Hello everyone. I am interested in pursuing the CAIA exams. Was wondering if any of you experienced CAIA candidates could give me a heads up on the time needed to prepare etc.
I work for the client services dept. of an equity index publisher that also provides portfolio and risk management analytics so CFA is probably the more relevant qualification but I’m done with it and want a new challenge. Also, is it worth the money? My company will pay for CFA / FRM but not for CAIA (or I’ll have to put together a good case to receive sponsorship).
Do you guys recommend CAIA? What kind of opportunities might it lead to?
Thanks for your time.
The best way to find out is to see the job postings in your area and to talk to the mentors in your professional network.
The CAIA presents some interesting material. I am mostly doing it to get a broader perspective on the investment industry rather than for the sake of career development.
Given you already have the CFA Im not sure how many opportunities the CAIA would add. It may be what gets you over the line or provides a differentiator in an interview, but I think you are most likely to benefit from the CAIA if a resume boost is not your primary goal. It is certainly expensive compared to other designations, not just upfront but alos ongoing (I guess it is targeted towards Hedge Fund and PE managers).
The scweser notes for CAIA are two 400-500 page books for each level, so there is less material to study compared to the CFA. You will also see a reasonable level of overlap on level 1.