Most business appraisers know that CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analyst®, a credential earned from the CFA institute. It also stands for “at least three grueling six-hour examinations, a minimum of 250 hours of self-study per exam—and a great passion for finance and valuation,” says Alina Niculita, CFA (Shannon Pratt Valuations, Portland). “But enough of the fun memories…”

The CFA charter is “the gold standard” according to the Economist. Niculita, also the former managing editor of the Business Valuation Update™, notes that business appraisers can use the CFA credential to broaden their financial knowledge base and gain entrée or advancement “in a variety of finance-related professions, including valuing closely-held companies.” For more information, check out www.cfainstitute.org/cfaprog/index.html. For those wanting to register for the December Level I exam, the deadline is August 15, 2006.