Financial Qualifications

HGLTsuperstar

Calling all accountants, IFAs etc, a seemingly random question but I promise there is a really good reason for asking.
What is the correct wording, ordering etc, of the letters after ones name once they have completed the CIMA qualification, and if they then go onto do further professional qualifications such as an MBA, which takes precedence or are they listed in the order they were obtained,
i.e. Joe Bloggs.....

HGLTsuperstar

40 views, but no-one knows, please this is serious

dunstonh

I don't know if there is a specific order

steveteach

I don't know about accountants but did you know that hardly any of the Chancellor of the Exchequers since WWII have held any accountancy qualifications and they control our tax billions.

Deemy

LOL... IT quals, finance quals, which to use when and in what combination...

Have FIVE different business cards for different occasions

equitydealer

I don't think it matters in which order qualifications are listed. Grab an annual report of a FTSE 100 company and look at the directors profiles page to see how they do it.

gingercordial

Blimey, I have no idea, but I'm determined to find out now! I will be entitled to another set of accountancy letters later in the year and hadn't even thought about whether there's a correct order for them. Probably because my firm won't let us use letters on our business cards so I've never really thought about it - it does seem very odd when I receive post with them on. My accounting body sends me letters as Miss Josephine Bloggs "Masters degree" "Accountancy qualification" but I don't know if they are necessarily getting it right because half the time they get my degree title wrong!

Poppy9

I always thought qualifications were listed in the order you obtained them but some say it's from the highest to lowest.

There are a few accounting bodies.

• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA,FCA).
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (CA).
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ACA,FCA).
• Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA,FCCA).
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA,FCMA).
• Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (IPFA).

There is also and Association of Accounting Technicians MAAT/FMAAT/
and Certified Accounting Technicians CAT

HGLTsuperstar

Thanks Poppy, that was my thinking aswell but in that case would a BSc come before an MBA? Also with the CIMA qualification, the letters are therefore ACMA and the FCMA option is years down the line I guess?

EdInvestor

The way I've seen it done is first the main professional qualification, then the management degree, then the institute memberships. But that's more American or Asian style, where they take these things very seriously

DocProc

This is an interesting question . I'm still looking for the answer, though.

Meanwhile, have a look at the following document:-

An NHS Hospital Letter Writing Protocol