Do you want to be a CFA? Apparently all my friends do, and peer pressure has got me signed up to write the CFA Level I examination in three weeks time.
For those who don't know, CFA "Chartered Financial Analyst" is another accounting designation that you must get to survive in this world. Without this designation, it is very possible that you might starve to death. However, with the CFA designation, in combination with the CA designation, you are on your way to ruling the world.
I'm not lying. Look at the Guide to Ruling the World.
Now, I'm questioning why I took the CFA Level I examination again. I did sign up in 2008, and it is unrefundable money. So.. I guess I've grown much wiser in the half year.
Nevertheless, the CFA Level I examination feels like its 10 University subjects combined in a comprehensive examination. Economics, Asset Valuation, Portfolio Theory, Finance, Ethics, and some other crazy things like derivatives.
The very pricy Level I examination cost close to $1000 and has had me studying, or semi-studying for the past couple of weeks. Many of my friends are very stressed out.
I'm annoyed by the fact that it is so early in the morning, and that you can't bring water into the exam.
My only other problem with the CFA Level I examination is that everything I learned I already knew. If you are an accounting major and took CA required courses, you pretty much know the majority of everything on the CFA Level I exam. So its not that interesting. The other thing is that I didn't become any better of a financal analyst over studying for this exam.
Bummer.
I'm going to go back to studying now. Just wanted to do this little mini-post about the CFA examination.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow great blog!
ReplyDeleteCA or CFA doesn't matter. It's who that matters and can get you far in life. you can be low paid delivery driver but kick all CAs, CFAs and MBAs ass in terms of more wealth of course not in terms of making more money. Good luck everyone with all your plans in life but don't think by adding several letters to your signature you can be more successful than one who doesn't have any of those letters.
ReplyDeletereally? come on man !!!
DeleteGood point anonymous, it IS about the person, not the letters at the end of their name.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, can someone direct me to a site that has SWEET accounting puns? If you know of such things pleas email me j_oc_e@hotmail.com! woot
Add MBA at the top 10 to the list. Got to have the prestige!
ReplyDeleteCA - practical accounting knowledge
+
CFA - practical finance knowledge
+
MBA - theoretical business knowledge
=
TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
hi buddy,
ReplyDeletenice blog. I am a CA student and wanted to know something more about CFA, that what is its avg. passing rate, fee structure, course pattern, subject, where from one can do it and how, is there any exemption for CA passed stud. and what is the duration of this course and yes what are the future job opportunities.
Please do guide me.
Dude. CFA does not exempt anyone, even those who have CISI(Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment)! But CISI can exempt you if you have CFA! What the hell? That being said good luck with your CFA. Level 1 should manageable if you are good with your financial mathematics
DeleteDude, CFA is not an accounting designation, its a designation for the investment and finance profession. I really have a hard time believing that you learnt all of level I material from your university accounting. Last time I checked none of my accounting text books even include the words arbitrage, or even synthetic derivatives.
ReplyDeleteAs a CA writing the CFA level 3 exam in a couple weeks, I would say there was almost nothing new in level 1 and barely anything new in level 2 that I had not covered from majoring in accounting and finance in university. A CA designation definitely helps for the first couple levels of the CFA since there is a fair bit related to accounting but the exam is definitely more finance-based.
ReplyDeleteA good resource if you are a CFA candidate
ReplyDeletehttp://www.analystforum.com/
person who wrote this blog is an idiot...and will probably fail the level 1 exam 3 times before passing. CA accounting courses are not the same as finance courses. What you learn in accounting is like 30% learning of finance...this guy is a moron.
ReplyDeleteReally anonymous? a moron? That seems a little harsh. Have you ever heard of the online troll, that goes to the comment sections of various sites around the web as "anonymous" and then posts baiting lame comments just to get a rise out of people. It's a good thing you're 'anonymous' there little troll feeder, because that kind of comment would likely get you punched in the face anywhere public.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all he's a CA going after a CFA, so clearly not a "moron." Secondly, the level 1 of the CFA does cover a fair bit of accounting information, including many other topics already mentioned.
Don't worry, you're precious business letters aren't going to be tarnished because someone said that the material is easy for them, when it wasn't for you. Bitterness is an ugly colour.
As a CA who is awaiting level 3 cfa results my advice to someone getting a CA, CFA combo - do not join any of the canadian banks coz the pay is shit and the banks are extremely equal opportunity which means you get no preferential treatment for being a CA, CFA.
