CICA (Chartered Investment Manager — formerly Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants nominee) — note: CICA acronym now refers to Canadian Investment Manager
Cross-disciplinary credential for accounting professionals expanding into wealth/portfolio management.
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1916 (CSI Global Education)
HQ
Toronto, ON
Accreditation
Recognized by CIRO (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization) for Portfolio Manager registration; useful for accounting-adjacent wealth practitioners.
Target Audience
Investment managers, portfolio managers, and wealth-advisor roles requiring discretionary portfolio management authority under Canadian securities regulation.
Key Features
- Three required CSI courses: Canadian Securities Course (CSC), Wealth Management Essentials (WME), Investment Management Techniques (IMT) — historic; current CIM path: CSC + IMT + Portfolio Management Techniques (PMT)
- Designation grants Discretionary Portfolio Management licensure under provincial securities commissions when paired with required experience and registration
- Crosses accounting/finance/wealth-management boundary
- Adjacent to CFA in scope but more practitioner-focused for Canadian registration
How to Get This Certification
Prerequisites
Open enrolment; recommended bachelor's degree.
Accreditation: Recognized by CIRO (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization) for Portfolio Manager registration; useful for accounting-adjacent wealth practitioners.
Why Get Certified — ROI
Salary Impact
CIM-holders in portfolio management roles earn CA$95,000-$180,000+ (Robert Half Canada / Hays Canada wealth-management benchmarks).
Career Benefits
- What makes this stand out
- Cross-disciplinary credential for accounting professionals expanding into wealth/portfolio management.
- Industry recognition
- Recognized by CIRO (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization) for Portfolio Manager registration; useful for accounting-adjacent wealth practitioners.
Who Should Get This Certification
Ideal for:
- Investment managers
- portfolio managers
- and wealth-advisor roles requiring discretionary portfolio management authority under Canadian securities regulation.
Consider alternatives if:
- Adjacent to accounting; not a core accounting credential
- Smaller community than CFA
Pricing
Pricing varies.
Weaknesses
- Adjacent to accounting; not a core accounting credential
- Smaller community than CFA
- Limited international portability
Markets Served
Canada
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