Inside the FMVA®: Program Highlights, Career Paths, and Success Stories

FMVA Creators Reveal What Makes This Certification Different

If you’re considering the FMVA®, you likely have questions: What makes it unique? Who benefits most? What are the real career outcomes?

Two of the FMVA® creators and subject matter experts recently gathered to answer these exact questions. Tim Vipond, CEO and Co-Founder, Duncan McKeen, EVP, Financial Modeling, and webinar host Ryan Spendelow, Senior VP, Training and Curriculum, shared candid insights about the certification’s origins, evolution, and impact on finance careers.

Here are the essential takeaways from their discussion.

Want to watch the webinar replay? Find it here!

Inside the FMVA®: Program Highlights, Career Paths, and Success Stories

Improving Access to World-Class Training

Tim, whose background includes investment banking, began by revealing a fundamental problem that sparked the FMVA®’s creation in 2018. 

“Historically, the training in the FMVA® was only available to people when they worked at a bank,” he explained. “You’d go to New York or London and do a week or two of intensive training. But you had to have the job first to get the training.” 

How could aspiring financial analysts learn financial modeling and valuation without already having the job? 

Existing finance certifications at the time focused only on portfolio management, wealth management, or investment management. Tim noted, “There was nothing in the marketplace for corporate finance professionals that focused on financial modeling and valuation.”

Closing the Gap

The industry faced a glaring skill gap and lacked self-paced, online programs that were both practical and affordable. CFI designed the Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA®) Certification to solve these problems. The FMVA® provides a comprehensive program that teaches the exact skills used by analysts at top investment banks. 

Today, over 60,000 professionals worldwide have earned FMVA® certifications, illustrating the industry’s appetite for accessible, practical finance training.

Inside the FMVA® - What is Valuation
Source: CFI’s Introduction to Business Valuation course

Who Should Earn an FMVA® Certification?

How do you know if the FMVA is right for you? “The FMVA is for anyone working on corporate finance activities that include transactions or analysis that relate to creating value for a company,” Tim said.

The program is especially beneficial for careers focused on creating value through M&A, divestitures, new projects, or capital structure decisions, including:

  • Investment banking.
  • Private equity and venture capital.
  • Corporate development.
  • Equity research and investor relations.
  • Corporate restructuring.

For those focused specifically on FP&A, CFI offers a dedicated certification: the Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAP™) Certification.

Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAP™) Certification - Investment Banking - Equity Capital Markets
Source: CFI’s Careers in Finance course

Practical Skills You Can Use From Day One

To earn an FMVA® certification, learners must complete 14 core courses, three electives, and pass a final exam.

But what truly sets the FMVA® apart? With training methods straight from investment bank programs, learners can immediately use their new skills in the real world. 

Duncan emphasized, “We want people to be coming out of the FMVA® with skills that they can apply on the job right away.”

Once you’ve completed the program, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running with skills like:

  • Building three-statement financial models.
  • Performing business valuations using methods like Discounted Cash Flow (DCF).
  • Creating professional PowerPoint slides and pitch books.
  • Visualizing data and creating Excel dashboards.

For a complete list of FMVA® courses and skills objectives, explore the program page!

Inside the FMVA® - Financial Forecasting Framework
Source: CFI’s Introduction to 3-Statement Modeling course

Real Career Impact from FMVA® Grads

What happens after you earn the FMVA®? Tim shared compelling data from extensive student surveys, revealing three distinct categories of career transformation:

  • Landing a First Job: “I never would have been able to get my first job without the FMVA®” is a common refrain. Tim recalled a student in Peru hired by Goldman Sachs for an investment banking role solely because of the skills he learned through the program.
  • Earning Promotions and Raises: Current professionals report performing significantly better after completing the program. “They get feedback on how they’re performing so much better in the job, thanks to the content they’ve learned in the FMVA®.”
  • Successfully Switching Careers: Professionals pivot from other industries into corporate finance. “They say that the FMVA® is the reason they were able to do that.” The certification provides both the expertise and credibility needed to make these transitions possible.

Inside the FMVA® - Real Career Impact from FMVA® Grads

Take the Next Step: Start Your FMVA® Journey

The FMVA® certification program delivers real-world skills, global credibility, and career-changing results. Whether you’re aiming for your first role in finance or leveling up in your current position, this certification gives you the tools to succeed.

Join professionals at firms like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, and RBC who’ve used the FMVA® to sharpen their modeling expertise and move ahead in their careers.

Take the next step. Enroll in the FMVA® program today!

Additional Resources

FPAP vs. FMVA: Which Certification is Right for You?

7 Finance Careers That Make Financial Modeling Skills Essential

Why AI Makes Financial Modeling Skills More Valuable Than Ever

See all Financial Modeling resources

See all Valuation resources

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