Bringing Down Exam Anxiety

Anxious is just one of the many words that describe how I felt in the final weeks and days leading up to the CFA® exam. Fortunately, I found having a general idea of what to expect on exam day relieved some of that anxiety.

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Brian Fischer
The Optimal Amount of Nervous Energy on Test Day

On test day, it is completely natural to be excited, nervous, worried, anxious, or some combination of these states of mind.…The point I want to make is very simple: for top performance, there is an optimal level of nervous energy that is not zero, and maybe not even close to zero.

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John Howe
How to Study for the CFA® Exam as a Parent

It sounds pretty ominous: A 300-hour study commitment over the course of four to six months, which works out to be roughly between 12.5 and 18.75 hours per week. Oh, and that 300-hour assumption is an average; any individual might need to put in considerably more effort in order to master the material well enough to pass the test.

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Pete Baksh
CFA® Program and the Challenge of Motherhood

When I left a well-known consulting firm in Paris and moved to Toronto, I knew immigrants in Canada usually struggle to get their first job because of the lack of Canadian experience or Canadian education. I had neither of these, so naturally I felt lucky that I was able to land my first job quite easily. Even though I had what was considered a good experience in treasury risks, hedge accounting, and financial risk management in general, I felt that I needed an additional asset education-wise to fully compete in the Canadian job market on Bay Street.

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Aline Ndeme
Is the CFA Charter Really Worth It?

It’s 7:30 p.m. and I had been in the office since 7:30 a.m. I was staring at a blank PowerPoint slide on one screen and a Bloomberg homepage on the other. For the last several weeks, I had been working tirelessly as our firm prepared to go on the road and raise capital from investors.

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Andrew Bekker
Successfully Completing the CFA® Curricula: The Psychological and Biological Trivia You Should Not Ignore

I started the journey to becoming a CFA charterholder when I was a first-year finance doctoral student. Like all CFA candidates, I had strategically researched the topic area weights and allocated my study time. I had purposely put a hold on my social life and committed to the 300-hour study. I had carefully completed the assigned readings and attempted the practice questions.

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Feifei Zhu
An Introduction to Socially Responsible Investing (SRI/ESG)

The general public’s awareness of such issues as climate change, labor practices, and corruption has greatly increased in recent decades. We’ve all heard of huge multinational corporations caught (and fined for) polluting the environment, bribing government officials for permits and contracts, or exploiting outsourced workforces in developing countries.

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Wojtek Buczynski
A Mindset for Success in the CFA Exams

I’d like to share some mindset hacks helpful in passing the CFA exams, along with some pointers on how to approach this daunting and rewarding experience. As a charterholder myself,  I’ve had the privilege of mentoring candidates through all three levels, and I hope this helps you in your studies.

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Peter Baksh
My Keys to Success

I went three for three on the CFA® exams. There was (no question) some level of luck and good fortune, I do believe there were a few things I did that aided my success, and maybe some or all can help you on your own successful path.

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Derek Dedman
Why the CFA® Charter Worked For Me

When I saw a request go out for help sharing my experience and insight by contributing a guest post to a new blog, I thought it would be a great opportunity to shine a light on a smaller group in the CFA charterholder community.  I am a CFA charterholder, and I do not work in the money management or financial services industry.

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Randy Johnson