So what would happen if i started using CFA designation in my email and i never taken any of CFA test. No one i work with are CFA, so what could legally happen if anything? It seems like CFA is just private organization and don’t have any legal power.
why not take it a step further and legally change your last name to CFA.
I always wonder, i mean, clearly you want to put CFA behind your name to benefit from it somehow, but if you are in the line of work where CFA is required, the employer will verify your credentials. Let’s say you work for yourself and you open up a boutique wealth management firm, then the question is, will your clients have the resources to verify your credentials?
I am not encouraging anyone to do anything illegal, but it’s a good question and i always wonder how many people get away with it. or even they get caught, what’s the worst possible thing? if you are an otherwise good investment analyst, do your clients care to “out” you? only if you lose a lot of money then they may question you, but in that case you are probably broke anyway, do they chase after your “company” or you?
Assuming you didn’t ever want to earn the charter, the simple answer to your question is nothing. CFAI could potentially sue you for copyright infringement, but I seriously doubt they would bother even if they found out, although it is not entirely inconceivable where CFAI is involved. Your biggest real risk would be getting fired for lying and then being blackballed within your industry. If someone who worked for me or applied for a job here did that, I can guarantee you that everyone in my industry would know about it, locally at least.
Your reputation would collapse. Your employer may not verify instantly, but your lack of wealth management knowledge will show and eventually people will know. Your also at risk from legal action from CFAI (yes, they can sue you for copyright infrigement)
Just join Cat Fancier’s Association and be done with it. Then you can stick it back in CFAI’s face.
Exactly!
I mean, if you put CFA behind your name, does CFAI owns this right as in no other organization can use CFA as a title?
As well, if you are self-employed, and you don’t have the risk of getting fired or anything. You are just a free lance business consultant or something, putting CFA as in “Chief Financial Analyst” as your title for yourself, can CFAI really sue you for anything?
There isn’t much you can do about it, CEO CFO CAO are not registered, they are just work positions, you can make up random titles for yourself if you are self-employed, no?
Several years ago I was driving behind a white Honda Accord driven by a young Asian man wearing his baseball cap backward. The license plate on his car read " CFA DUDE"
When I teach Level I Ethics, I use this as an example of the (potentially) improper use of the CFA designation. I do acknowledge that he might be a member of the Cat Fancier’s Association, but I question its likelihood.
(Note: around here, the California Faculty Association is another possibility. That one, too, strikes me as a longshot (in this instance).)
That is what I was thinking. Each company have their own CFA which is chief financial officer. That person don’t have to be actual CFA charholder to call him/her self CFA.
Could that person not be CFA-Chief Financial Officer in some company?
Personally, I spell “_ o fficer" with an " O ", not an " A _”.
(Perhaps that’s just me.)
Okay I get your point, so could a person not be Chief Financial analysist at some company. without actually holding any charter? My point being, does CFA institute really hold a copyright pattent on CFA ?
look you can argue it all you want on a license plate you probs can get away with it if you have 5 cats at home… I think CFAI would mostly care if you happen to put it on your business card and work in the finance industry, Thats just too big of a coincidence.
look you can argue it all you want on a license plate you probs can get away with it if you have 5 cats at home… I think CFAI would mostly care if you happen to put it on your business card and work in the finance industry, Thats just too big of a coincidence.
CFA is a registered trademark of CFA Institute.
CFA as designation might be copyright but I don’t see how acronym can be copyright. Offically there are around 120k or so that are CFA, i am betting a lot more people claim to be CFA.
Tell you what, then: you try it and report back to us how it works out for you.
Actually nothing likely will happen as long as I don’t claim that CFA stands for charter financial analysist. Now if i were to claim that I might get sued for copyright violation.
Then you’ve nothing to lose. Let’s quite this silly speculating: give it a try and report back to us how it works out for you.