A journey called CFA

2019-11-24T22:02:00.001-08:00

A new Lounge has come up in Pune airport called Earth Lounge. This lounge got opened recently on 21st October 2019. Pune airport being a busy airport with many people travelling for business was in dire need of a good Lounge. The one which Pune has called above ground got closed few years back. After the closure of that lounge a new food court opened. The new food court was descent with lot of pocket friendly food options. I have been there few times and enjoyed a snack or two. But this got closed as well a year back.

This newly opened lounge is situated on gate number 5 at upper level. To be frank it was difficult to locate the lounge even with lot of standees kept at different locations advertising new lounge at gate number 5. The entrance to the lounge is in the same lane as the public washrooms, this is bit weird. But lounge set up is nice. Even though small it has good space for seating. They currently accept diner and master card for entry. But I hope in future they will be accepting other cards. When I went there today at 5am no food was available except pasta. I was not hungry at5 am in the morning but wanted to take a look inside. It looks lounge will have good food options with beverage and drinks counter. When I was there I found the staff to be courteous and willing to help if needed. They served me a coffee which was served from Lavazza coffee machine. It tasted good, I will definitely go there next time for a snacks.

I hat looks to be Beverage cum drinks counter. It was closed when I went there

Long shot of the restaurant area from middle of the lounge

Right hand shot from middle of the lounge. A seating area with TV

Full view of restaurant with buffet setup at the back

Seating room with charging stations and TV. I did not try their WiFi

Another shot of seating area

CFA withdrawal option

2012-09-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/governance/policies/Pages/level_i_withdrawal_option.aspx

This is the link where candidate can get more information about withdrawing from the CFA examination if they are not able to appear for exam for any reason. Benefits of withdrawing are as follows.
1. They can register for next exam without the delay charge need o be paid by no show candidates due to waiting period till results. Candidate cannot register for next exam until the results are out, if a person decides to seat for Dec exam level 1 but for some reason cannot appear for the same he cannot pay fees for June exam till the results for Dec are out. This way he may need to shell out extra amount of money than the normal case where he withdraws and then reappears.
2. Withdrawing can reduce the anguish felt by person for waiting a year or so.
There can be lot of reasons why a candidate may need to withdraw but I will always suggest anyone seating for the exam to at least give a try if they have paid the fees, An attempt at least gives the candidate the feel of the exam. They understand the exam format its exhaustiveness and efforts required,
No show will certainly benefit emotionally but not practically

CFA IS IT LATE FOR ME?

2012-08-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

I meet many CFA candidates or wannabe candidates who ask me one question whether it is too late to start for CFA designation? The root cause of people asking this question again and again is the first requirement for CFA a graduation. In India graduation is considered as a basic qualification today so when it is said that CFA is a graduation level designation people start thinking it as a pure academic based course to be completed along with an MBA. In India we have a mindset where a person is suppose to finish all his education before start working, but most important requirement of CFA is the work experience. It requires related field experience of 48 months before being eligible for the status.
SO what is the right time to start for CFA? I think right time is just after getting a experience of 1-1.5 years after masters. It gives right perspective of goals and reality of industry has sunk in. This work also opens them the exact expectation to be made from CFA. CFA is not a magic wand which will open all doors for the charter holder, it boils down to the skills of charter holder how he connects and makes contact to move forward in the career.
Said this there are candidates whom I know started this course after their 30s. and complete it in5-8 years. so it is willpower that helps to complete this exam. There are people who tried to start just after 1-2 years of experience and couldn't complete due to marriage and family commitments. So if one wants to try for this designation they need to sacrifice a large part of their leisure time. As someone wrote in a post 350 hours of study per year constitute around 4% total time in the year. SO if we consider 30% time for sleeping and 40% in working it constitute around 30% of the leisure time of the year. One has to forget all weekend activities for at least 4 months, no parties, no outstation trips, no movie nothing. This sacrifice becomes too much for some candidates and they leave it in between.

I CRACKED IT FINALLY- Passed CFA level 3

2012-08-08T11:25:00.003-07:00

Today sacrifice of my family and freinds bear fruits annd I passed last level of CFA today. Finally became eligible to receive Charter