ReplyDeleteif u want money - join the valuations or advisory group at an accounting firm and then u can break into PE, IB or ER at a bulge bracket
if you want to get into trading - ur better off getting a MBA and then getting into the associate's program at one of the top 4 cdn banks.
good luck to all of you - remember though - kissing ass, understanding office politics, knowing the right people and having average intelligence will take you a lot far than any designation in the world.
i'm a Chartered Accountant from India and i'm plannign to apply for CFA ... Just wanted to know the Pass Percentage of CFA Course
ReplyDeleteto CA Karan: the ball-park pass rates for each level of the CFA exams is around 50%, sometimes even lower.
ReplyDeleteguys, im so inspired by all of your stories and experinces. im only doing my first year and already i see myself as CFA!
ReplyDeleteHOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ME? Not that im in a rush but i just want to know.
I'm a CGA, and writing my third Level CFA exam in June. I'm also a real estate agent on the side. Frankly speaking to do your real estate sales license you need to pass 3 very easy exams. maybe the level of difficulty of these exams are one hundredths of any of the cfa exams but what i can assure you is that there are some agents in my office that make millions in commissions and really millions and have just passed these 3 exams. how much money u want to make has nothing to do with the letters next to your signature and trust me i say this because i have the letters myself but at the same time see the other side as well.
ReplyDeletegood luck with your decisions and don't be fulled with these letters.
hey please can i have your email id..want your counsel!plz!
Deleteyou can mail me to my email-id
yaar i just want to know whethr u ppl r talking about cfa-us or cfa- india????
ReplyDeleteI am a CA with rank in my finals. I just wanna know do half done CFA (if not full) can anyways add on to my profile?
ReplyDeletetaso tol ase da khra bache ye khpal kar kawai imtiaz
ReplyDeletethere is no difference between CFA Canada, CFA India or CFA whatever... it's THE CFA, and yes, most university level accounting programs in Canada teach enough material to pass first two levels of the CFA
ReplyDeletetaso tol ase da khra bache ye khpal kar kawai imtiaz
ReplyDeleteThis guy makes the most sense!
I am CA & CMA & CGA & CFA & MBA! It feels good to be awesome at everything.
Im Ca Cfa mba mbbs engineer phd in economics im awesome
ReplyDeleteam 22 yr old ca cs and now giving cfa level 3 in may 2012
ReplyDeleteas rightly said by some anonymous, adding degrees dont make u richer.mark zuckerberg is a billionaire . he showed his talent via facebook. hes not a ca nor cfa. my point is work on "exposing" ur potential via ur degrees or any other medium. "exposing" includes ass licking in the offices sometimes.
about that canada bank too i totally agree as my relative, a ca and cfa, working with one such employer is paid lesser than a ca at delloitte. wheresas a 27 year old CFA from a london based hedge fund owns a lamborghini.
its all about striking the right job and making ur mark in the right direction.act fast.
hope it helps.
you're a 22 yr old ca? it takes about 3 years to get a ca after you graduate from university, in which case you would most likely be 21. So to be a CA and be in level 3 of the cfa, you must be fairly stupid or big fat liar not to be just as rich as zuckerberg!
ReplyDeletei would say that if you're a ca, about 50% stuff in level 1 of the cfa material is repetitive to what you've already learnt in university or through your ca program. level two becomes only about 20-30% relevant to your ca knowledge and level 3 is not relevant to ca at all. I knew about 6 out of 6 ca's who took level 1 in the past 2 years and all failed it. i'm not sure if it's the level of difficulty they found with this level, lack of preparation or more like arrogance going in thinking that they already know the stuff. I'd say combination of all three was the reason for their failure.
ReplyDeletethe point of the story is, if you don't put the time in any of those exams, you're most likely going to fail it. so don't say it's easy just if you're a CA. Everything in life comes with effort/hard work and strong desire to succeed.
Good luck!
at 22 one can be a CA and in CFA L3.
ReplyDeletepcc age 19 > univ + CA studies
cfa L1 19.5 > allowed to give L1 during ur last year at univ
univ 20
final ca 21
cfa L2 21
cfa L3 exams awaited.
correct your facts before posting misleading assertions.
