Chartered financial analysts--CFAs--work in a range of industries. CFAs help other financial professionals, such as CPAs and accountants, manage the company's money and financial objectives. A CFA's salary is based in part upon experience, though the kind of company, its market value and size, and sales volume influence how much CFAs earn:
PayScale.com reports that CFAs earn a median of about $51,000. CFAs with less than four years' experience earn about $62,500. Those with less than 10 years' experience earn about $90,000 per year. CFAs with less than 20 years experience average about $121,000 per year. CFAs with 20 plus years' experience earn about $149,000 per year.
The most highly paid CFAs work as chief financial officers (CFOs) and earn about $141,500. Vice Presidents of Finance earn approximately $131,000 per year. Portfolio managers earn about $99,500; financial analysts earn about $80,500; and securities or investment analysts earn over $70,000. Bank analysts, or those working within the bank's operations division, earn about $62,500. Financial analysts working across corporate industry groups earn an average of $59,000 per year.
The kind of employer for whom a CFA works impacts how much the CFA earns. CFAs working for trust companies or foundations earn about $77,400 per year. Hospitals pay CFAs an average of about $78,000 per year. Colleges and educational institutions pay an average of $85,000 per year. Independent CFAs working for themselves earn an average of $100,000 plus per year. The U.S. government pays CFAs about $78,500 per year while state and other municipal governments pay slightly less for the CFA's services.
The company's size helps to determine how much the company pays its CFAs. Small companies with less than 10 employees pay the lowest median incomes, about $75,800 per year. Companies with less than 50 employees pay about $83,100 per year to CFAs, while companies with less than 2,000 employees pay about $101,000 per year. The largest company sampled paid its CFAs lower salaries, averaging about $92,000 a year.