CPA

CFA or Chartered Financial Analyst is a credential that is offered as a part of the CFA programme. Apart from being a programme which is recognised globally, CFA provides its holders with a strong foundation of skills in investment analysis, portfolio management as well as the practical knowledge that a candidate would require in the present day investment industry. Being a CFA holder makes you a part of this worldwide network of professionals who believe in following professional and ethical standards of the highest degree. Clearing all three levels of this examination doesn't just land you the Certificate but it is also a testament to your professional qualities. The chartered finance analyst programme is a certification (https://www.imarticus.org/financial-analysis-prodegree/) from the CFA Institute. It is a globally regarded certification. It is essentially a self-study methodology, graduate level programme for professionals who want to pursue a career in investment. A person coming out of any discipline or academics can pursue the CFA programme. Applications to the programme are usually from students and undergraduates to an early professional who intent to get a boost to their career. Although it is important to note that just getting a certification will not guarantee the same. Passing all the three exams of CFA in itself is a very daunting job when compared to the efforts and commitment of the time required as against other management programs like the MBA. In fact, there are many MBA pass outs and CAs who join CFA to get into core investment banking jobs. CFA gives a great technical grounding and offers broad-based scopes suitable for investment banking, research analyst, equity research and portfolio management. The CFA course focuses on ethics, portfolio management, accounting, corporate finance, fixed income and equity investments, so basically if one does not have a very specific choice but needs to build their career in the field of finance then they should opt for the CFA certification as it is broad-based, opening many career opportunities. Passing a CFA Exam shows that the person pursuing the same has the ability to show commitment, tenacity, comes across as a professional with resilience, and rigour. In addition to the learnings from the course, the charter holders are also considered internationally mobile as well due to their association with the global professional network.

"The Chartered Accountant course is conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) whereas CPA is an exam conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant (AICPA). CPA course requires anywhere from 7 months to 1 year to complete. CPA is a global qualification that covers International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the US (USGAAP). CPA provides accounting professionals with a wide range of career opportunities in the US and various other major countries of the world especially in multi-national companies that originate or operate from the US soil. To take the CPA exam, you need to have a B.Com degree with 1st class or a B.Com degree along with a postgraduate degree. You can also appear for the exam if you have a B.Com degree and an Indian CA qualification. Further, you need to have at least one years experience of working in the Accounting and Finance industry to apply for a CPA license. CPA is an online exam with 4 sections which are Auditing and Attestation, Business Environment and Concepts, Financial Accounting and Reporting and Regulation. However, after you pass the first exam a time limit of 18 months applies to pass the other three exams. To clear each CPA exam, you need to score above the 75th Percentile to pass the exam. ". .

You can think of taking up the following courses:
Chartered Accountant CA India) CA is a renowned course within commerce folks in India. The Certificate issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI, is a 3 level exam spread over 4-5 years on an average that provides a deep understanding of India GAAP and other relevant subjects. The scope is broad in the Indian sub-continent, where professionals also choose to open up their own practice. Certified Management Accountant - US CMA is a well-known course among the management and cost accounting professionals. The Certificate issued by the Institute of Management Accountants - IMA, provides a deep understanding of managerial decision making and cost measuring concepts. It also includes an introduction to fintech subjects helping the professionals be industry and tech-ready. Company Secretary CS India) CS course is another course famous among the commerce/accounting professionals in India. The course is built around the objective to have high caliber professionals facilitating good corporate governance. Other courses you can check out:
Certified Public Accountant - US CPA is a wildly popular and recognised accounting designation in the US and other foreign countries. One of the 55 State Boards of Accountancy in the US provides the CPA Certificate. The scope is vast and the content is crisp leading to jobs in various sectors and industries. Certified Financial Analyst CFA US) CFA covers a ton of accounting and finance topics including market risks and investment instruments. The Certificate is issued by the American CFA Institute. The scope is vastly in finance and hedge industries.

Both CPA and ACCA are premier accounting degrees from the USA and UK, respectively. Both are equivalent to the CA qualification in India. The Key difference between CPA and ACCA is the GAAP they specialize in. CPAs are considered experts in USGAAP (used by companies listed on NYSE), while ACCAs work with UK GAAP (used by companies listed on LSE). Both accountants are considered equally well versed with IFRS (widely used in Europe). Another major comparison point is the number of exams, while ACCA has up to 16 subjective style exams, CPA only has 4 objective style exams. ACCA may take multiple years to complete, whereas most people can complete CPA in one year. However, this difference in style of testing doesn't result in a difference in salary. Both accountants get paid comparably and being a CA on top, surely adds value.

The demand for CPA has considerably grown in recent times with the substantial growth in MNCs and the Big4s in India. This shift in the trend is because of the requirement of knowledge and credibility about US GAAP, IFRS & US taxation by these multinational companies.Indian qualifications like Chartered Accountant CA have limited geographical recognition and do not cover topics like IFRS & US GAAP. This increases the demand for CPA candidates in India. The demand has increased than the supply and that forced the MNCs and the Big 4s to train their CAs as CPAs. In other words, they give extensive training on the US GAAP, taxation, and the IFRS to their existing employees who are a qualified Chartered Accountant from the ICAI. For such training, the corporations approach Educational institutes like Miles Education, who are the experts in the industry in relation to the US GAAP & the IFRS.