Do any of you successful L2 takers have suggestions about any books, newspapers, blogs, websites, etc. to read in an attempt to keep your CFA mindset sharp during the “off season”?
I dont mean to come off as an a*s… but best bet is to sign up early and read the CFAI book. You can never read too much of it. One thing that I regretted and felt that I should have done early is sign up earlier and read it more… No blog/newspaper/books is going to prepare you better than the CFAI books.
good luck!
I agree with MK514. I actually watch lots of videos, they are interesting and sometimes very very helpful. I am a big big fan of David Harper from BionicTurtle.com. I am not his student and but watch his videos at liesure and may you could try that friend!
But agree with MK514, nothing beats the CFAI text! All the best wishes.
Yes, i used only arif irfanullah’s videos, type him up on youtube or go on his site. The dude goes from the curriculum and explains everthing in details. He simplifies complex calcs such as derivatives, i didn’t even memorize a single formula because he makes u understand the crap rather than memorize it. I am so excited and since he has been so instrumental in my passing and that is why i am sharing my experience. But you be the judge, he has the whole of level 1 free online.
I agree with kevincfa…
It truly depends on the type of learner you are. I am very poor at grasping things when people talk to me. I truly need to be left alone with materials to grasp concepts so I prefer high qualty written material and that usually is enough for me.
I passed L1 in Dec 2011 and L 2 in Jun 2012 and for both, I stuck with Elan and loved it. I think their materal is superb and prepares you adquately provided you do CFA questions. for L2 their books came really late and they missed some release schedule but I was one of those who read for about 43 days for the exam so their delay did not impact me much. For broader tips and please look at my other post.
But yes, do look at Elan and see if it suits you.
“A Random Walk Down Wall Street” is a classic book if you haven’t read it already
I am not sure what kind of reaction I will get to this, but I enjoy reading Barron’s. They talk about a lot of the FRA stuff you saw in Level I when discussing a stock’s prospects.
read the big short… that big is so sick!
Only the CFA Level 2 text and some prep courses help keep your mind fresh… sorry. Even reviewing your Level I notes doesn’t really help.
If you are starting this early, be careful of burnout though
This is a really great read that gives some real world context to the pension accounting section of the Level 2 curriculum.
http://media.pimco.com/Documents/Viewpoint%20Gross%20Ruthen%20July%202012.pdf
Just start studying from Elan’s free trial and there won’t be an off season (unless you want there to be).
Another good book is “Fooled by Randomness” by Taleb. More for traders and quants, but I think it applies to asset and investment managers too.