Gain tangible knowledge of the investment industry with the CFA Institute Investment Foundations® Certificate. Being able to solve and communicate solutions for complex investment issues starts with understanding the essentials.
This certificate gives you a comprehensive overview of the investment industry’s structure, concepts, and ethical considerations, helping to advance your career in finance. Covering the fundamentals of the same topic areas as Level I of the CFA® Program, you'll gain an essential understanding of the investment industry’s structure, financial markets, professional roles, and client needs.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
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Course 1: Industry Overview
The Investment Foundations Certificate begins with an introduction to the investment industry's structure, including the types of institutions, functions of participants, and services it consists of. Learn about the benefits of the investment industry and the forces that affect its evolution, including technological innovations, the importance of ethics/ethical conduct, and an overview of the purpose and types of regulators and regulations that govern the industry.
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Course 2: Type and Functioning of Markets
Delve into primary and secondary markets and discover how they operate. This course will also introduce you to decentralized finance, the concept of investment vehicles, how they are structured, and how those structures serve investors.
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Course 3: Investment Instruments
Become familiar with the types and characteristics of primary investment instruments, including equity securities (stocks), debt securities (bonds), alternative investments, and derivatives.
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Course 4; Investment Inputs and Tools
Develop your understanding of how investment professionals identify and then analyze relevant information, and how that impacts their investment and financing decisions.
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Course 5: Serving Client Needs
Discover how investment firms serve clients' investment needs and examine risk considerations and management. You will also learn how portfolio performance evaluation helps investment professionals and their clients better understand sources of risks and returns.
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Final Assessment
Complete the Investment Foundations Certificate with an online assessment, made up of 100 multiple choice questions. You’ll have two attempts to complete the assessment.
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes