A professional designation given by the CFA Institute (formerly AIMR) that measures the competence and integrity of financial analysts. Candidates are required to pass three levels of exams covering areas such as accounting, economics, ethics, money management and security analysis. |||Before you can become a CFA charterholder, you must have four years of investment/financial career experience. To enroll in the program, you must hold a bachelor's degree. The CFA charter is one of the most respected designations in finance, considered by many to be the gold standard in the field of investment analysis.