Anyone can be describe themselves as chartered financial analyst...

CFA Level III
#1

Remember charterholders ,unlike chartered accountants, doctors and other professionals who gain the right to identify with a profession, you have bought the right to use a trademark-CFA says so:

While you are a CFA charterholder member , as defined in the CFA Institute Bylaws (PDF), you have the right to use the following marks:

  • CFA®
  • Chartered Financial Analyst®

(http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/governance/policies/Pages/charterholder_use_of_cfa_marks.aspx)

Trust it’s clear to all readers that everyone else is free to say," I am a chartered financial anaylst".

Why should you be concerned? Again, because CFA says so:

Use of the CFA Marks

The CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® marks should be used in the text of magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, books, advertising, and in textual or verbal contexts where use of the certification mark is impossible or impractical. When these marks are used in these contexts or applications, charterholders should carefully advise reporters, authors, editors, publishers, and others as to the guidelines for proper usage.

The CFA® mark must not be used generically (as a noun) and should only be used as an adjective. The mark becomes generic when it is used as a common name for a category of products or services. References to all facial tissues as Kleenexes, all photocopies as Xeroxes, and all financial analysts as “CFAs” are improper and are considered generic. If the use becomes generic, CFA® charterholders lose their exclusive use of these valuable marks. If you are using the marks correctly, you should be able to omit the CFA from a sentence and still have the sentence make sense. For example, “John Smith is a CFA charterholder.”

Now, what are the odds that “CFA Charterholder” is going to become more recognised than " I am a chartered financial analyst"? Remember , only charterholders are prevented from calling themselves, “chartered financial analyst”?

#2

Got a feeling this post is going to keep me entertained tonight.

#3

WTF!!

#4

Way to go monk! That was a masterpiece of logic. Poor deluded “CFA charterholders”, why do they even bother?

#5

Good one. Why don’t you go ahead and try putting that on your resume so that when a prospective employer runs a background check, and determines that you are NOT in fact a CFA charterholder, you will be blacklisted… can’t wait to hear you explain to them that since you didn’t capitalize it or use the ® reference that you are well within your right [to try and deceive]…

Might want to check your spelling on analyst, too… assuming you do try to go this route…

Best of luck.

#6

This would probably work in a lot of countries, just not in the US.

#7

You are a complete piece of shit Monk. I’ve seen your posts for like a month now on how the whole CFAI is against you. Like you’re the only one to have ever failed one of their exams. I hope you never pass L3 because I certainly don’t want to be associated with someone as you in this field. You are full of excuses and constant whining as to why you didn’t pass. You spend all day trolling this board trying to negate our accomplishments and looking for reasons why you didn’t pass when the real reason you didn’t pass is looking right back at you in the mirror. I am sick and tired of your bad mouthing us and the CFA Institute/Program on here.

Want a whoa is me story shit turd? I passed L2 in 2009, about a week after I found out I was being recalled back to Active Duty to serve in Afghanistan for a yr. My life was going well and I was ready for L3 in 2010. That obviously didn’t happen. You ever been shot at dickbreathe? Ever had RPGs or mortars land a little too close? Didn’t think so.

After surviving my yr and not coming home too fucked up in the head like many people, I settled back into my life and signed up for 2011 L3. Spent a good 6 months studying for that baby. Was ready to kick ass and take names. Answered every q in the AM with what I thought were no worse than 50% credit. Finished the PM and thought I had passed.

When I got my results in Aug I was stunned. 5 of 9 AM topics <50. PM was avg at best. I was stunned. I almost threw my iPhone into the ocean I was so pissed. I couldn’t figure out how it was possible that I did so bad (I was Band 8 so not THAT bad I guess). I was a wreck for 3 weeks. Didn’t go out with my friends, nothing. Total devastation.

You know what I did? The same thing I and all of us did in Afghanistan…we manned the fuck up and took on whatever challenges came our way. I signed up for L3 in 2012 and busted my ass. I looked over the essay guideline answers from my exam and learned what I needed to do differently to pass this time. Last month I received that holier than God himself email that I hope never finds you. I strongly suggest you take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself what you want in life and with this exam… Actually, no I don’t. I hope you continue to fail and look for ways to diminish our success for the rest of your life and you die a miserable old fuck. Can’t wait to read your obituary so I can come piss on your grave.

Caddyshack, CFA (kiss the letters b!tch)

#8

^ IMO, to this day, that’s the strongest comeback to a post from monk. I feel like I’ve just watched a Rocky movie!

