Good Housekeeping has its seal of approval; the French language has the Académie française; Standard & Poor’s has its triple-A rating.

Standards. They’re everywhere—in products, in language, in the markets. In fact, it’s tough to think of a large-scale organization that interacts with the public in Ontario that doesn’t have standards. Standards are good; they create expectations of a higher quality of products or service. “Mediocrity will never do,” said American religious leader Gordon B. Hinckley. “You are capable of something better.” And if an organization doesn’t adhere to any standards of conduct, then potential clients or customers should be wary.

That “something better” in the financial and investment industry is the CFA designation— affectionately known as the “gold standard” of the industry. According to CFA Society Toronto’s website, the “[CFA designation] is a globally recognized standard for measuring the competence and integrity of financial analysts.”

In this issue, you’ll hear from three investment professionals (p. 16) about the impact the CFA designation has on them and their clients, along with a detailed tour of CFAInstitute. org, where you can find myriad resources to continue your professional development (p. 8).

We also share a few thought-provoking results on what motivates investment professionals from the joint CFA Institute–State Street’s Center for Applied Research survey (p. 14). (You’ll be pleased to know that more than half of the respondents chose an investing career because they love markets.)

Trust and confidence are critical components to any client–advisor relationship in the financial industry. That’s particularly crucial in an industry where standards of conduct for practitioners are not legally mandated, unlike some professions such as law or medicine. Being able to demonstrate that you’re qualified, as when you bear the CFA designation, will go a long way to establishing your credentials with clients.

Perhaps nineteenth-century American clergyman and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher said it best: “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you.”

Good advice.