This week, exams are happening across the globe for people who want to become a Chartered Financial Analyst® or CFA. A record number, some 250,000, registered to take various levels of the CFA Exam (40% estimated to be women) in the US and many other countries, according to the CFA Institute.

The Level 1 test — the first of three needed to earn the CFA® designation — involves 240 questions over six hours on topics ranging from equity investments and market psychology to fixed income and derivatives. Last year, fewer than 50% of the candidates passed the Level 1, according to CFA Institute. And the content gets tougher from there.

The CFA designation is one of the things we look for when hiring investment analysts here at LNWM. In fact, all the analysts on LNWM’s Investment Strategy and Research Group are CFAs, plus our Chief Investment Officer Gino Perrina. Gino also has a Ph.D. in Finance and an MBA; lead equities analyst Josh Hile is also a CPA and MBA; alternative assets analyst Nathan Barnard is finishing up a Master’s in Computational Finance and Risk Management at the University of Washington.

The work we do analyzing investments for client portfolios demands a great deal of rigor, determination, and strategic thinking. The investment team we have in place has both the knowledge and the experience to find the best possible investments for our clients’ needs. Added to that is that we are a registered investment advisor (RIA), meaning we are  required by law to give advice that is in the best interest of each client. The bottom line: We have a top-notch investment team working solely for our clients (not for sales commissions or other incentives).