Which financial designation is best

A CIC is a subset of the CFA designation specifically for those working in investment counseling and portfolio management. Candidates also need character and professional references and to work as a fiduciary. You should seek a CIC if you have a large portfolio and need an experienced, high-level expert to manage your investments. An FRM is a risk-management specialist. Holders of this certification are likely to be found working in banks as risk analysts.

They can also deal with private clients needing investment advice. A CLU is the best certification for insurance agents. There is no comprehensive exam, but candidates have to take eight courses administered by the American College of Financial Planning.

Chartered life underwriters are experts in life insurance , estate planning and risk management. The CAIA is for professionals managing alternate investments, such as hedge funds and real assets. The charter program, run by the CAIA Association, takes about a year to complete and includes coursework as well as exams. If you are interested in putting some of your portfolio into alternate investments, these are the experts to work with.

If you are looking to invest specifically in mutual funds, you may want to work with a charted mutual fund counselor. For example, the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst CDFA designation is earned by financial professionals who specialize in understanding common and complex financial issues that arise during a divorce. Or, the Certified Exit Planning Advisor CEPA designation earned by financial professionals who help business owners implement a strategy to maximize the value of their business in preparation for its sale.

We prepared the list of financial certifications below with a brief description of each, plus links to in-depth articles if you want to learn more about a particular designation. Administered by the College for Financial Planning, the AAMS provides them with the extensive knowledge they need to assess and recommend a variety of investment opportunities.

Those who hold an AAMS often support clients with retirement, college, and taxes so they can meet their long-term financial goals. An Accredited Financial Counselor AFC is a financial professional who teaches their clients sound financial principles so they can achieve their short and long-term financial goals. The AFC curriculum helps candidates become experts on topics such as budgeting, debt management, mortgages, estate planning, retirement, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and personal income taxes.

The curriculum also ensures candidates are well-versed in consumer debt and gain a strong understanding of financial counseling, consumer fraud, and debt reduction strategies. And deeply personal and emotional topics including bankruptcy and divorce-related financial issues like child support are also covered.

Designees receive the knowledge and skills they need to evaluate the fiduciary practices of investment vehicles such as k plans and defined benefit plans. They also support those who manage endowment and foundation assets. We share useful money tips each week to help you enjoy life more with less money stress.

A Certified College Financial Consultant is a financial professional who specializes in education funding. You can think of CCFCs as education finance experts who understand the challenges of covering the cost of college or trade school. CCFCs support students before, during and after the college planning process. A Certified Credit Counselor CCC takes a holistic approach to credit counseling and is well-versed in banking and credit fundamentals to help clients eliminate debt and improve credit scores.

Their primary objective is to provide clients with the knowledge and resources they need to resolve financial issues and take control of their finances.

CCCs are known to educate those who are financially stressed so they can avoid common mistakes and make smart decisions in the future. They also work with clients to implement the ideal financial plans for their unique budget, goals and priorities.

Certified Divorce Financial Analysts CDFA help people going through a divorce and their lawyers understand how their financial decisions will impact their future finances. This credential is issued and overseen by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts IDFA , which has been around since and offers specialized training to accounting, financial, and legal professionals in pre-divorce financial planning. It was created in by the Exit Planning Institute EPI , a company focused on educating professional advisors globally on how they can support the success of business owners to maximize value and sell on their terms through a business transition.

A Certified Financial Planner CFP is a well qualified financial professional who use a variety of strategies to help their clients. CFPs may also assist with investment planning, insurance planning, estate planning, income tax planning, and retirement planning. While many other professional designations concentrate in investment management, the CFP focuses on holistic financial planning. To earn a CFP, financial professionals must complete certain education and experience requirements as well as pass a rigorous exam that is distributed by the CFP Board.

A Certified Financial Therapist is a mental health or financial professional certified by the Financial Therapy Association for their education and experience in the areas of financial therapy, financial planning, counseling and therapeutic competencies. A Certified Financial Transitionist CeFT helps clients navigate through major life events and the financial implications that come with them. Created by the Financial Transitionist Institute, the CeFT is only available to established professionals in the financial industry.

In fact, it widens the scope of accounting by aligning its curriculum with strategic and risk management which is very useful from a business management point of view. It is a comprehensive 4-tier certification program divided into certificate and professionals levels. One can earn CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting by completing the basic level and qualify for professional-level studies which are further divided into three learning pillars including enterprise, performance and financial knowledge areas.

Each of these pillars is further sub-divided into operational, management and strategic levels, resulting in a total of nine knowledge areas covered as part of professional studies. It helps the management and board of directors to identify and rectify the loopholes before the external audit. The association of chartered certified accountants is a very competent and leading accounting global body their qualification gives you recognition as an employee who has the ability in all aspects of the business.

The term Chartered Certified Accountant is protected legally as anyone who claims to be a chartered certified accountant has to be a member of ACCA. It supports various assets providing high returns in exchange for higher risk through multiple risk management and hedging techniques. By doing this certification, you would be able to catapult your career toward hedge fund or asset management industries. The fees of the certification are geared toward a higher range, i.

The certification is divided into two levels. CAIA certification would take around 12 to 18 months to complete. This certification is a great alternative because it not only covers everything you will learn in CFP, it will also help you specialize. For example, the CFP certification will teach you how to be a financial planner How To Be A Financial Planner Financial planners are experts in investment and financial management who help corporations, individuals, and businesses achieve their financial goals and objectives.

The top four financial planner careers are budget analyst, insurance underwriter, financial analyst, and securities and commodities agent.

ChFC certification will help you specialize in financial planning e. This is though not very popular finance certifications, but it is one of the game-changer in financial planning. It is administered by the American College of Financial Services. If you want to specialize in financial planning Financial Planning Financial planning is a structured approach to understanding your current and future financial goals and then taking the necessary measures to accomplish them.

Because this does not begin and end in a specific time frame, it is referred to as an ongoing process.