Is corporate finance institute recognized?
Yes, Corporate Finance Institute (CFI) is generally considered legit and recognized for its financial modeling courses.
CFI is accredited by the Better Business Bureau® (BBB)—a private, nonprofit organization that has been advancing marketplace trust for over 100 years. To maintain accreditation standards, CFI follows the BBB Standards in accordance with the BBB Standards for Trust.
Definitely! CFI certifications equip you with practical skills and industry-relevant knowledge. So it is worth it if you want to develop your finance skills. Currently, there are 6 different CFI certifications.
Global recognition and acceptance
CFI's certifications are gaining recognition globally, especially in the areas of financial modeling and banking.
CFI is a provider of certification programs including Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA), Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA), Capital Markets and Securities Analyst (CMSA), and Business Intelligence and Data Analyst (BIDA). All CFI courses are delivered online.
CFI's flagship certification to become a Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst is solid. It will boost your analytical skills, make you good in Excel, good at modeling, good at data analysis, and business and investment valuation. You learn practical skills the CFA lacks.
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Certification
The CFA designation is highly sought after by finance professionals around the world. It consists of three levels and takes an average of about 4 years to complete all 3 levels. It is widely regarded as one of the top finance certifications.
Section 61.19 prescribes the duration of pilot and instructor certificates and privileges. Currently, under § 61.19(d), a flight instructor certificate expires 24 calendar months from the month in which it was issued, renewed, or reinstated, as appropriate.
Overall, I think FMVA is a very good value for money. You will definitely strengthen your financial modeling skills. However, I don't think it could give you as much career advantage as CFA could.
Absolutely! An FMVA-certified professional brings a lot to the table. Not only are they able to interpret data and create compelling presentations, they also possess the crucial practical and soft skills that the industry needs.
Is it hard to get CFI?
In one FSDO area, initial CFI applicants succeed only 18% of the time. The pass rate is low for a few reasons. The first reason for the low pass rate is that our industry wants this to be difficult. This isn't the slam dunk of a private pilot certificate.
CFI delivers the skills, certifications, CPE credits, and resources to help anyone—from beginner to seasoned pro—drive their career in finance & banking.
CFI's competitors and similar companies include TechVariable, Techment Technology, Kaizen and HRConseil. CFI is a company that provides information technology solutions. TechVariable is an IT company that provides end-to-end product development services.
CFI Accreditation
CFI is also a recognized continuing education provider by the CPA Institutions in Canada and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) in the US for CPE credits.
- Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)
- Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA)
- Capital Markets & Securities Analyst (CMSA)
- Business Intelligence & Data Analyst (BIDA)
How Long Does It Take to Become a Certified Flight Instructor? The process of becoming a CFI as a whole will take an average of 6 months, though this varies a lot depending on the school at which you complete your course.
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)
To obtain the CFA charter, candidates must successfully complete three difficult exams and gain at least three years of qualifying work experience, among other requirements.
CFA is a far more intensive course with a wider scope and recognition as compared to FMVA. While the FMVA course equips you with financial modelling skills, the CFA course gives financial planning, analysing, budgeting and strategising skills.
Over 1.8 million professionals use CFI to learn accounting, financial analysis, modeling and more. Start with a free account to explore 20+ always-free courses and hundreds of finance templates and cheat sheets. Pick an option below to compare CFI with other financial training providers.
Some jobs in corporate finance may also require a designation as a certified public accountant (CPA) or chartered financial analyst (CFA).
Is a CPA or CFA better for corporate finance?
If a career primarily focused on finance falls into their strengths, desires, and career growth, a CFA designation would be the better choice. Alternatively, if they want to explore career advancement opportunities that revolve around accounting duties, they should be looking at a CPA certification.
Corporate finance is a “relatively competitive” field to get into. “Relatively competitive” means that it's easier than investment banking or equity research (for example), but also harder than most non-finance roles at large companies.
CFI Course Contents
Most of the knowledge areas in the FAA CFI test database are shared with the Private Pilot & Commercial Pilot (Most of which you have probably forgotten) with some additional questions, and steps. You are allowed 2.5 hours to complete the exam.
The FMVA BootCamp is a comprehensive and structured program designed to help participants achieve the FMVA (Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst) certification within 16 weeks.
Being a CFI is not a requirement for the airlines, never was never will be. That said while there are other routes being a CFI is by far the most common.
