must display good people skills, a persuasive attitude and the ability to find an acceptable middle ground in an argument.
Chartered Financial Analyst enjoy a relatively high pay rate, with a median salary of $76,000 for 2009. Earnings of over $100,000 and up to $150,000 aren’t uncommon for those with over 10 years of experience, while CFAs who’re just starting out in the industry can expect an annual salary of around $55,000 – $63,000. As mentioned above, working experience plays a large role in determining the salary of a CFA, as well as their ability to find employment in other companies.