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Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)

21 January 2009

What is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)?

All Info about this I'll Post here soon

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16 Replies

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

CFA: Chartered Financial Analyst

Chartered Financial Analyst is a professional designation offered by the CFA Institute. CFA Institute (formerly known as AIMR) to Financial analysts and investment specialists. The headquartered CFA Institute is in the United States of America at Charlottesville, Virginia with offices in Hong Kong and London. Formerly known as the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR), the Institute awards the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst(CFA) designation.

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Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

CFA for Whom

CFA is for persons who have interest in financial analysis, research, marketing, or investment.

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Benefits of CFA charter

International Recognition — Employers and media around the world praise the CFA designation
Credibility — Clients and colleagues regard you with a presumption of expertise
Respect — Your efforts connect you with the prestige of existing charterholders
Competitive Advantage — Employers and clients require professionals who demonstrate competence in implementing international investment strategies
Knowledge with a Global Perspective — A practice analysis is conducted every five years to determine a globally relevant, broad-based curriculum
Connections — When you earn the CFA designation, you'll join the more than 78,000 charterholders around the world who are active investment professionals with senior responsibility

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Eligibility for CFA Exam
Have a U.S. bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree, be in the final year of your bachelor's degree program, or have four years of qualified, professional work experience or a combination of work and college experience that totals at least four years.

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

How to Become a CFA charter holder

Must pass each of the Level I, II, and III exams. Requires a minimum of 250 hours of study with substantially more depending on individual circumstances.

Cost of CFA Program (Level I):

An initial, one-time only registration fee: USD390
An enrollment fee for your first exam (Level I): USD370Total Cost: USD760

Meet the work experience requirements

if you became a candidate before the 2005 exam cycle, have passed Level I, and become a regular member by 1 July 2007: Three years of acceptable professional work experience are required for regular membership. An individual must be a regular member to be eligible for the award of the CFA Charter. This experience may be accrued while the candidate is in the CFA Program, after the candidate has passed all three levels of exams, or from previous positions. You are required to spend at least 40 percent of your time in these activities to accrue the required professional work experience. Summer, part-time, and internship positions do not qualify.

Acceptable work experience includes activities that consist to a significant extent of collecting, evaluating, or applying financial, economic, or statistical data (as appropriate) as part of the investment decision-making process; or supervising, directly or indirectly, persons who practice such activities; or the teaching of such activities. The investment decision-making process is the professional practice of financial analysis, investment management, securities analysis, or other similar activities.

if you first became a candidate during the 2005 exam cycle or thereafter: Four years of acceptable professional work experience are required for regular membership. An individual must be a regular member to be eligible for the award of the CFA Charter. This experience may be accrued while the candidate is in the CFA Program, after the candidate has passed all three levels of exams, or from previous positions. You are required to spend at least 50 percent of your time in these activities to accrue the required professional work experience. Summer, part-time, and internship positions do not qualify.

Acceptable professional work experience as it relates to applicants seeking to become charterholder members, or regular members, includes activities that consist to a majority extent of:

evaluating or applying financial, economic, and/or statistical data as part of the investment decision-making process involving securities or similar investments, which includes, but is not limited to, publicly traded and privately placed stocks, bonds, and mortgages and their derivatives; commodity-based derivatives and mutual funds; and other investment assets, such as real estate and commodities, if these other investment assets are held as part of a diversified, securities-oriented investment portfolio; or
supervising, directly or indirectly, persons who practice such activities; or
teaching such activities.

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Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Outline of CFA Course

As a CFA Program candidate, your course of study is determined by the Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK). The course includes

Ethical and professional standards
Quantitaive methods
Economics
Financial statement analysis
Corporate finance
Analysis of equity investments
Analysis of debt investments
Analysis of derivatives
Analysis of alternative investments
Portfolio management

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Some popular CFA preparation forums

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Important CFA Video Links

Sameer Medhekar (Student) (4140 Points)
Replied 21 January 2009

Free online CFA Mock Exams

CA Hardik Shah (76 Points)
Replied 11 February 2009

hey thanks Sameer, for your valuable comments, but can you throw more light on the CBOK, as it is the same in all the three levels and is there any contact office of CFA institute or member society so that we can clear our doubts on the course?