I started the journey to becoming a CFA charterholder when I was a first-year finance doctoral student. Like all CFA candidates, I had strategically researched the topic area weights and allocated my study time. I had purposely put a hold on my social life and committed to the 300-hour study. I had carefully completed the assigned readings and attempted the practice questions.
Read MoreThe word alpha has many meanings. In finance, we use the term to describe the excess risk-adjusted rate of return in reference to some benchmark. This definition is in no way incorrect, but it’s a shallow application of the word.
Read MoreThe time or term structure of interest rates, often referred to as “yield curves,” moves continuously as bond prices respond to changes in interest rates. The yield curve graphs this relationship between bond yields (change in price reflected in yield) and bond maturity (time or term).
Read MoreSo you made a decision to become a CFA® charterholder, registered for the CFA level 1 exams, and have prepared thus far. Well done!
Now, remember, CFA Level 1 is only the first of three battles which you have to wage to get to your goal: the CFA charter.
Read MoreThe complete time horizon for most investors follows a common path; initially, there’s an “accumulation” phase in which positive cash flows are added periodically to their portfolio’s balance, and later, a multiyear “distribution” phase in which cash flows turn negative and withdrawals are made to support the investor’s income needs in retirement.
Read MoreWould you like to say you “just got started” or that you are “almost done”? Would you rather be at the beginning, or near the end of accomplishing a significant goal in your life and career? This is the difference between failing and passing CFA Level II.
Read MoreTechnology is a disruptive force that creates challenges for established business models in many industries. Job losses in manufacturing are largely attributable to advances in technology, but the impact of technology isn’t confined to manufacturing-related industries.
Read MoreMy background may differ from many candidates, in that although I work at an asset management firm, I work in a legal-compliance role. Even though I do not participate in core investment analysis for my firm, pursuing the CFA charter has been invaluable to me in terms of having the proper context to give guidance.
Read MoreOn test day, it is completely natural to be excited, nervous, worried, anxious, or some combination of these states of mind.…The point I want to make is very simple: for top performance, there is an optimal level of nervous energy that is not zero, and maybe not even close to zero.
Read MoreOf the few online searches I did on CFA career paths when I first contemplated writing my Level I exam 15 years ago, working in the mining space was not on any top 10 lists that I came across. Yet in the decade that has passed since I first started my mining career (mostly gold, with some copper and a sprinkle of silver), I have worked closely with both the buy-side and sell-side while simultaneously acquiring industry-specific knowledge.
Read MoreIn the weird world of alternative investments, private equity is perhaps the most recognizable and most easily understood of the major asset classes. Individual investors, regardless of market experience, are generally familiar with venture capital-backed companies like Google, Facebook, Uber, and Snapchat.
Read MoreEver see one of those Facebook posts that shows kids riding in the back of a pickup truck, maybe back in the 1950s, with commentary something like “We didn’t wear seat belts and we turned out just fine.”? Such posts are supposed to speak to an over-reaching nanny state, I suppose.
Read MoreWe cannot predict the markets—or can we? History repeats is an old saying that proves to be true for markets! Markets, over time, follow rules which are scientifically investigated and proven. Therefore, there are three basic things that you have to consider when investing—under special consideration of a long investment horizon.
Read MoreAs Benjamin Graham, one of the investing world’s original greats, said, “The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.” Regrettably, too many investors worry about the risks when it’s too late.
Read MoreI would like to address some of the common mistakes made by candidates during the CFA® exams and how those mistakes can be avoided so that you don’t have to go through the rigmarole of taking the exams multiple times in order to pass them—which unfortunately was the case for me. While I am not proud of the fact that I had to take the exam multiple times, and some might consider it foolish to talk about failures, I learnt much from those failures.
Read MoreAn average four-year commitment to pass all three exams is not your typical career stepping stone. Accomplishing this crazy feat in the minimum two and a half years should warrant an extra letter in the designation for awesomeness, or receive some sort of lifetime VIP pass to…well, EVERYTHING.
Read MoreAn average four-year commitment to pass all three exams is not your typical career stepping stone. Accomplishing this crazy feat in the minimum two and a half years should warrant an extra letter in the designation for awesomeness, or receive some sort of lifetime VIP pass to…well, EVERYTHING.
Read MoreHi. My name is Ben, and I’m a CFA. And the fact that you’re reading this blog means that you’re at least curious about becoming one too. As a charterholder, I understand what it means and what it costs to make that commitment—both in dollars and in your personal life.
Read MoreAnxious is just one of the many words that describe how I felt in the final weeks and days leading up to the CFA® exam. Fortunately, I found having a general idea of what to expect on exam day relieved some of that anxiety.
Read MoreEthics is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of professionals in the financial services industry. As trusted advisors, we are given a mandate by our clients to manage, preserve, and grow their assets and to operate in their best financial interests.
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