Geeees it’s dead quiet here in the forum for a few days already. Guess everyone must be real busy studying!!
1 Like
I check this one daily, and your right its very quiet. Lets start up some threads peteus325, anything in mind.
1 Like
Well, it’s a lazy summer and it makes picking up the book even harder. Anyway, I’ve just finished the first two chapters on my Uppermark book. Really need to stick to the schedule and try to finish up the rest of the first book by mid June. Btw, have you scheduled your exam yet?
1 Like
I am plowing through materials before CFA-L1 in 8 or so days. Haven’t cracked the books yet, but i’ll get to it shortly Haven’t booked my exam yet, still not sure when to book it. Have you?
1 Like
You went through the whole CFA L1 in 8 days! Amazing unless you’re a fresh graduate from some business school. Are you also going for the CFA L2 later this year as well? I haven’t booked the date either. Some of the dates have the exam started at 8am in the morning!
1 Like
No no, I’m just in my review stage for the next 8 days…I did start pretty late, in March. I am not going for CFA-L2 until June 2010. Instead I am taking CFP Full (last time) in June, and polishing off CAIA L1 & L2. I will start studying very very early for L2, probably in September of 2010.
1 Like
Hey Guys I haven’t used this forum since I passed CFA level III in 2006. I’ve been watching this thing and haven’t seen many posts until now so I’ll start chimming in. It’s hard to start studying in the summer but what the hell.
1 Like
cfacowtown, so you only study your CFA L1 from March til June. Still an amazing feat to accomplish. When do you plan to start your study for CAIA L1? santacruzbullit, I agree summer time is particularly hard. You need the extra discipline to keep to your study schedule. I have to admit the whole self-study thing, be it CFA, CAIA or any other similar programs, is a real challenge to your own personal discipline, concentration and tasks/time management. It is totally different compared to going to classes at school. >I haven’t used this forum since I passed CFA level III in 2006 … Interesting, have you taken any of the CAIA exams?
1 Like
Indeed I do, I wrote the CPH & CSC in Jan/Feb, so I am cracking down for CFA. Just finished a massive run-through of economics, now i’m going to do the same for fixed… I think I am going to start studying around the 14th, gives me some time to get some other stuff done in between the layoff from CFA. I am not to pleased to here about the July 28th exam results released…that’s just ridiculous. How are your coming with your studies? How do you find it?
1 Like
>I am not to pleased to here about the July 28th exam results released You mean for the CFA? What seems to be the problem? My studies … well, I finished the first 2 chapters almost a week ago. But I’ve been slacking off and won’t able to keep the ball rolling. I really need to concentrate and try to get some study done tonight, otherwise I would just keep pushing things off!
1 Like
You still got time, they give you the formulas and quant is 30%… I have been logging in 10 - 12 hour days for a bit now, I think i’m just going to carry the momentum.
1 Like
quiet cause everyone is getting molested by CFA 1, 2, or 3
1 Like
The formulas are a bit overwhelming. Not that they’re particularly difficult, but the sheer numbers of them and the fact that many of them are just in slightly different forms and shapes to the next one has caused me headaches and confusions!
1 Like
peteus, I have no idea at this point its just a couple days until L1. When I get going in about a week here i’ll start going nuts on this forum.
1 Like
cfacowtown, best of luck at your CFA exam 
1 Like
cfacowtown- how are you finding the cfp? I’m working my way through the pre-test material and it’s not ‘hard’ in the way that the cfa is, but challenging in a different way- lots of memorization. Also, it strangely seems a lot more practical than the CFA, since almost every thing in that curriculum applies to most people (like insurance, estate planning, taxes, etc) vs CFA which is pretty much useless. anyway, how long did you spend on this?
1 Like
sparklala731, I haven’t wrote the CFP or even ordered the books yet. I finished CFA-L1 days ago, and now I am about to begin studying for CAIA-L1 and CIPM-L1 for September. After that I will be studying for CAIA-L2 in March AND THEN I will be writing the CFP in June. I don’t anticipate it to need any more then 2 months. I would be interested to here your experiences with it.
1 Like
christ cfacowtown. Didn’t the CFA L1 dampen your enthusiasm even a little bit? You’re putting off the CFA L2 to take the CFP, and somewhere in there you’re going to squeeze in the CAIA and CIPM? dang man. You’ve got a hell of a busy three years ahead of you- have you already done the pre-reqs for CFP? I’m using cffp.edu. not bad. My sense is that the CFP exam is not as much of a cake-walk as people think it is, and i was wondering how much time you were setting aside, but you look like you’ve got a lot going on…
1 Like
Spark, Yes I am pretty busy but if I don’t keep myself busy I go nuts. I did the CFA-L1 in a little under 4 months, was getting 90% in the mock exams, definitely passed. I don’t like to underestimate anything, so your comments about underestimating the CFP do resonate with me. I was merely speaking in relation to other exams , such as CAIA-L2 and CFA-L1. Also it’s not just three years, I plan on completing the modeling courses from wall street prep or another leading provider, the PRM course (focuses more on quant, applicable skills), the upcoming IFRS certification from schweser and a black belt in Six Sigma. And to answer your next question I do work, about 60 hours a week give or take. I am always hesitant to post academic/educational ambitions on this forum, since a lot of people in the general seem to really rip into those people who have similar ambitions as me. Either way, I really enjoy this material and it forces me to be disciplined and work through a large volume of information. When I read a book on my own I retain 50% weeks later, when I study for tests my retention is around 80% or higher. Furthermore I think all of these designations have niches with little overlap. The more niches you have the more angles you can pitch yourself to employers, the more valuable you are in projects and so forth. Of course I do have reservations about just getting the letters. With all my designations, I will likely only list those relevant to my current job function, not all of them. Word orgies have no place on business cards. I feel confident in the time I have set aside for the CFP, I have completed all the prereq courses and I find the material extremely interesting, just not on a challenging level. It will mostly be about memorization for the CFP, which I am ok with. What made you decide to take the CFP and CAIA?
1 Like
dunno… useful for general financial knowledge, especially for investment advisory area where i work. FRM is too specific and probably not relevant since investments at the client facing side are - let’s face it- 1/2 marketing 1/2 psychology, as long as you have the knowledge base. Credibility is key, as is being a jack of all trades, master of none.
1 Like