Marc, I mean Auburn, I skimmed your blog post as I don’t really feel like reading marketing material right now. I KNOW people don’t need the “bootcamp” since I passed L3 with flying colors without it. I fear posts like yours and other die hard fans makes it appear that you NEED the “bootcamp” to have a good shot at passing and that’s absolute horse shit. And lol @ the comparison to SEAL training.
To each their own methods. If I implied one “needs” Marc to pass L3, that would be misleading and untrue. Just like, I suppose, the Duke basketball team is so good on its own that it doesn’t need Coach K. I understand your point and support it.
But hey, glad you passed. TONS of people pass without Marc. Equally, very few will spend 8AM - 9PM non-stop in Marc’s class hammering the exam, griding through equations and item sets and concepts, etc. etc. That’s what I meant by SEAL training: relentless commitment and focus.
You should also know, on other forums, there are many who deride the intellectual value of the CFA in its entirety, believing that a decent first semester in a finance PhD program trumps it for degree of difficulty and utility. So, from their perspective, both of our opinions are laughable since the credential (from their perspective) is laughable. So, how do you feel “putting in the hours” and ending up with something “real” finance academics feel is a joke?
Why is it that anyone who says the class was useful to them is derided – by people like you – as Marc or shills for Marc? We have our set of experiences and personal evidence and people – people like you – are free to ignore it. And, further, people like you are completely free to to throw out the uninformed view that bootcamps are useless (“if you put in the time”). Uninformed, I say, because clearly it you have never attended a camp, how is it possible for you (on what evidence?) to say that the camps aren’t worthwhile. Didn’t you learn in Level 1 that a statistical sample of 1 (your singular personal experience) is a pretty low sample set to generalize to a population?
Again, however, I agree with you: no one should feel they “need” any of these bootcamps, whether Marc’s or Schweser’s or whomever. For many, however, they may prove helpful (something that can be known only after the fact).
Quick tangent- why did you sit for Level III? Reason I ask is because you don’t have the term “Charterholder” after your name even though you passed with flying colors, so you obviously took it for some reason (just trying to understand why).
Per the CFAI, you must “have 48 months of acceptable professional work experience in investment decision making” to receive the charter. I took the exams straight out of college and have accrued 3 years of relevant work experience. Thank you for asking though and I truly hope you understand why now.
^No, I still don’t truly understand why you are so passionately against LIII candidates from making a small investment (relatively speaking) to attend Marc’s boot camp and enhance their chances of making it over the final hump.
You see, not everyone chooses to take the exam right out of school when their minds are still ultra-sharp and they still have few (if any) outside obligations. Some people start careers, and then families, and somehow begin the CFA journey 10 or more years later amid the chaos of life (myself included).
My point is everyone has a story. Just like you’ve explained why you’re not a Charterholder yet, other AFers have their own stories, too. So don’t discourage them from trying to cross the finish line along their own chosen path – whether it be all CFAI, all Schweser, assistance through boot camp, or something in between.
Wow. Surprised by discussion here.
If someone is providing a service that doesn’t break laws and there’s demand for it at an acceptable price, what is the problem?
I think you can get by w/o it just fine but if others are willing to pay the money that’s fine. Maybe I’m naive following basic principles of economics, but if it sucked people wouldn’t buy it and it’d go away.
Well, that’s a different question entirely tozerrt. It is simply my opinion that the “bootcamp” is unneeded and I am providing a different perspective to those on the fence about spending thousands of dollars on it thinking it is the only way they are going to stay competitive. If someone feels they need the “bootcamp” then by all means go for it. Now, I feel I have defended my opinion more than enough so this will be my last reply/bump to this thread.
RE: Marc, I mean Auburn, I skimmed your blog post as I don’t really feel like reading marketing material right now.
I have to observe that this is really a jerk response to a reaonsable position in what should be a productive dialogue. Facts were presented, arguments sustained, conclusions reached. Characterizing these as unworthy of response because the arguments are so good they seemingly constitute “marketing material”? In fact, if the responses are so trechant and compelling – from an a non-Marc source (which is the case, as I am 50 pounds overweight and don’t ride bikes like Marc does!) – then this makes the evidence even MORE compelling.
I am so very glad that you have elected not to post any longer on this subject so that I can have the last word calling you out as a really insensate debater, even if your point (no one needs to go to Marc to pass) is true.
Oh my word, what happened here?
Nice job Auburn.