#9

Caddyshack, that was not too Christian of you to address such a post to Monk, but… God damn u, I liked it!! :wink:

#10

LOL caddyshack, nice post. But you do know that trolls feed from emotional responses like that right? The only real way to get a troll to go away is totally ignore him

#11

awesome post caddyshack and congratulations on never giving up and making the L3 exam your b1tch!

#12

Caddyshack, i like your style of expression. Especially those ones - “shit turd” - what is that? The same thing? Or, “dickbreathe” - never heard this word. Never mind - go on.

#13

this thread summarized:

caddyshack is a manly man. monk is a little boy.

#14

Is this serious?

As someone who got into trouble for using CFA in the URL of my blog when I first started it, trust me when I tell you that they will come after you in a heartbeat if they find out you’re using a trademark they own.

In my case they threatened to kill my candidacy after I passed Level 1. In your case, you will get sued if you use it and they find out. Companies have sued for less than this. Be my guest though, I’d love to see what happens.

#15

caddyshack37

Attacking me will not change the facts, what I reproduced is from CFA.

The issue here is a trademark ,which is what you have.

You will understand better what CFA has said if you read this UK (yes, United Kingdom) decision where CFA tried and failed to register the CFA trademark which is sold as the “CFA Charterholder” trademark:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tm/t-decisionmaking/t-challenge/t-challenge-decision-results/o31506.pdf

Reading paras 23 to 28 will tell you what CFA and its counsel had to say in court. I cannot say that it is anywhere near as strong as what you make it out to be. SO let me say again-CFA Chartherholders are just that, but everyone else is free to descibe themselves as a charttered financial analyst, or even a financial analyst. All it takes now is for a group of financial analysts in the UK, who are likely to be joined by the rest of us in the Commonwealth, to move to set-up a real body of chartered financial analysts. We would go through the processes in the UK and we can then have ourselves recognised as professionals-not just persons with the right to use a trademark.

#16

caddyshake, thank you for your service, and for a wonderful post. i thoroughly enjoyed your post and LMAO.

#17

Caddyshack: You’re feeding the trolls - they crave attention and you’re giving it to them. Monk sounds like the Planet X conspiracy theorists: no amount of logic, facts or common sense would get them to change their mind. That being said, thank you for sharing your story and more importantly, your service to your country. If we ever meet in person, the first 6 beers are on me.

#18

I completely agree that Monk is a troll craving attention on these subjects and has serious mental issues. Ernest is correct in that no amount of logic, sense, reasoning, or even fact will get him to understand or change his mind, evident by his posts on the Grinold/Kroner model. He is the type of person who will argue just to argue in an effort to get his way because he can never be wrong.

Which is why I have not commented on his past posts. But saying that we have done nothing but ‘bought the right to use a trademark’ was a condescending slap in the face from someone who can’t pass L3 since 2008 to everyone on AF who has sacrificed many years, overcome many obstacles and hardships, to earn the right to use a globally recognised credential/designation in our profession. Something had to be said and I said in no less harsher terms what everyone on AF thinks of Monk.

Ever hear the phrase ‘curse like sailor’ ua_bender? 16yrs in the Navy and lots of salt on my boots you hear a lot of terms lol; old habits truly die hard. My story is quite unique I’m sure but epitomizes the effort and hard work that goes into passing all 3 exams. I hope it inspires ppl to never give up, whether in terms of passing these exams or their dreams in life.

I just recently relocated to Singapore so anyone currently living here or coming for a visit, feel free to hit me up and we can grab a few pints.

I appreciate all the thank you comments for my service but the ones that need to be thanked are the ones who came home in wooden boxes and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Nothing comes easy or free in life.

#19

I like this game… You’re right. Private institutions can’t order sovereign governments to follow their internal rules. This shows us how AF, for instance, can tell what North Korea can or can’t do with its brand. Maybe Manchester United will have a hard time preventing pirated videogames from using Rooney’s image in a big part of the world. Thank you for this wonderful insight! Yet, if you want to use the CFA to get a job, an employer will likely check with CFAI to see if you passed their exams (that’s what the employer wants to know, regarding of who can say what). So it’s akin to killing someone and getting away free because of double jeopardy - you may get away with it, but this may not bring you the kind of respect you might appreciate.

#20

I don’t think monk is a troll. I think he is just a really weird guy.