In india u can be a CA (assuming that u pass in 1 attempt) when ur as young as 21
Delete-different anonymous
to : 22 year old CA guy
ReplyDeletearen't CFA level 3 exams held in june?
you've mentioned may 2012, just saying...
For average CA salaries:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.casource.com/General/National_Compensation_Survey_2011-Summary_Report-English.pdf
You'll notice that CA's with CFA earn the most compared with other additional designations/titles. Yummy yummy
I am a Indian CA contemplating immigration to Canada. Can any body advise, which is a better profession Canadian CA or CFA for early settlement.
ReplyDeleteto 22 year old CA
ReplyDeleteI'm just curious; did you acquire 4 years of work experience before enroling in CFA program?
or was there another way to qualify for it
Yeah 22 year old CA is not a CA, in fact he's a dreamer. I agree, you'd be 21 after you graduate and would need to work 3 years full time to get your CA. So by that time you'd be 24. Passing 2 levels on top of that would be almost impossible, given your work load in the CA work-environment. Therefore, this guy doesn't make sense (ex. writing his CFA exam in May??). Even his English is so bad that I don't think he would be able to understand the simplest UFE question.
ReplyDeleteI'm a CA and CFA and after going through all that.... it's definitely good to have but i don't think by having it alone is that useful. You need to have lots of real finance experience to back it up.
ReplyDeletesome people's ignorant posts based on their ill informed minds are misleading. add to that the foul language and exorbitant confidence they display while posting utter rubbish makes it even more appalling.
ReplyDelete1. no i did not have to do 4 years work experience before enrolling CFA (usa) exams. perhaps what you are referring is cfa conducted by ICFAI. i registered and cleared CFA level 1 exam with highest bracket (70% > in each subject) WHILE i was in TYBCOM.
2. i agree may 2012 was a typo its june 2012. CFA level 2 and 3 are always june exams.
3. to that last guy: i cleared final CA in may 2011. so that makes me a ca. u agree 21 after grad but you are wrongly informed about 3 years of full time service AFTER final CA. there is no such thing as what you have mentioned. lastly my english maybe bad but it has helped me to reach where i am today.
so to sum its not just me, there are hundreds of students who have cleared cfa level and ca final by 22 age.
i am a dreamer but also an achiever unlike you who is a downright ignorant idiot also misleading other people.
There's always slight different requirements depending where your taking your CFA/CA. The 22 year old guy seems to be from India (TYBCOM). Hence, he may not have to get the 3 year full experiences or his program includes the CA requirements which is similar to the accredited university programs in Canada.
ReplyDeleteIndian CA can be commenced as early as you are done with school....while in canada or as a matter of fact usa....you have to wait for youre graduation day:) Indian ca's are paid nothin over there in canada.....so you gotta redo the whole thing their way. If iT AiNt White.....It AiNt RiTe:P
ReplyDeleteIdiot Indian CAs are best in word.
Deletethere's some confusion here. i thoght this post was about canadian CA's wanting to do (us) cfa??? why are people posting about foreign cas? who cares about that.
ReplyDeleteCan u explain 2 us, hw long does it tke 2 bcum a ca in india?
ReplyDeleteindian ca institute ICAI is the second largest accountancy body and india normally has 2nd or 3rd largest number of cfa examinees
ReplyDeleteindian ca is 100 times tougher than canadian ca and requires atleast 3 years to complete considering you clear all the levels in one go.
not to mention the handsome salaries you get as a starter.
add to that cfa and you take over the world.
can we practise as a CA N CFA at a same tym ???
ReplyDeleteGuys, as a B.Sc Economics graduate, what designation should I be looking at CFA, CGA, CMA of what. I need some advice please. thanks
ReplyDeleteI am a CA student in India. And let me tell you the Indian CA is the 8th toughest exam in the world as ranked by Pearson. The person who is an Indian CA and CFA 3rd level is absolutely right. He can accomplish what he said by 22. That is because the Indian CA Institute allows you to begin CA right after school. You do not even need a graduation degree to do CA. So people who are misinformed please first gather info before throwing stones. As for this being a blog for Canadian CAs, it doesnt say so anywhere.
ReplyDeleteShut up shut up shut up!!! Loud noises!!! The top 3 regarded CA designations in the world are that of Canada, Australia and South Africa, in that order. India features nowhere. I'm a South African CA and proud of it! Peace!
