The American Finance Association (AFA) is the premier academic organization devoted to the study and promotion of knowledge about financial economics.
The AFA was planned at a meeting in December 1939 in Philadelphia. The Association’s first journal, published in 1942, was called American Finance (link to first issue). It was renamed The Journal of Finance (JF) and began regular publication in August 1946. In 2026, the AFA launched a second journal, Journal of Finance: Insights and Perspectives (JF:I&P), with its inaugural issue scheduled for publication in October 2026.
Association membership has grown steadily, reflecting the AFA’s broad community of scholars and professionals in financial economics. Each January, the AFA holds its Annual Meeting, bringing together researchers from around the world to present and discuss new research across the field of finance. The meeting also includes the Presidential Address, delivered by the AFA’s current president.
The Association is governed by its officers and board of directors, in accordance with the AFA’s bylaws.
Purpose of the AFA:
- to provide for the mutual association of persons with an interest in finance
- to improve public understanding of financial problems
- to provide for the exchange of financial ideas through the distribution of a periodical and other media
- to encourage the study of finance in colleges and universities
- to conduct such other activities as may be appropriate for a non-profit, professional society in the field of finance