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What is the difference b/w CPA & CFA courses?

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Individuals who enjoy working with the financial side of a company often choose to become Certified Public Accountants (CPA) or a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Even though many people use these terms interchangeably, these are quite different in many ways. Look at the following to understand the actual difference:

What is CPA?

Certified Public Accountants are professionals trained to provide businesses and individuals with several accounting services along with preparing taxes, financial statements, etc. These professionals can choose their career from various options that include auditing, tax advising, accounting positions for larger corporations or accounting firms, private practice and government accounting.

What is CFA?

These are financial analysts who analyze different financial options and provide investment options to the upper management and financial planners of the investment companies. These professionals can work at several capacities that include chief executives, portfolio managers, consultants, research analysts, corporate financial analysts, risk managers, and financial advisors.

Key Difference between CPA and CFA

Even though there are numerous differences between these two profiles, the major difference is the main purpose of these job roles. When an individual needs help or assistance in preparing taxes, they would hire a CPA. On the other hand, if they have a larger sum of money that they want to invest, they would prefer a CFA. An individual who is willing to work in an accounting or tax firm would choose the option of CPA while someone who wants to work in investment firms or banks would go to the CFA option.

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