Nobody “needs” anything, nobody needs the CFA to achieve their career goals either. People will laugh at you for studying 300-400hrs for a stupid exam they never heard of and paying for all their fees. You are somehow conviced it’s worth it and it will open doors for you. Because people don’t know, it’s hard to explain the value of the CFA, like people who haven’t been to the LevelUp Bootcamp don’t get it.
Considering S2000Magician recommends his students to the Bootcamp and even cpk123 went to Marc’s bootcamp should mean something and that guy doesn’t need help with the material. There’s more to the 4-day review than just the material. Passing is more than just what you know.
lol this is a two way tie of butthurt people
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This is the same thing as buying schweser stuff to pass the exam. If you want a pure pass, read the curriculum, do EOCs, blue boxes and pass. If you did this then GREAT. But CFA doesnt care how you pass the exam, as long as you do it ethically and you MASTER the curriculum. Your position in this argument pits you against whoever uses 3rd party providers though, and I do not seeing you voice your opinion on them.
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People who have taken Mark’s class, you have made it abundantly clear why you appreciated it. You sound almost cultish now though. Heck you convinced me to take the class and I am a really stingy guy. But when you keep harping about how great and important this is, it comes out as a commercial.
Essentially you have 1 : people who have passed the exam on their own and feel that others are diluting their achievement by essentially paying their way to the exam and 2: People who are feeling shittty because they feel they are being judged by the first group. Both of you need to chill out. Everyone has a way to tame the beast.
Btw S2000, you always talk about thinking how to monetize your knowledge. The two week online weekend bootcamp is a genius idea,
The Church of Saint Marc LeFebvre
Holy CFA Book reading sermons
Anyone here will be in Omaha this Thursday?
Thumbs up 
I think Omaha has a pretty big class like ~ 100 candidates, you won’t be alone tkt. AF people don’t seem to see any value in review classes or great coaches…lol I guess some things are better kept as a secret.
*****Be happy you didn’t sign up for the California LA - Schweser Level III class. Apparently the class was so bad, Schweser is refunding everybody who went there.
The instructor they had was unprepared, knew nothing and couldn’t answer any questions. People are pissed off I heard. Did anybody here go there to confirm?
If only people would listen to well researched advice, like clients with massive concentrations who won’t listen…live and learn. Those LA Schweser people should go to the San Fran LevelUp Bootcamp and see the massive difference. Schweser might have been great on L1 and L2 but they really go downhill on L3 for some reason, more so now that Marc did a spin off…if you can’t be nice to people, they leave you.
Are you going to Omaha Godism?
Hi tkt,
I switched class and went to the Boston one that was earlier, unfortunately. Marc is glad to be rid of me…lol I gave him a hard time lol
You won’t be dissapointed. I don’t recommend anything I don’t believe is seriously badass and top of the line. Apparently some NY Bootcamp person said he should charge $1999 for the class! I think that person needs to be spanked straight!!! Boston was expensive on the hotel side as is.
Don’t forget to drive by Buffet’s house if you are out of town. My house has more security than his house lol But I guess everybody loves that man.
G be with you in Omaha:)
Godism- Do you have a shrine to Marc built in your house. I mean, seriously, settle down with the Marc stuff. It’s an obsession. Have you ever seen the movie ‘The Crush’?
Hahaha, not really my type from that end. Not big into movies, sorry. I just really like him bc he works really hard for the candidates, and is damn good at what he does. He’s not very good at self-promo. This is my chairty so the best wins and stay in business and people who needs help get help before it’s too late.
I’m not the only person who thinks he’s awesome at L3 but seems like the few who is expressing it 110%. I really think he’s on to something that will crack L3 if you need it. Sorry. Guess I’m a HUGE FAN:) Anybody who can consistently reduce massive suffering for us CFA candidates, gets me passionate devotion.
The CFA exams ends people’s private lives, causes relationship break ups, makes people miss weddings, their kid’s first walk, causes hair lost, premature aging, etc. Horrible.
So… I just got done with the first day of the bootcamp. It was intense. I was a little overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of words on the slides and the pace Marc was going. Anyone felt the same way?
Why do you assume that someone else in the Forum is with you in the bootcamp? And, wouldnt it be easy to ask your training mates at the end of the session?
OR (and this is the actual reason behind my post),
You saw a cute girl in the session, a rare incident in a CFA related activity. You are shy, common characteristic of CFA dudes. You are looking for the most indirect safe ways to approach her. You are under the false hope that she might be one of those AFers. So you started this thread looking for your Cinderella.
Man, be more confident. Talk to her. There’s no harm in inviting her over a cup of coffee. Then tell us how it goes.
Good Luck