HOW TO PURSUE CFA CHARTER FROM INDIA

2012-07-08T10:45:00.004-07:00

CFA or Charter financial analyst is a USA based designation recognised worldwide for investment analysis domain. Since USA has the more than 50% of the world equity market CFA obviously is more revered in US market than anywhere else. In India the CFA was entangled in lots of legal problems when people were trying to appear for the exams. I have known people who appeared for the test in 90's when there were no course study only guideline curriculum.
the days have gone now a days CFA provides the course study material included in the exam fees. It gives two options of hard printed material or soft copy downloaded from Vital source. Soft copy is cheaper by $20 but its tedious to read and use as its not many book-reader friendly. Once can print only 170 pages at a time and not allowed to zoom in zoom out either. The basic search does not work properly with very basic kind of notes can be jotted down. I would suggest soft copy as a additional purchase who want to study material during office hours or in transit. This can also be used by returning students who already have books from last year.
Printed books quality of the CFA exams is one of the best, one can always keep the books as reference on the top shelf of the office, it always shows off knowledge of the person. For Indians most important thing about CFA exam is the fees. We need to pay fees in dollars and rupee is all time low against dollar. It may seem a paltry sum in US to pay $1000 fees its huge for Indian students. At least when Indian students are not getting any concession for having English as second language. they are competing with all of the world on the equal grounds ate least for fees CFA should provide concession. The good news is after CFAI got permission from AICTE for conducting exams it has already rolled out the scholarship program in India.
The basic structure of the program consists of professors in graduate institutions having right to nominate maximum of 6 students year for CFA exam. These students get the exam fees waived off and only need to pay for material fees. Now the problem is the professor needs to be a CFA holder too which is a very rare case in India. So what these institutes in India do? They can hire CFA charter holders as board faculty which has official status. they need to pay monthly salary to these faculties, and need to teach some minimum hours a month. CFA recognises these professors as eligible for nominating the students for Scholarship.
Or CFAI can rope in eminent faculties holding the CA degrees in India so as to increase the base of CFA in India. Lets see what happens next in this space.

WHAT CFA CAN DO AT PERSONAL LEVEL

2012-07-07T10:08:00.002-07:00

I have spoken lot about being CFA can do this do that, how it is useful for Indian students to reach the level of international competition and everything. But yesterday my colleague asked me what CFA study has contributed for you at personal level? How as a person do you feel different after starting the journey for getting CFA charter? and it started a thinking process in me, I could not answer him at that time but I think now after 2 days of thinking I can say yes CFA study has contributed tremendously in improving me as a person.
It got me the confidence that academics is out of my reach if enough hard work is put in anything is achievable. I am from a science background with MBA in marketing, a typical marketing student who used to fear finance during college and after it as well. But this did not stopped me from pursuing the CFA when I started working in the sales department of a Mutual fund. 4 years ago I appeared for a debt exam module from NCFM to test whether I am able to understand the finance terminology and grasp the different world of concepts.
when I could pass the exam at first go it gave the confidence to start the study for CFA, I failed first level in Nepal on border. Many of my friends in marketing said why are you going to a different side after 2 years of MBA and 2 years of experience. I had no answer, I just felt its my calling. After three years I am looking back and seeing how much I have changed since start of the CFA study. I was a happy go luck 4 years back with hatred for study and discipline, now I found myself concentrating and studying at stretch for hours for CFA when in HSC exam my mother used to cry because of my bad study habits.
So its a sea change for me from a useless happy go around person to serious and focused person. CFA study also help me in making my moral concepts clear, I can now take firm decision where moral decisions needs to be taken. I can wait in the line for an hour without trying to jump it or I can give 500 rs as fine without trying to negotiate a bribe to policeman. Its is a attitude what CFA provided me in last four years.
CFA study also provided me friends, just last week I was in Delhi and lived with a friend of mine who became my friend just because both of us were preparing for CFA. This is possible on because of CFA. It has such a high value on ethical behaviour that you ought trust a fellow CFA candidate.
So next time my friends do let me what you gained personally from CFA exam preparation.

CFA HUB INDIA IN WAITING

2012-06-25T10:38:00.002-07:00

Being emerging market with huge human capital wanting international recognition India is fast catching up with likes of Hong Kong and Singapore for CFA hub. In last few years CFA aspirants in India has increase at a exponential rate. With AICTE acceptance of not having jurisdiction over the CFA institute examinations in India, virtually there is no one to stop the CFA growth in India.
SO how does students perceive the certification in India? It is totally opposite to the perception in US, in developed countries very small number of people reach the graduate level, most of the pupil prefer vocational courses due to high costs of education. This also ensures very high quality of graduates from colleges. Same with CFA it is considered as professional course acquired after reasonable years of related work experience.
India had an old system where education is considered as a stage of life, student is expected to continue formal education through certain age, whatever he wants to learn needs to be completed before start of the next stage that is family stage. So every person in our society has a set goals. pupil is need to complete education till he gets a decent job and immediately after completion of education needs to marry a girl found by the parents. Once family is started formal education is full stop.
This particular system of stages has narrowed down the vision of Indians, they try to complete as much of education possible to get a decent job. It is not something they yearn to learn or they like to do, but these courses are the rope way to getting job, a wife and family. So who are the pupil appearing for CFA exam in India? These are all fresh college graduates or first year MBA students without an iota of work experience. They can lot of time studying as that is the only thing they are expected to do. They work hard memorise things practice hours and pass the all three exams along with masters degrees.
And this creates the problem now till the candidate is able use actual skills leaned during the exam, those start rusting. when they join a investment management job and expected to use the knowledge gained during the CFA preparation, they falter without the relevant work experience they have not learned any thing from the exams. This dilutes the brand CFA as recruiters think CFA do not have the required skills. So at least keep the brand image CFA institute needs to keep work experience criteria very strict. Or it can make experience required before appearing for 3rd level.

