This Saturday, 172,682 people from 183 countries are registered to take the intense 6-hour exam – and half of them will fail.

The globally-recognized CFA designation is an impressive, respected and rather prestigious designation to obtain within the investment analysis world, and according to the CFA Institute, the amount of people who try to get the designation grows by 9% per year (in fact, this year is the highest number of registrants on record — and up from 159,889 last June).

Despite its growing popularity, these 3 letters are very difficult to obtain with ~50% odds of passing all three exams – according to a recent survey administered by the CFA Institute, the average candidate studies 307 hours for each of his or her exam – a fact I can personally attest to having witnessed my husband, Mark successfully conquer the exams one by one. It is because of this first hand appreciation and respect for the designation that I am even more proud to know that I have 17 Chartered Financial Analysts on my team, giving me constant research, insights and guidance to help structure and build your long-term wealth. This is one of the many reasons I chose to build my practice at RBC Wealth Management – knowing with confidence that I am your gateway to the deepest wealth management shelf housing some of the most brilliant minds in our industry.

My Global Portfolio Advisory Group, the largest of its kind in Canada, is a team of highly specialized equity and fixed-income portfolio advisors who conduct ongoing research and analysis for us every day on a wide spectrum of investment opportunities and proactive ideas – providing you with the confidence in knowing that your portfolio is being managed proactively in today’s quickly changing investment climate.

Click here for a quick sample of their brilliance with the recently published Global Monthly Insight; this publication is the team’s flagship piece showcasing a collaborative effort from team members across the globe that covers a range of timely and relevant content.