Effective Essay Writing

CFA Level III Portfolio Management
#1

All,

I’m sure this topic has been previously covered and I’ve done some searching on this site to find info. It would be great, however, if someone who has passed and/or teaches the curriculum can shed some light into getting the most points out of the essay section. I know we want to be concise, but we don’t want to leave anything out as well.

I realize I’m being vague here as the essays can take many forms, but what are some good ‘rules of thumb’ to follow and are there examples of effective essays vs. non-obvious effective essays (e.g. writing way too much, missing subtleties in the question)

Thanks!

#2

#ONLYWriteBulletPoints

#notkidding

#3

Furthermore, your first bullet point should be your main point: the idea you want to convey. Others may support it, but in the first, say what you need to say.

#4

Thanks! So an example, let’s say an Endowment that has a spend of 6% and inflation of 2% where a member of the endowment seeks a 7% return and the question asks about the return (calculation, observation) would the bullet be…

  • (1.06)*(1.02) - 1 = 8.12% is 1.12% above the sought after return and the objective should be rethought to match the spend ?