@Soon…
From what you say, it is evident that:
About you…
* You have a ‘respectable MBA (MBA from top 50… ) but there are quite a few from top 10 in the market any day and
* You will be a CFA charter holder sooner than later. (Confident about Level III and…) but there is no shortage of CFAs too though they may not be in plenty
About your job and prospects
* You ‘love’ the job which implies you have at least >50% job satisfaction (Love the job…}
* It is highly likely you will get a promotion soon on completing CFA (I expect a promotion if ….) which does prove that your organisation is rewarding you for your achievment which is not necessarily true for all organisations
* with better incentive / higher bonus (May have more bonus potential …) so it is very likely not only you will be better paid but also there is a possibility for you to negotiate these for still better terms as your management see a ‘future leader’ in you.
* You have assured long term advancement prospects in this organization ( Feel like I have very good advancement ……..) that simply means you are “sure of better prospects” in this job and organization which is not so common in most (yes , most) cases.
About your feeling:
* Your feeling that you are under appreciated (but feel under-appreciated …) is probably only you in imagination or part of some irrational thought as you yourself say, “received hints from senior mgmt that they feel like I would make good future leader”. No ‘unappreciative’ management will say so (after all they are not obliged to express it to you).
* Actually your grievance is (though you don’t wish to admit it directly) you feel you are being underpaid or in other words you deserve much more than what you are being paid. (but at the same time think $50,000 doesn’t cut it ).This also seems to be not justifiable as they are paying you that amount since long even when you were not a CFA but just an MBA and you have to remember that after MBA when you accepted it under all circumstances probably this is the best you could get in your opinion whether in short term or in long-term considerations (otherwise why should a ‘mature’ MBA would have accepted it at that time).
If one wants to be unhappy one can be so on so many rational or irrational reasons and create avoidable conflict in own mind leading to tension and unhappiness. It is not only a matter of a job with certain amount of $s but it is a part of your existence – that too a major part. Imagine spending minimum of 8-10 hours daily in a job which you don’t love but pays you a very high salary (prostitutes do so every day and night whether they like it or not…). There is a very fine line of distinction between aspiration and greed.
You may (rather ‘will) get a higher paying job now that you have this experience and with CFA Charter in hand but can you be sure of being in ‘love’ with that job , can you assure you that the top management will recognize you as a ‘leader’ from day 1, will you be sure to have the confidence that you will “have very good long-term advancement prospects “ at that financial institution if you stay for some time even after a year or two?? Very unlikely. But here you can still negotiate and probably get a mutually satisfying term. Unless you take that initiative how can you presume you will be better off somewhere else?
You may also do well to understand that it is easy to get a job with a few thousand $s more but it is really hard to get a job about which you can confidently say that you are in love with it and have a management who see a ‘future leader’ in you (that is one of the strong indications that they have trust in your ability and talent).
So answer to your questions, in my view, are:
Do I jump ship? Indeed you should jump only if you are ready to jump into the sea too (and not necessarily into another safer ship!).
Would I be giving up long-term career and growth potential for short-term financial gain? Any person with even a little knowledge of the employment market and first hand ‘experience’ of working in multiple organizations will simply say , “Without a doubt, you doubting Thomas! ”
Your organization will get many substitutes who may be better than you but can you say confidently that after leaving this job just for a fatter cheque the job you will get will be better than this in all respect in the long run? If you can be sure of it please go ahead, otherwise think twice.
Best of luck for whatever you decide finally.