My wife just had our first baby on 8/29, and I’m curious to see how others manage to sneak in study time when they have kids. I had started reading the LII CFA books last month and was on a pretty good roll, but ever since the baby it’s been really tough. I purposely started early knowing the baby would be a big distraction, but I don’t want to slack off. I just want to make sure it will get a little easier to get in study time and see if anyone had any good advice. Thanks
Congrats! I don’t think a baby would be considered a “distraction.” Do you watch TV? Get rid of your TV and if you’re the average American, you should have PLENTY of time to study.
Congrats! My wife and I are expecting a baby boy on January 1st. I just registered for L2 (2nd time) today and will read all the way through the CFAI materials before January 1 and then hit Schweser after that…
I study in the morning before the kids get up (boy 3 years old and girl 7 months old). If I a lucky, I can study from 4:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. At night I study after they go to bed around 8:00 p.m. Yes, you are basically kissing good bye to TV and other useless crap. And as you did, start your studies early. I did with Level I and I am already studying Level II. Weekends I do the same in the mornings and study during their nap time in the afternoon. The only advice is to set up a schedule for your kid when you can. Nap at 1:00 pm and sleep by 8:00 p.m. with mine works. Also, you need an understanding spouse. Good luck
Thanks everyone! Not much TV watching going on except for my favorites on DVR (saves a little time!). I do play bball a few times a week, but I’ve cut that back too. I think once she’s on more of a routine it’ll get easier. She’s only 2 weeks old, so I think it’s just the initial getting used to period that is tough. Didn’t mean a bad distraction, but the lack of sleep and all that stuff is definitely distracting! I’ll just have to start staying up later and doing a schedule similar to Alex P (minus the morning thing…I’ll be useless the rest of the day if I get up that early)!
congrats by the way…u should have started her off on the quant section by the 1st week so she is alrdy a bit behind but dont worry a bit of coffee n hard work n she will be back on track!
Thanks…yeah, she’s been slacking so far. Just wants to eat and shoot it out the other end when I’m in the middle of changing her previous diaper. I show her the books, but she just looks at me funny. Doesn’t even say anything. How rude!
I am so scared… My wife and I are expecting our first child April 17th and I am starting to read for the June L2. Do you guys think this is even realistic? I obviously paid for the curriculum already but I have not spent the money on Schweser yet. For those of you that have new born babies, is it really possible to stay focused for the exam? I am just worried about how close the birth is going to be to the date of the exam. I can just picture it now… I study hard and have the curriculum down and then April 17th hits and I have this screaming child who will not let me sleep and I forget what heteroskedasticity means. Any advice? Should I save the money on Schweser and just try to pass with CFAI or am I kidding myself? FYI my wife and I also work full time.
jfkayne: Congratulations on your baby. Sounds tough, but why not give it a try? If you really can’t do it, you will know after April 17. Plus, if you study from now until April, I’m pretty sure that you will be able to go through all the material before then - you’ll just have some light drills to do before the exam.
We’re expecting our second on 5/7. My wife says I should stay in a hotel the night before. Our first came during grad school. Still got everything done but was pretty tired. I kept the coffee industry in the black.
Hello Mister Walrus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jfkayne: > > Congratulations on your baby. Sounds tough, but > why not give it a try? If you really can’t do it, > you will know after April 17. Plus, if you study > from now until April, I’m pretty sure that you > will be able to go through all the material before > then - you’ll just have some light drills to do > before the exam. +1
You should be fine if you study hard now. If you are able to cover all the material and review before the baby comes, you could just do mock exams for the last 6 weeks + your notes and/or secret sauce. I think it is a lot easier to just do blocks of questions when you have limited periods of time to study than read a whole session. Plus your wife will be at home on maternity leave. Actually your timing is good, it would be worse if your wife was going back to work on May or you had another kid already… You will realize soon that is all about being efficient with all your time. If you sacrifice stuff that is not a priority, like watching TV or going to the bars, you will be fine. Another thing that you might considered is Schweser videos. If you are really tired because of the baby, it might be easier to pop one of the CDs in the computer and watch it as opposed to do questions or reading. I mention Schweser because at least with Level I, they just started talking and there was not interaction as there is with Stalla (where you answer questions, need to hit continue/explanation, write notes…) Final thing, it is not going to get any easier after the baby is born, so this might be the easiest time that you will have to study for Level II. Good luck and keep the wife happy.
