CFA Institute Investment Foundations Certificate

The Investment Foundations Certificate will provide learners with an overview of the essentials of finance, ethics, and investment roles, providing a clear understanding of the global investment industry including terminology and foundational concepts.

This series of courses is designed for those aspiring to, or currently working within, support roles across the investment and finance industries.

It will benefit those in roles such as marketing, sales, project management, human resources, IT, and legal through better understanding of the industry, facilitating communication with colleagues, and advancing in one’s career.

You can register for the Investment Foundations Certificate for USD350. Once registered, you will have 12 months to complete the six courses and a final assessment, all completed through the online learning system.

All fees shown are net of any local VAT, Goods and Services Tax (GST), or any other sales tax payable by the candidate in their country of residence.

Where CFA Institute is required to add sales tax to the local statutory rate, this will be added to the fees shown during the payment/checkout process. For information about taxability related to online purchases from CFA Institute,

Investment Foundations Certificate

Sign up to explore a free lesson and download the complete Investment Foundations Certificate glossary.The Investment Foundations Certificate benefits both individuals and employers in these ways.

Investment Foundations Certifcants will:

• Gain an understanding of the investment industry, allowing them to excel in their career.

• Confidently communicate and collaborate with practicing investment managers.

• Develop a solid understanding of the vocabulary so they can effectively ask the right questions and innovate.

• Build professional relationships by advancing their foundational knowledge of the industry, structure, concepts, terminology, functions, and ethical considerations.

• Have a better sense of their role and how they connect with the complex industry.

How It Works

Take each of the six courses, with assessments and activities along the way, to guide and ensure your understanding. Then take the final assessment to earn the Investment Foundations Certificate and digital badge.

Modular Structure

• Six courses
• 60-90 hours of total study time
• Flexible Delivery
• Self-paced
• Progress tracking
• Set study goals
• 12 month access to coursework
• Program Excellence
• Engaging content
• Online, 100 multiple-choice question final assessment
• Shareable certificate upon successful completion

The Investment Foundations Certificate is not an academic degree/diploma or equivalent and does not in itself allow for progression to higher-level academic studies in any education system.

What You'll Learn

Course 1: Industry Overview And Structure 

An introduction to the structure of the investment industry, including types of institutions, functions of participants, and types of services.

You will gain an appreciation of the benefits provided by the investment industry and the forces that affect its evolution, including technological innovations, the importance of ethics/ethical conduct, and an overview of the purpose and types of regulators and regulations that govern the industry.

• Types of organizations
• Industry roles and responsibilities
• Key industry forces, particularly fintech
• Objectives, roles, and types of regulation

Course 2: Types And Functioning Of Markets 

An introduction to primary and secondary markets and how they operate.You will also be introduced to decentralized finance, the concept of investment vehicles, how they are structured, and how those structures serve investors.

• Security markets and trading venues
• Transactions
• Market efficiency
• Investment vehicles

Course 3: Investment Instruments 

An introduction to the types and characteristics of primary investment instruments, including equity securities (stocks), debt securities (bonds), alternative investments, and derivatives.

• Quantitative concepts
• Equity and debt securities
• Derivative investments
• Alternative investments

Course 4: Investment Inputs And Tools 

Enhanced understanding of how investment professionals identify relevant information and how the analysis of that information affects their investment and financing decisions.

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Economics and trade
• Financial statements

Course 5: Serving Client Needs 

An introduction to how investment firms serve clients' investment needs and examine risk considerations and management. You will also learn how portfolio performance evaluation enables investment professionals and their clients to better understand sources of risks and returns.

• Investors and their needs
• Investment management
• Risk management
• Performance evaluation

Course 6: Serving The Greater Good 

An introduction to the benefits, key concepts, and approaches to ESG investing and its link to DEI.

You will also learn how ethical dilemmas that arise in practice within and beyond each of these elements can be addressed through an ethical decision-making framework.

• Environmental, social, and governance investing
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice
• Ethics and standards
• Ethical decision-making