CFA's, how many on Pelican?
 

I am considering a career move. At present, I don't have the freedom to quick work and go back to school for an MBA because my wife has just gotten support from her company to do just that.

This is great news, but for me it means I've got to stick with my current position of which I am becoming bored. I am blessed to have a good job and don't get me wrong, I appreciate it.

So I am considering pursuit of the CFA. It is a very tough process from what I've been told but at the same time it would afford me the freedom to self-study and maintain my 'day job'.

Are there any CFA's here on Pelican? If so, would any of you mind sharing advice and perspective on the exam process and potential career paths?

thanks

James

just asked white collar office bride.

It adds to a CPA if he's looking for more action but is meaningless to an MBA.

She knows a little bit about it. if you want call me and i'll introduce you two.

without a word of a lie; my nickname in college was CFA.
I say go for it, just don't undermine your wifes carreer move at the same time?

CFA
Chief F**kn A$$ole

Rob

You pulling my leg here or what? Chartered Financial Analyst was something you started on in college?

James

I'm studying for level II starting next year....started a few years ago, passed level I and for whatever reason did not continue with it. It used to be you had to pass all 3 levels in 7yrs I think, but they now waived that and you can take as long as you like. I hope to wrap it up now in 2. It's very hard and takes a lot of dedication - I know a ton of CFAs and preparation is key - take a course if you can.

i don't mean to insult anyone who may be a CFA but my perception is that it is basically a sales job.

i do know of at least one lady who makes a very nice living as a CFA. she got hooked up with a 'chain brokerage' and is essentially a sales lady. she knows very little about her product but projects a very proper and refined image and that's apparently all it takes.

I've been a charterholder for a number of years. At the time, I already had an MSc in Finance (a bit more theoretically oriented, but with enough depth to render most of the CFA curriculum redundant). In my old line of work (an analyst at an investment management company) the charter was seen as a "must have" by the firm for people in my position.

The curriculum is painfully broad, and lacking in depth. The difficulty does not come from understanding technically challenging concepts, but comes from learning (and remembering) a little bit about a LOT of things. I found this painfully boring (and thus, difficult to study).

I think that if one was embarking on on a career in Finance as a career change, you'd likely be looking at a job in sales, or personal financial planning. In that particular case, the charter would be of limited use (I think there are other designations that would be more useful). Breaking into the finance world as a financial analyst or portfolio manager would be challenging unless your previous carreer provided you with unique insight into a particular industry.

I could go on, but I'm out of time...

I just took level one a couple weeks ago. If you have any questions I can help you with feel free to drop me a PM. I actually have tons of questions in word format I could send you if you wanted to get a feel for what some of the early questions are like.

Rich