CSUF Investment Students Earn CFA Charter, the Highest Financial Advisor’s Designation | College of Business and Economics at CSUF (csuf-investment-students-earn-cfa-charter-the-highest-financial-advisors-designation)

The real-world investment program at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Capital Management is excellent preparation for successful and lucrative careers in investments and financial advising.

This autumn, two 2020 grads of the program, Ali Abdelkarim and Phillip Law, earned their Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter, the highest postgraduate professional certification offered globally to investment and finance professionals.

Both Abdelkarim and Law were part of the first Cal State Fullerton team to win the CFA local competition in 2020, the first of four investment challenge wins for the Titans so far this decade, including this year’s placement as one of the top six investment programs globally.

The CFA program is a challenging goal, but well worth it, says Abdelkarim, who is currently an investment analyst at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one of the top hospitals in Los Angeles.

_{Ali Abdelkarim (left) and Phillip Law (right), 2020 graduates of the Cal State Fullerton Titan Capital Management program who have earned their CFA Charter this autumn.}

“The program requires a lot of personal sacrifices as I juggled my time between working and studying,” he recalls. “Not only did I learn an incredible amount through the curriculum, but it taught me self-discipline. You can’t fake your way through this program and I have immense respect for anyone who has done it. I recommend any CSUF student consider the CFA program if they plan to pursue a career in investment management.”

For Law, earning the CFA charter and gaining newfound knowledge of capital markets and investments is a testament to the caliber of business education offered at Cal State Fullerton. He is currently a results analyst/portfolio strategy manager at Capital Group.

“Unlike many other universities centered around advancing research, the professors and resources at CSUF put teaching students first,” says Law. “TCM married the practical with the theoretical, providing students a hands-on skill set and many transferable skills for the workplace. Thanks to TCM, I hit the ground running and have excelled in my career thus far.”

For more on Titan Capital Management, visit the program online. Or read more of our articles on CSUF investment education.