I got Dec 08 results on Jan 28, wife had our first child on Feb 11. So with a new baby and only 4 months to prep for Level II, I passed. I won’t sugar coat. It was without a doubt the most stressful period of my life. Often times I was up and out of the house before wife and daughter were up, and didn’t get home until after they were both asleep. Then Saturday and Sundays, I would get up and bike to work so I could study all day. It was heartbreaking at times (especially because my daughter was colicky) going days without seeing them, especially as the warm weather began to arrive. I put in over 400 hours, learned a ton, and passed, and it was all worth it in the end. So, is it doable? Most definitely, but you have to be prepared mentally for it, and at times, you are going to feel a big empty hole in your guts and you might throw a derivatives book across a conference room in frustration at the tediousness of swap valuations. When that happens take a day off and spend it with your wife and new baby, then get after it again the next day. It won’t be easy, you are going to have to really reach down deep at times, but yeah, you can get it done.
Our first was born on May 18, 2008 about three weeks before I took Level 1 in June 08. I passed. He’s a crazy bugger now and I Passed Level II in June 09 and I sold my townhouse in March, lived in a Residence Inn with a toddler, dog and wife for April and moved in a new house in May 09 all leading up to the June 09 Level II. I though I was doomed but managed a pass. So it can be done. I did some early morning studying and from 7-9 at night after he went to bed. Study during naps on the weekends (2-3 hours at a time.)
I’m getting a little more used to having the baby around now and we know how to calm her down a little better, so I’m feeling a little more comfortable. jfkayne, it’s still going to be tough (for all of us new parents), but like the others said, I think it’s definitely possible with some sacrifice. The toughest part is definitely working all day then coming home and you want to spend a little time with the wife and baby, but you know you need to get the books out. I’ve been spending a few hours (eat dinner and maybe go for a walk), then if I even put in a half hour to an hour a night during the week and hit it harder on the weekends I think I’ll be ok since I’m starting early. I plan on doing much more during the week after things settle a bit more (if that happens). I would definitely get the Schweser stuff because that should help you reinforce the info and give you more of an opportunity to study in different places (maybe do some q-bank at work if you get a chance). I already ordered mine and I’m just waiting for it to be released.
I was 6 month pregnant when I sat for LI in Decemeber… Now I am back to work full-time, already signed up for Level II and have gorgeous 7 months old girl. And yes, I am scares of how my preparation will go now that I have her… So it is nice to see I am not alone in a Baby CFA World. ))))
kseniaru Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I was 6 month pregnant when I sat for LI in > Decemeber… Now I am back to work full-time, > already signed up for Level II and have gorgeous 7 > months old girl. And yes, I am scares of how my > preparation will go now that I have her… So it > is nice to see I am not alone in a Baby CFA World. > )))) There was a visibly pregnant woman at my test center last December. Maybe that was you…
I shall be due on April -09 and shall have a baby . Does CFA consider for new mother for feeding the 1 month old baby. Should i opt for Level II or skip this attemp. pLease advice me’
^doubtful. Can’t your husband (assuming you’re married) take care of your baby that day? What’s with all the baby threads??
kseniaru Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I was 6 month pregnant when I sat for LI in > Decemeber… Now I am back to work full-time, > already signed up for Level II and have gorgeous 7 > months old girl. And yes, I am scares of how my > preparation will go now that I have her… So it > is nice to see I am not alone in a Baby CFA World. > )))) Congratulations. Don’t be scared; use your situation as motivation. Focus on the exam and shut everything else out. Our second child is due in January. I want to clear LII and LIII before the baby is 2 years old.