Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA)
What Is a Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA)?
The Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA) is a global professional qualification for investment professionals offered by The International Research Association (IRA). The LIFA assignment endeavors to assist up-and-comers with achieving higher levels of professionalism and ethics in the calling of investment management and analysis.
The LIFA examinations require an inside and out information on investment principles, alongside a comprehension of global capital markets. The program is administered by the International Research Association (IRA).
Figuring out the Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA) Designation
Like the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) assignment, the LIFA assignment expects possibility to pass three delegated examinations. The IRA endeavors to keep the pass rate at an acceptable (or lower) level, accepting that the legitimacy of the assignment depends on pass rates, and subsequently the quality of the designees: lower pass rates equivalent a more significant assignment. Subject areas covered by the tests incorporate asset valuation, corporate finance, derivatives, economics, financial statement analysis, ethics, portfolio management, international markets, and quantitative analysis.
As a matter of fact, the LIFA exam is charged as "the hardest exam" you can take in the field of finance and was made to be a direct contender to the CFA charter. For example, there is no cost to register for the LIFA program and take their series of three exams, and you will possibly pay on the off chance that you pass ($700 per exam). The pass rates on the LIFA are likewise lower than the famously troublesome set of CFA examinations, with LIFA claiming average historical pass rates on Level I: 36%; Level II: 38%; and Level III: 48%.
Besides, dissimilar to different programs like the CFA, which takes into consideration the people who fail to retake a test an unlimited number of times, the LIFA has a severe limit of just three endeavors for each exam level. When the LIFA assignment has been earned, individuals must pay annual levy of $275 to keep up with their participation and accreditation.
LIFA Exam Details
The completion of every one of the three exams in this program permits a professional to accomplish the recognition that they have attained the highest levels of professionalism and ethical standards in the investment industry. The primary focal point of the LIFAâ„¢ exam is to measure professional greatness in a broad educational plan of investment-related subjects. Primary subject areas include:
- Bookkeeping
- Banking
- Agent Dealers and Investment Banking
- Counseling
- Financial Publishing
- Establishment/Endowment
- Government/Regulatory Agency
- Protection
- Investment Company/Mutual Fund
- Investment Management Counseling
- Regulation
- Plan Sponsors
- Real Estate
For a top to bottom breakdown of the above subjects depicted, allude to the PDF educational program guide given by the International Research Association. More subtleties of the exam(s) include:
- Levels: 3
- Time Limit: 4 hours
- Cost: Varies somewhere in the range of $155 and $600
- Number of Questions: 200
- Format: Multiple Choice
- Prerequisites: A U.S. Four year certification or equivalent must be earned by Dec. 31 of the year the primary exam is endeavored.
- Exam Date(s): 260+ days offered over time
- Exam Location (online): Moodle online
- Official Exam Website: https://www.lifaexam.org/
Features
- The LIFA was laid out to challenge the dominance of the CFA charter, billing itself as a more intensive, more hard to pass, and cheaper option.
- The Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA) exam is a complete qualification earned by financial professionals worldwide.
- Not at all like other globally recognized financial credentialing programs, the LIFA includes no enrollment fee and, you pay provided that you pass the program and earn the LIFA charter.