hey do you work as an actuary? I have a friend who is an actuary and he was wondering what are pro/cons of CFA?
while I’m still taking actuarial exams, I’m not currently an actuary. 
I think CFA could give him/her more options if he/she may want to have a career change later.
what kind of options that is the question. I actually value actuary exams over CFA any day
actuaryalfred, so how does taking cfa exams affects my life expectancy??? i figure it can’t be a positive…
I really don’t know exactly. But when I search for actuarial jobs, it’s not uncommon to see CFA is preferred. The posts are usually investment/financial/actuarial related. Actuarial exams are hard, but I don’t think people outside the field value the credential very much.
actuaryalfred Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I really don’t know exactly. But when I search > for actuarial jobs, it’s not uncommon to see CFA > is preferred. The posts are usually > investment/financial/actuarial related. > > Actuarial exams are hard, but I don’t think people > outside the field value the credential very much. except people who know actuaries. I think their cirruculum actually adds value as oppose to CFA where people really memorize payoffs and dont really understand how they come about…
MaxTheDog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > actuaryalfred, so how does taking cfa exams > affects my life expectancy??? i figure it can’t > be a positive… negative when studying, more negative when waiting for the results, but much more positive after passing
csk, Understanding both the liability and the asset side of the fence is a killer combination prized by insurance companies and pension plan sponsors. Tell your friend to search SOA website by designation, he’ll find but a handful with FSA and CFA. PS> Anybody who says CFA exams are easier is wrong. They’re both equally tough.
i agree, they are equally hard
I have many friends got CFA, but they are still doing old job, without any changes… But I do know a guy cranked through all 10 actuary exams, and got into the field…
Do you think it is possible to get into the actuary field without experience and with 3 exams passed??? Really need advice here as I am planning to take the first in 1 month
It’s possible. It’s harder if you’re in US but not a US citizen though.
This came up as part of an argument with my friends and I would appreciate if anybody could give a realistic number: With 15 years experience working as an actuary with all 10 exams passed, how much would that person make? I know there are more variables but if someone can give me a range I would appreciate it. The only reason I am actually asking is that our ranges are wayyy different and I would love for someone to give an educated estimate.
Yea, I know about citizenship… Sorry for bothering you again Is it crucial to have BS or MS in Math/Stats + experience or it really depends on your exams? And is it very important to have “excellent communication skills” as in finance field? I mean if you have an accent etc.
rbaranov Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yea, I know about citizenship… > Sorry for bothering you again > Is it crucial to have BS or MS in Math/Stats + > experience or it really depends on your exams? And > is it very important to have “excellent > communication skills” as in finance field? I mean > if you have an accent etc. my friend is a successful actuary and he has an accent. Accent is fine as long as you can communicate clearly i think. Not like youa re doing sales
AFAIK, exams + experience are more important than the degree.
thanks god my accent is not that bad I hope I just frustrated about it as EVERY job description for fin analyst have “excellent communication”, “perfect English”, etc. so I was not really successful in my job search due to this + I earned my BS not in US, and although I have US MBA - it doesn’t seems to help me a lot… so now after 1.5 years of searching for a job in fin industry I am thinking to change my strategy - there is no way I will have “top business school” +native language needed in IB, so I guess I am kind of screwed…
you don’t want to go back to your home country?
No - There is no way my home country is in need for the fin analysts with “efficient markets” knowledge at this time I have “the right to work in US” but not citizenship, which I guess will take me 1-2 years to get…