Stalla was just purchased by Kaplan. Now they have a virtual monopoly.
http://www.stalla.com/ Dear CFA Candidate: Stalla Seminars began business in 1972 under the direction of Robert Stalla with the sole objective of helping candidates pass the CFA® exams and become charterholders. The Stalla brand is known worldwide for quality, service, and support. On December 2, 2011, DeVry, Inc. – Stalla’s parent company – announced the sale of the assets of Stalla to the Schweser Study Program – an operating unit of the Kaplan University School of Professional and Continuing Education. Unfortunately, the timing of this transaction will not allow for the transfer of content from the DeVry technology platform to a new delivery mechanism in time for the June 2012 CFA exams. Therefore, Stalla courses and materials will not be available for the June 2012 exam cycle. We pledge to be good stewards of the Stalla brand and mission and intend to redeploy the Stalla content on a new platform for the 2013 exam cycle. In the interim, Schweser stands ready to meet all of your 2012 CFA study needs and will be reaching out to previous Stalla students by phone, letter, and email over the coming weeks to provide personalized service to assist them with this transition. As a Charterholder, I am thankful for the service that Stalla has provided to CFA candidates throughout the years, and am humbled by the weight of the commitment that we now carry to ensure that the Stalla legacy is fostered and protected. Schweser and Stalla share a common mission – to help CFA candidates succeed and to support investment professionals worldwide. I hope you share my enthusiasm for this change and wish you all the best for the 2012 CFA exams. Best Regards, Dr. Andrew Temte, CFA President
Whatever happened to the analysis using Hirschmann-Herfindahl index, which was drilled into our minds for Level 2? I am sure the concentration in CFA education after this consolidation will be way over 1800. On a side note, we just heard that FCC applied the index to AT&T and T-Mobile merger request. The cell phone wireless spectrum is in emerging technology and is not a mature industry like CFA education. So, I believe that the index is more applicable to Schweser and Stalla than to AT&T and T-Mobile. Please share your comments.
Anyone else feel a little screwed by this deal? I got much more use from Stalla on L2 than I did Schweser on L1. Now they have a monopoly and you don’t really have an option. Either have Schweser or nothing.
That might change my friends…you might see something out of the Olinto camp
Not really too fazed by this, as I’m GOING TO FINISH THIS YEAR ANYWAY but the reality is I think the tests are going to become more and more geared towards those who use the curriculum. Just my hunch.
I miss that dude.
Although Schweser served me well on level I, II it is good to have more options simply because stimulates a better quality product from both sides. I am sure this will bring new participants to the market and soon we will see some quality material.
Any reason behind the acquisition? Why would Stalla agree? Good deal for Kaplan though considering economies of scale, cost synergies, Stalla’s customer base.
We can certainly expect the cost of the consolidated program to go up!
chad, my sources told me that in the last 2 years there’s been quite the turnover and downgrades in Stalla’s management. Declining quality also comes to mind.