Passed Level 3 with two kids

CFA Level III
#1

Iam a 3/3, though not in 18 months. Considering that Iam 45 yrs old and I have two kids with one close to entering college I am extremely happy with the journey. CFA material and the EOC were the bible for level 2 and 3. For level 3 neither Schweser, Finquiz nor Konvexity were good enough according to me. For AM session some Schweser mocks were good. The old CFA mocks especially for AM we’re invaluable. If we prepare well for AM I found that it was good enough for PM.

Best of luck for future exam takers.

#2

Passed level 2 with three kids.

#3

Kids entering college can take care of themselves. I have a 2 year old daughter who was born the week of Level I who wants me to take her to the park every day after work.

Agree with your Level III thoughts. Focus on AM and mastering how to answer those problems. PM should be a breeze for most who have made it past Level II. I used CFAI material for all three levels and it obviously covers everything you need to know.

#4

So happy for @Flashback and @Cory688. The pressure is so different for people with kids. A million other things run through our mind during preparation. Level 3 was very tough for me because, it was purely conceptual and there is nothing much to study/practice. If you get the concept you just have to go and execute it at the examination. I was losing motivation close to the exam because CFA overtook my life since I started Level 2 and I was fatigued. It has been a week since the results came out but I still can’t believe that I (we) did it. We need a separate thread for those who completed this ‘with kids’.

#5

I can empathize with any parent with young kids battling through this exam. I have been in a similar situation. My 3 year old was very demanding. Passed it finally (2nd attempt).

#6

CFA at 45!! Mindblowing!! i thought i was late when i completed at 30…

#7

question for the guys with kids… I’m assuming you already have quite a bit of experience under your belts, given that how does the CFA help you? and what are you guys now going to do with your Charter?

#8

I’m only 28 so I don’t have a ton of experience, but I had a setup with my boss where I get a significant raise now that I am a charterholder. I also feel like I have supreme job security now. Everyone at my office believes I’m the smartest guy in the room now and if something happens here I know I can get an internal wholesaler job at some fund company with ease.

#9

Cory - that’s cool that they do that.

Sidenote: anyone ever experience a company actively discourage pursuit of the charter?

#10

you old bro. 45. and do you wanna cookie?

#11

Congrats, nsbharath. Hope to be able to say the same in a year.

Something that’s different about going through it with kids is I find I had almost no “me time” before I started the CFA, and now I have zero. I never get a minute to think or recover. If I leave my desk on a Saturday to lie down on a couch for 15 min to for a quick brain reset, within a minute I’ll have 3 people badgering me for my time.

I love them. But it would be so great to just finish studying on a weekend and be able to rest. There’s a permanent time liability from Dec to June.

That said, developing a love of Pixar movies and finding toads in a creek seems to help make it work.

#12

Congrats nsbharath! If it makes you feel any better, I passed Level III at 53 this year and passed all three levels consecutively. Old dogs can learn new tricks. I switched industries and went into finance at 49. What a gift to have a new career given that my former industry is in serious decline. I am grateful to the CFAI for this program. I’d be too old to get an MBA from a name school. Congrats to everyone who passed and if you didn’t, keep plugging along!

#13

Am mid 40s, established career, wealthy enough, but wanted to test myself and stay sharp and prove to myself I could do it

#14

Old maybe …but I got more tail and money than you

#15

Am mid 40s, established career, wealthy enough, but wanted to test myself and stay sharp and prove to myself I could do it

#16

That’s amazing man. I would respect a boss like you.

#17

Great job, but why do people post this stuff? Just for a pat on the back from internet strangers? Everyone who passed these exams did it with their own hardships and you having 2 kids and being 45 years old doesn’t necessarily mean you had a tougher journey than someone who’s 25 and has no kids. I would say someone who is 25, in the prime of their life (and putting off some of the greatest social events they’ll ever get to experience), grinding out serious hours at work and going through the pressures of climbing the corporate ladder, maintaining friendships and relationships, etc. may have it harder than you did with teenaged kids who take care of themselves. These ‘I did it despite xx’ posts are almost condescending, as if to say “I had it harder than you and still passed”.

#18

^ Exactly you are correct. After nearly 15 years of marriage, I’d rather always studying than doing family duties.

When I was 25 I wouldn’t put nothing on studying.

#19

When you reach the stage and have kids, you will understand which is tougher : social life or the kids :slight_smile: . Till then, the only way you can understand them is to empathize.