Standard I cases (2027): what counts as professional conduct

In short

• Definition: a professional activity (the same as professional conduct) relates to financial analysis, investment management, security analysis, stewardship or similar work, and either takes place in the workplace or academia or in the profession and markets, or explicitly or implicitly uses the charter, membership or candidacy.
• Six listed contexts: dealings with colleagues and clients, claiming charterholder, candidate or member status, unpaid roles at CFA Institute or a society, society and industry events, writing about investments outside work, and communicating with regulators.
• Using the charter pulls conduct in: a retired member who signs a letter as a charterholder, or a volunteer instructor at a society course, is acting professionally.
• Unrelated dishonesty stays out: lying to officials for a parking permit is deplorable but is not professional conduct.
• Knowledge under I(A) scales with the role: you must know the rules directly related to your responsibilities. A non-supervisor need not master employment law, a manager of many staff may, and you may rely on the colleague responsible, such as the CFO for audit rules.
• Missing the law is also a competence issue: appropriate knowledge of the laws that apply to you is required by I(E) as well as I(A).