I just joined Toastmasters and I’m about to give my first speech in two weeks. I want to talk about my pursuit of the Charter and want to add a bit of humour. Is that allowed or would any jokes be seen as defamation against CFAI?
I doubt it.
Good luck finding something humorous about the CFA.
Apparently, it’s not ok to say certain things, like that the CFA was easier in the 1980s compared to now (it was). But anyway, as long as you don’t invite itera to this club, I’m sure people will just laugh off whatever you say.
are you allowed props?
if so, take a sink and re-enact the famous story. maybe finish up with the terminator as well.
As long as it’s clearly a joke and not to be interpreted as an accurate portrayal of the guaranteed superior performance we CFAs offer our employers, I’m sure you’re ok. And, of course, as long as the jokes are funny.
You might add a comment about how the actual charter, once it arrives in the mail, can be uses to power a Viking longship as a sail, which is why the competition trembles in fear when it sees one on the horizon.
Just make sure you say a joke like ‘Remember level 2 2014 question 31 where they asked us to ____________ and the answer was _. That was actually the answer so tell your friends taking it this year’ 
i think youll be fine. if you say a joke and after the laugh you say"oh right that’s a violation" I see no harm in that. actually its surprising how CFAI material and folks who work there tend to forget their own CFAI rules. I’ve seen people talk exam topics to using the CFA as a noun.
Post some of your jokes and we’ll let you know if they cross the line or not.
I was going to say people in finance “gamble on stocks with other people’s money. Just kidding!”
Oh boy.
In comedy, you can’t use hack material unless you spin it a new way.
If it’s been used before, I don’t know where. I heard it from a friend (who’s in physics) and that’s how he describes finance.
So is it too harsh?
I think you’re safe.
^ I agree.
And by that, I mean, I don’t think it’s a violation. I also don’t think it’s funny.
If you read the new LOS it clearly states that there is no ethics violation because the Charter itself is a joke.
Financiers have been accused of gambling (on stocks or otherwise) with other people’s money for time immemorial. Perhaps not unjustifiably.
So, the problem - from a comedic perspective - is that people are already wondering if they are paying professionals to gamble with their money. When you bring up the point, you make them nervous about that. When you say “just kidding,” you make them nervous that maybe you weren’t just kidding.
There’s no twist or novelty in the way you present this idea that really makes it funny. This is why the joke likely fails. If you said “we have to gamble with other people’s money in order to support our designer-drug habits, because in a world ruled by the 1%, you can’t show up with just coke anymore…” That gets closer to laughability.
Anyway, as long as it’s clear that you aren’t serious, I don’t think CFAI is against a joke or two. Just make sure it’s funny.
Do you know of any other finance jokes I could use in my speech?
If I may add to this–just because CFAI doesn’t flag it as a violation, that doesn’t mean that your employer won’t–and fire you. I know that if I heard one of my employees telling customers (either current or potential) that “We just gamble with all of your hard-earned money. Hahahaha!!!” his head would be on a chopping block.
GM makes a good point here.