ReplyDeleteSouth African CA, try indian CA i am sure you will not make it to PE-II(Intermediate)
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, you are an Indian CA (Intermediate)? I'm sure that I won't make it. You win. Good job. You are definitely intellectually superior. I bow down to your greatness. Now go sort out the over-population, pollution and unblievable wealth divide in India, and Nobel will be calling you next week to receive the Peace Prize! Good luck and I bestow my congratulations upon you in advance! Yours faithfully, South African CA.
ReplyDeleteits funny how the south african says "top 3 are canada aus n SA"
ReplyDelete1. if u meant top 3 easiest regarded courses well then u r right
2. if u didnt mean so then u need to read further.
it so happens that the "top 3 regarded" ca courses provide exemptions in their respective country's ca exams almost upto 70% of their respective papers IF THE STUDENT CLEARS FINAL CA OF INDIA.
fact :supppose theres an indian and an aus who both want to get memberships in india and aus ca institues. an indian ca has to appear in 3 papers(or 4 i guess) to get aus ca degree. whereas the aussie has to appear in ALL THE EXAMS all over again.
likewise for canadian ca exams.
too bad south africa features nowhere.peace.
never knew south africa had a CA course
ReplyDeletewhen did they develop a finance market for the same? lolz
Wow. For being an ex British Colony, you Indian CA's are useless at English grammar! Is India a member of the Global Accounting Alliance? Do you guys even know what IFRS is? Now get back to fixing that poverty over there in the land of the bad smell! Peace and love!
ReplyDeleteconsidering the significant number of indian CAs providing a backbone to financial markets via their technical, clerical and professional expertises outside india, calling them back to fix poverty is indeed a good idea. nobel will be calling you next for peace prize. (if not peace in the world atleast in india)
ReplyDeleteindia has the highest number of "business proficiency level" english speakers/writers whatever and weren't you a british colony once too? do you guys even know what is IND-AS? not that we care.
I'm sorry, I unfortunately couldn't understand your last comment as the English grammar is yet again extremely poor and sub-par. I do agree with your "backbone" statement however. It's just a pity that the "backbone" snapped, resulting in the untimely collapse of those financial markets. Please be aware that all sentences commence with an uppercase letter, all words such as "India", "Nobel" and "British" should also commence with an uppercase letter. "Expertises" is not a word, it should rather be "expertise". "Atleast" is not a word, it should rather be divided into two words, being "at least". You have also mixed up your word order throughout your compelling argument. Clearly you are not amongst the many "business proficiency level" English speakers, as proven by your use of grammar. Yes, South Africa is a former British colony. The real question that you should be asking is "Do I care what IND-AS is?" And the answer would be, no I do not.
ReplyDeletewot u do know is the english grammar
ReplyDeletewot u do not know is where 2 use that "at par" proficiency
good luck counting the typos and grammatical errors here.
thats what auditors do .lol
Haha, I agree with this previous comment. It seems that the South African guy's job profile is restricted to "auditing of documents for grammatical errors"; i.e. assuming he has a job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Anonymous Indian said to Anonymous Indian! Let's face it, all you guys look and sound the same. I get paid 1 billion Rupees per day! Which sounds a lot, but basically equates to roughly USD1. Still enough to buy myself an entire street in the stinky, filthy slums of India! :) Hahahahahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteu make usd 1 per day?
ReplyDeletethats a lot of money for a SA, u deserve ur right to dream.
yesimakeusd1perdayandmydreamsareminetoholdontoforeternityasfarasimconcerned.
ReplyDeleteOMG! These comments are soooooo funny. And would u believe that the people here are educated. My advice to people here..try and learn to be a better person and then go ahead and earn some degrees.Stupid Motherfuckes :P
ReplyDeletesomebody gonna get a hurt real baaaad
ReplyDeletehahahahahhahahahah. i've gotta refer this link to my friends to have some good laughs!
ReplyDeleteSo this post went from a canuck dreading over his CFA exams to the world economy to packages to Indian CA to African CA to grammatical errors to hysterical laughs.. whats next? justin bieber?
ReplyDeletebabe...babe...babe...oooooooooooooooooh, babe, babe, babe, oooooooooooooh! If I was your boyfriend...ooh oooh
ReplyDeleteThe fact that people link professional qualifications like CA or CFA to tools of making money is disappointing. Money should not be the primary concern for a budding professional. If it is, my advice to you is to start a business and make money rather than fiddling with the burden of social responsibilities attached to these prestigious qualifications.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa's CA designation is regarded as one of the best in the world
ReplyDeletein what world lol.
