Stalla is not offering Study Guides for June and there is no live class in my area. What is up with Stalla?
Study guides usually get released around October.
I called and they are not offering study guides for June!
I heard that Stalla is no longer offering their CFA Study Guides; the product has been killed. So using Stalla texts for CFA 2012 study is not an option.
? Wtf? I was planning on using those as Schweser let me down last time… oh well… Are they still offering the videos?
I leeched off one of those free classes when I signed up for lvl 1 a couple years ago. I actually ran into the guy who taught the class a few weeks ago, I asked him if he was still teaching for stalla, he told me that he wasn’t sure b/c they were going to be making some changes and they have some problems… so I guess it makes sense if they axed the program.
Systematic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I leeched off one of those free classes when I > signed up for lvl 1 a couple years ago. I actually > ran into the guy who taught the class a few weeks > ago, I asked him if he was still teaching for > stalla, he told me that he wasn’t sure b/c they > were going to be making some changes and they have > some problems… so I guess it makes sense if they > axed the program. damn was that peter olinto, the godfather of LI and LII? that’s a real shame, stalla helped me pass all three with flying colors.
Wendy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I heard that Stalla is no longer offering their > CFA Study Guides; the product has been killed. > > So using Stalla texts for CFA 2012 study is not an > option. Wow, seriously? I guess I lucked out then, I found them to be pretty helpful. There’s still Schweser and Allen Resources though.
Only Schweser for Level II and III, which is just fine. The more I research, the more it becomes apparent that Schweser is the way to go…even if Stalla did have the study guides.
The future its gonna be Elan v.s Schweser.
I’m pretty disappointed about this as well. When I went through the Stalla level 1 “demo” package a couple of years ago I was pretty impressed. I believe that Stalla’s previous package went to great lengths to ensure that the candidate had a full understanding of the material. After previously using Schweser’s full package for the level 1 exam I felt that there were far too many topics that were only given a very superficial treatment. I wouldn’t purchase a Schweser package again because their notes were far too light when it came to some of the more complex accounting topics and their videos were of no use whatsoever to me as they simply went through lists rather than attempting to explain the material. Personally I want to gain a full understanding of the material which is what Stalla aims to achieve, while Schweser is best if you simply want to get the study done fast.
I used Stalla exclusively for level I and was happy on how they get the candidate to have “full understanding” of the material. I think Peter Olinto and Dave Hetherington did a fantastic job. For Level II, I think it’s hit or miss. Dave did a great job at derivatives. But the new guy (Darren?), I think flat out is unfamiliar with the current material (The pass rates back in the day must definitely be higher). I used Schweser for most topics and stalla for some. I passed (barely) After the level II experience, I decided to use Schweser exclusively. I passed Level III (06/2011), in my opinion pretty convincingly. I do wonder how a product so good at Level I, could be so bad for the higher levels. I do notice looking at the credit contribution page that Stalla’s Director of Course Development used to be a Ph.D (when I took Level I) and then they seem to have something of lesser extent. Seems like there is quite the departure of talent from Stalla.
Does anyone know what’s going on with Stalla? bchadwick: Don’t you teach there?
Stalla occasionally brings me in, and they haven’t contacted me for the autumn stuff, although that’s not too surprising, because there’s only L1 to do in the fall and so Peter Olinto can often handle the autumn series entirely on his own. The students seem think I do a decent job with the material, but it is hard to compete with Peter. VirginCFAHooker teaches some of the Stalla courses out west and has also noticed that things seem quiet there. Stalla got bought out by Becker (who does CPA courses) a few years ago (and Peter does accounting stuff with Becker). Becker CPA is owned by DeVry. I’d heard through the grapevine that the Stalla brand was going to disappear and turn into Becker CFA at some point, but I don’t know if it actually has happened or is even still on the table. But it’s possible that the disappearance of Stalla from the scene is just part of this rebranding process.
Thanks for the info bchad. They’ve done away with the study guides ONLY right now so I don’t know how that would fit in with a rebranding strategy. Could the study guides be a loss-making segment? Do that many people really use the curriculum alone? It would be weird to use their videos etc but not have guides to study from. Do others here feel the same way? The LII board is pretty dead these days so I’m trying to get the discussion flowing here.
I called them again, and was told they are going to offer study guides after all. That’s good news - they seem to have heard the uproar. Not sure if they are telling me the truth though because I always feel like I’m talking to a Walmart employee whenever I call them. We’ll see though. I’ll consider them for Level 2, but their value proposition is not the same as it was for Level 1 because I’ve heard on this forum that Peter Olinto does not cover as many topics. He is the only reason I buy Stalla. Also, words cannot describe how much I hated Darren DeGraaf’s Level 1 lectures…if he covers anything substantial I will definitely have to reconsider Stalla.
I just spoke with them. The guides will be available ONLY in electronic form WITHIN the pass master software. You can’t print them out either. She was very vague on Olinto. Said I should email if I want to know exactly who is covering what.
That’s interesting because they told me they recently decided to keep the printed study guides. They obviously don’t have their message straight or there must be a lack of communication. I am strongly considering Schweser if Andrew Holmes covers the video classes.