And, yet, we don’t always follow them.
(But we’re more trustworthy. Trust me on that one. 
)
“Trust me, the performance reports are correct” ~Bernie Madoff
It’s an opinion. Just like “three years of vigorous exams” and “gold standard”. Yet CFAI doesn’t seem to balk at these.
To say, “I’m more trustworthy because I passed the test” is ignorant and stupid. But I’m not sure if it’s a violation.
doesn’t the CFAI literally use “gold standard” on their own advertising ?
While waiting for CFAI’s opinion, look what I found on the CFAI website:
" Ethical Grounding – Charterholders are trusted, objective experts who have been trained in investment ethics and are held accountable to a strong Code of Ethics.
Industry Respect – Charterholders earn instant credibility with peers, employers, and clients who know the hard work it takes to earn the charter."
source: http://www.cfainstitute.org/programs/cfaprogram/charter/value/pages/index.aspx
And from the same source concerning skills:
"Real-World Expertise – With a minimum of four years of experience in the investment decision-making role needed to earn the charter and the insights from a curriculum built on current industry best practices, charterholders have one of the most up-to-date and advanced skills sets on the planet."
Hah, jsut received CFAI’s answer for the question regarding the compliance of my statement to the Code and Standards, and it was cleared !!!
Personally I don’t really like these type of statements. Okay the CFAI say it’s fine, but think about it. This is pure marketing and like most who work outside of marketing I’m not a huge fan, sorry.
So either your target audience know what the CFA is (difficult to achieve, etc.) or they don’t. If they know your statement is redundant. If they don’t then…
Completion of the IMC has enchanced the financial skill’s of X allowing him/her to better serve our clients and increase the trust them put in Company Y.
For those who don’t know the IMC is the threshold competence qualification issued by CFA UK.
So If you’re Joe Public the two statements are equally meaningless.
If you want to differentiate yourself do it by being better than the rest
Congratulations!
Never listen to what I have to say.
Try not to get lost in the weeds here. The big picture is that you cannot promise outperformance or any kind of a result based on being awarded the charter. It’s really just like the past performance doesn’t guarantee future results disclosure.