ReplyDeleteIndian CA is one of the toughest exams to crack, & thru Indian CA, one can easily do Canadian CA, CPA Ireland, CPA Australia, ACA (England), CIMA(UK) & many more, thru exemptions & MOUs.. So the Indian CA has an international presence.. Having said that, I am sure that South African CA is equally well-regarded.. So pls give respect to every degree, every country & every person.. Peace..
ReplyDeleteYup. I totally agree with the previous comment.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest it was rather surprising to find out the fact that most people here never knew India had a CA course let alone the fact that it is currently the 8th toughest exam in the world.
I am an Indian CA, holding an Australian CPA and working with an investment bank. Having traveled most of the countries and having interacted with a huge number of professionals world over, I would say that as far as just the CA exams are concerned, India's is indeed the toughest to crack among all of the CPAs, CAs, CGAs CMAs etc
With due respect to everybody, I couldn't care less as I make enough money with the Indian CA alone.
Peace & Regards
I only have a highschool diploma and make more money than any one of you. I own two Tim Horton's franchises.
ReplyDeleteall rubbish mentioned.. u hve to understand dat ca and cfa are diff professional and cannot be compared...comparing them is like talking about apple and pineapple ...one is related to accounting and other is to investment and finance..and adding ca+cfa+mba wud be a joke to ur carrer and it is like starved for degrees....at d end of the day it is all about interest...and not ruling or earning money..
ReplyDeletei agree with u....(3:11) it is all bout interest..u can be succesful by doing ca or cfa..in d end u wud be serving only one criteria..and ca+cfa+mba or cpa wateva...is like a fucking man dying for just a degree...
ReplyDeleteHi im a honours year accounting student in South Africa pursuing my CA designation. I wanted to know that in doing CFA is very finance based as opposed to accounting but in that little bit of accounting that you do isit IFRS accounting or US GAAP? and will it make any difference in your studies... thank you
ReplyDeleteThe Indian CA is shit! India is a shit hole! Get out your over populated poverty ravished country a little more or just google South Africa and you will see how well the people live here! The South African CA is seen as the second best CA in the world after the Scottish CA this is very well know to any person who has any idea about actually being a Chartered Accountant. I have traveled to a number of countries and NONE have a lifestyle like South Africa.Indian CA hahahaha who know India had a CA designation! For the Americans you still use GAAP and they are trying to recruit us South African CA's by the numbers to come over there to school you on IFRS.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa has largest number of Aids patients in the world.South Africa is land of tribes and wild people.Our player are advised not move out of their hotel after evening in Sooth Africa.This man is talking as if South Africa is heaven to live in.India is not best but much better then South Africa.
Deletewhat ever happened to the topic of CA &CFA taking over? how muchbcan u expect to make?
ReplyDeleteTry doing the CA, Actuarial science, CFA and MBA combo and see the world at a different angle. I only know one person who has these designation. He is my role model. He is a non-executive chiarman at insurance companies, auditing companies and banks.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAccording WEF, South financial systems were ranked 2nd...!
ReplyDeleteAccording to the World Economic Forum, South African financial systems are ranked 2nd...!
ReplyDeleteHi.. I am a CA, from India. I am interested in pursuing CFA. I just want to know if there are any levels/ papers exempt (in CFA) for a student who is already a CA(India)?
ReplyDeleteHey can you guide me upon how can you be a CFA charter holder after completing ACA? Since both of these require work experience that would been I have to spend 10 years of my life in just studying/training to get both qualifications?
ReplyDeleterathore is cfa benefitted with ca.cmai,csi?
ReplyDeleteCFA will not accredit you if you have passed your CA. You will need to give up your CA qualification to obtain your CFA.
ReplyDeleteThat has a actuaries Jobs as a possible insurance plan agency's bank account handler, you then become accountable for coping with consumer company accounts.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo become a successful certified financial analyst, you need to have quantitative and analytical skills, an in-depth knowledge on the latest investment and research techniques along with exposure to the Private Equity and Corporate Finance world and understand key valuation techniques required to correctly appraise financial statements and accurately value companies.
ReplyDeleteThe financial analyst program is designed to develop finance professionals with practical knowledge of applied financial analysis.
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