We celebrated our 60th anniversary in 2007

History of CFA Institute

 

Early Investment Societies are Birthplace
of CFA Institute

In 1925, financial analysts formed the Investment Analyst Society of Chicago to promote investment education and professionalism and to provide forums with corporate financial managers. In 1937, the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA) was established by Benjamin Graham and others. In 1945, NYSSA began publishing The Analysts Journal, which was eventually renamed the Financial Analysts Journal (FAJ).

 

By 1947, analyst societies had formed in several other cities and four member societies — New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia — merged to create the National Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (NFFAS). As new societies formed, they also joined the NFFAS. In 1954, NYSSA transferred publication of the FAJ to the NFFAS. By the later 1950s, NFFAS included more than 20 member societies.

 

Evolution of the CFA Designation

Benjamin Graham had proposed the need for a rating designation for analysts as early as 1942. However, it wasn’t until 1959 that the NFFAS board formed the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts (ICFA) to provide a certification of competence. The new ICFA was formally incorporated in 1961 and gave the first certification examination on 15 June 1963. The ICFA established a full set of three examination levels in 1964 and adopted a required code of ethics. NFFAS, which changed its name to the Financial Analyst Federation (FAF), began an increasingly sophisticated program of educational and training programs in cooperation with its member societies. Before long, the ICFA was also promoting conferences, publishing books, and engaging in educational endeavors.

 

Like-Minded Organizations Combine

Despite their common goals, the ICFA and the FAF were organized differently and had different memberships. The ICFA was run by its membership, which was restricted to those who held the CFA designation. The FAF, however, was a federation of societies. Most of its members held the CFA charter, although a number did not, and the FAF was controlled by its constituent societies, not directly by individual members.

 

Nevertheless, the ICFA and the FAF worked closely together to improve the profession. By 1973, this cooperative effort resulted in a merger proposal. But it wasn’t until 1990 that the first formal merger step was taken, with the formation of the parent organization to both the ICFA and the FAF, the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR®). The ICFA and the FAF each continued to operate with separate boards and missions. The second step toward a merger occurred when the FAF moved its headquarters to shared space with the ICFA and AIMR.

 

Finally, in May 1999, the ICFA and the FAF were merged under AIMR, and the ICFA and the FAF ceased to exist. In May of 2004, the membership overwhelmingly voted to change the name to CFA Institute to align the organization with its core identity and to strengthen brand recognition.

 

Read a history of the CFA Program (PDF)