Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications that use post-nominal letters are an acknowledgement of educational achievement, or an agency appointed to safeguard the public interest.
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States, with more than 428,000 members in 130 countries. Founded in 1887 as the American Association of Public Accountants (AAPA), the organization sets ethical standards and U.S. auditing standards. It also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination. The AICPA maintains offices in New York City; Washington, DC; Durham, NC; and Ewing, NJ.
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is a professional certification credential in the management accounting and financial management fields. The certification signifies that the person possesses knowledge in the areas of financial planning, analysis, control, decision support, and professional ethics. There are many professional bodies globally that have management accounting professional qualifications. The main bodies that offer the CMA certification are:
- Institute of Management Accountants USA;
- Institute of Certified Management Accountants (Australia);
- Certified Management Accountants of Canada.
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is a global professional organization for actuaries. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of Actuaries. It is a full member organization of the International Actuarial Association.
The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is a professional society of actuaries in North America specializing in property and casualty insurance.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the US-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals. The program teaches a wide range of subjects relating to advanced investment analysis—including security analysis, statistics, probability theory, fixed income, derivatives, economics, financial analysis, corporate finance, alternative investments, portfolio management—and provides a generalist knowledge of other areas of finance.
Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) is a professional designation offered by the CAIA Association to investment professionals who complete a course of study and pass two examinations. The "alternative investments" industry is characterized as dealing with asset classes and investments other than standard equity or fixed income products. Alternative investments can include hedge funds, private equity, real assets, commodities, and structured products. The CAIA curriculum is designed to provide finance professionals with a broad base of knowledge in alternative investments.
Project Management Professional (PMP) is an internationally recognized professional designation offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). As of 31 July 2020, there are 1,036,368 active PMP-certified individuals and 314 chartered chapters across 214 countries and territories worldwide.
Enterprise risk management (ERM) in business includes the methods and processes used by organizations to manage risks and seize opportunities related to the achievement of their objectives. ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organization's objectives, assessing them in terms of likelihood and magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, and monitoring process. By identifying and proactively addressing risks and opportunities, business enterprises protect and create value for their stakeholders, including owners, employees, customers, regulators, and society overall.
The Certified Financial Planner certification is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in the United States, and by 25 other organizations affiliated with Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), the owner of the CFP mark outside of the United States. The certification is generally considered the gold standard in the financial planning industry. The certification is managed by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which was founded in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; it is neither a government designation nor an accredited degree.
Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA) is a global finance designation offered by the Association of Certified International Investment Analysts (ACIIA) to financial professionals; candidates may be financial analysts, portfolio managers or investment advisors.
Following is a partial list of professional certifications in financial services, with an overview of the educational and continuing requirements for each; see Professional certification § Accountancy, auditing and finance and Category:Professional certification in finance for all articles. As the field of finance has increased in complexity in recent years, the number of available designations has grown, and, correspondingly, some will have more recognition than others. Note that in the US, many state securities and insurance regulators do not allow financial professionals to use a designation — in particular a "senior" designation — unless it has been accredited by either the American National Standards Institute or the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.
The Chartered Financial Planner is a qualification for professional financial planners and financial advisers awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
In the United States, Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) is an insurance agent professional certification designation. The CIC certification program was started by the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research in Austin, Texas in 1969. Some CIC courses can be used to fulfill state continuing education requirements for licensing as an insurance agent.
The actuarial credentialing and exam process usually requires passing a rigorous series of professional examinations, most often taking several years in total, before one can become recognized as a credentialed actuary. In some countries, such as Denmark, most study takes place in a university setting. In others, such as the U.S., most study takes place during employment through a series of examinations. In the UK, and countries based on its process, there is a hybrid university-exam structure.
Solomon Stephen Huebner was Emeritus Professor of Insurance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Emeritus President of The American College of Life Underwriters, and Emeritus Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters.
Chartered financial consultant (ChFC) is the "advanced financial planning" designation awarded by The American College of Financial Services. Charter holders use the designation ChFC on their resumes and are qualified to provide comprehensive advanced financial planning for individuals, professionals, and small business owners. The authority to use the ChFC mark is granted by the Certification Committee of the Board of Trustees of The American College, and is contingent on adherence to a set of ethical guidelines. According to the American College, "[a]ll ChFC advisors are required to do the same for clients that they would do for themselves in similar circumstances, the standard of ethical behavior most beneficial for their clients." Since 1982, approximately 40,000 people have earned the ChFC through regionally accredited program courses and exams. Successful completion of the ChFC qualifies designees to register as an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR) with FINRA without sitting for the Series 65 examination.
The Insurance Institute of Canada is a not-for-profit organization which provides nationally standardized professional development programs for the insurance industry in Canada. Founded in 1952 and headquartered in Toronto, the IIC is an umbrella organization of 19 provincial and regional chapters across Canada.
Donald S. Malecki was an author and speaker noted for expertise in Property and Casualty insurance.
Therese Michele "Terri" Vaughan is an American insurance academic, regulator, and advisor. She was insurance commissioner of the state of Iowa for 10 years from 1994 to 2005, and was the CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for four years from February 2009 to December 2012. She is currently executive in residence at Drake University, having previously been its Robb B. Kelley distinguished professor of insurance and actuarial science, Dean of its College of Business and Public Administration, and director of its Insurance Center.
