Purpose of the CFA MarksThe trademarks CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are intended for use whenever the certification mark cannot be used.
Use of the CFA Marks
The CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® marks should be used in the text of magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, books, advertising, and in textual or verbal contexts where use of the certification mark is impossible or impractical. When these marks are used in these contexts or applications, charterholders should carefully advise reporters, authors, editors, publishers, and others as to the guidelines for proper usage.
The CFA® mark must not be used generically (as a noun) and should only be used as an adjective. The mark becomes generic when it is used as a common name for a category of products or services. References to all facial tissues as Kleenexes, all photocopies as Xeroxes, and all financial analysts as “CFAs” are improper and are considered generic. If the use becomes generic, CFA® charterholders lose their exclusive use of these valuable marks. If you are using the marks correctly, you should be able to omit the CFA from a sentence and still have the sentence make sense. For example, “John Smith is a CFA charterholder.”
Proper
- John Smith is a CFA® charterholder.
- Amy Jones, CFA, is a portfolio manager.
- John Smith is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Improper
- John Smith is a CFA.
- John Smith is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
- John Smith and Amy Jones are CFAs.
The first and most prominent use of the CFA® or Chartered Financial Analyst® marks in text material should include the registered trademark symbol (®). It is not necessary to use the ® symbol when the marks directly follow the name of a specific individual.
Proper
- John Smith is a CFA® charterholder.
- Three analysts at the firm hold the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Always specify in a tag line at the end of an article and at the bottom of an advertisement or promotional literature that the marks are the property of CFA Institute.
Proper
- CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
The CFA® mark must appear in all capital letters. With respect to Chartered Financial Analyst®, at a minimum, the first letter of each word must be capitalized.
Proper
- John Smith, CFA
- John Smith, Chartered Financial Analyst
Improper
- Amy Jones, cfa
- John Smith, chartered financial analyst
The form of the marks must never be altered to create a new word, phrase, or design.
The marks may never be used in the plural or possessive forms.
The CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® marks must not be used as part of, or incorporated in, the name of a company or imply that the company is entitled to use the marks. Additionally, the marks may not be used in a charterholder’s email address or in a personal or company domain name.
Proper
- Amy Jones, Chartered Financial Analyst
Improper
- Amy Jones, Inc., Chartered Financial Analyst
- johnsmithcfa.com.