CFA® : Now less valuable ?

Hello Wall Street Oasis members,

My colleague is writing an article for a U.S. investment magazine, and we are looking for people that are interested in contributing a quote.

The article is about the whether the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation has grown more or less valuable in recent years.

Ideally we am looking for quotes from people Working in the investment industry -- Even better if they are involved in the hiring process.

If you have an opinion on one of the below questions, I would be interested in receiving a few sentences from you.

Please provide your Name, Employer, Job title.

1) Today, there are 160,000 CFA® charterholders, with new charterholders being added at a rate of 9000 per year. Has the decreased rarity of the CFA®  designation made it less valuable? Or has there been some benefit from the charter becoming increasingly common in the industry?

2) The unemployment rate among CFA® holders is currently high, perhaps 20%. Over the long term, do you think there are more CFA® charter holders than the financial industry really needs?

3) The June 2009 pass rate for the Level I, II and III exams were 46%, 41% and 49% respectively. About 10% of candidates are able to breeze through all three exams without failing a level. Do you think that the process of earning the CFA® charter is difficult enough?

4) How do you (in human resources) perceive a candidate with the CFA® designation, versus a candidate with an MBA-finance or a Masters-in-Finance degree? Do you consider the CFA® to be comparable to a MiF or MBA, or do you perceive the value of the CFA® designation to be different in some important respect?

5) Can a CFA® charterholder realistically expect the CFA® designation to contribute significantly to career advancement and job security, or are other factors such as experience and ability far more important?

6) In the hiring process, how much of an edge does having the CFA®  charter provide a candidate? In what way does HR find the designation to be valuable or reassuring?

7) In terms of advancing up the ladder in the investment management or securities analysis fields, where would you place the CFA® designation on a scale from "unnecessary" to "valuable" to "crucial"?