COACHING CLASSES NEEDS TO BE PROFESSIONAL

2012-06-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Since CFA is international certification and students put lots of money to earn it, coaching service providers needs to become more professional in attitude. CFA institute have their own way of regulating the third party material providers, they endorse some of the material providers who have registered with them this gives them a bit of control over the type of material distributed by them as well as quality of the same.
But India there very few service providers who have been endorses by CFA institute. Following link would guide you approved education material providers of CFA.
http://www.cfainstitute.org/partners/examprep/Pages/cfa_prep_provider_prog_participants.aspx
Following is the list of few service providers available in India.

http://www.etenfinance.com/

http://finstructor.in/cfa-classes/cfa-level-1-classes.php

http://www.edupristine.com/

These are the service providers who needs to follow the strict guidelines given by CFA institute and a student can definitely expect a high quality of professionalism and quality of the material provided. This does not mean CFA institute is giving some extra material to these institute or they are favoured of CFA. Definitely it earns a share of fees as a yearly revenue beyond that expect the same information sharing which is shared with others.
As these providers are officially recognised by CFA institute they ask a premium price for their services. So the choice goes to candidate whether they want just pushing place which is not recognised anywhere or a recognised provider with quality education.

TIPS ON STUDYING FOR CFA

2012-06-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

What study tips a person can give when he himself is studying for the course for 4 years. Yes its correct that I have passed exams with more failing than passing, but still at least I can guide pupil what not to do than what to do. So here is my list of what to DO first

Hard work is the only way for a sure shot pass, but without a bit luck even hard work wont let you pass.
Textbook is the Bible of CFA, which like to make fool of pupil over dependant upon the other preparatory material.
CFA makes fool of people who advertise how paper was easy and discuss the aper online in depth.
I scored 70 plus in mock tests so will definitely pass this year is a syndrome indicateing highest probability of failure.
Read books at east 3 times before the examination.
Practice Practice Practice- The more one practice better the chances for passing.
Beg borrow or still time from regular routine to have glimpse of syllabus.
Keep a benchmark and evaluate at least weekly.

IMPORTANCE OF CFA FOR INDIAN STUDENTS

2012-06-15T10:59:00.001-07:00

CFA Institute says that it has got highest growth in terms of number of candidates year on year from Indian subcontinent. So what may be the reason it has got such high response and CFA has become hot designation from India?
In India there are second highest number of universities in the world, but it is the largest democracy in the world with and very inefficient rigid education system. Education system in India is always 10 years behind the world. Very few institutes in India provide quality education, and those are not recognised world wide.
So it is truth even the best educated doctors need to pass examinations abroad to qualify as a practising doctor. For every field Indian students find that their education back at home is not sufficient to propel them in career of an MNCs.
Most of the multinationals when start their offices in India obviously they are looking something familiar and they find none. Many times a master's degree holder of computer science does not know how to start the computer, this makes these foreign recruiters shy away from Indian educated folks. So to boost their credentials and increase the probabilities of getting a chance abroad many people try and apply for international recognised certifications. This has made a huge business out of international certifications such as CCNA, MSCS etc. But in case of investment management India does not have a single degree which actually focuses on investment management domain. there is CA whose prodigies have got in to every branch of the finance though they are supposed to be only accounts and audit folks.
Excluding them CS and ICWA is no where related to CFA or investment management domain, these may have some subject covering a small part of finance and economics but nowhere they have larger focus on investment management.
this takes the students to the only avenue available in India which is MBA. Again the students has to come back to the traditional system of education system from professional courses. Here in India most of the politicians have used this to their advantage by opening an MBA collage at every corner and nook. This has degraded the quality of MBA course to new low. SO the only option remains with aspirants is to get some international certification which could propel them in the jobs market. When there are 100 candidates fighting for single job obviously international companies prefer those candidates who have cleared examinations about which they know of.
This brings us to the CFA examination which is considered as the golden standard in the investment management field. So it becomes but obvious that students would rush to receive this designation and enhance their resume. Now in India there is a system for ages where education family and retirement has been decided in to four time periods, so as students is expected to complete his education before starting a job and subsequently a family. As a student is expected to finish his education before any job experience most of the aspirants for the CFA exam are fresh graduates of MBAs seeking resume enhancement that would land them a job. Since they lack the experience and CFA does not grant charter until and unless experience criteria has met these students starts working in to any field where job is available and once they reach to required years of experience, either their interest in core investment management has died out or the experience is still not eligible for getting an CFA designation.
So I would definitely suggest to my friends who want to pursue the CFA just post graduation or along with it to go slow and get some relevant experience first hand.

HOW TO CHOOSE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR CFA PREPARATION?

2012-06-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Many times I hear people claiming they have joined the best class available in the city for CFA preparation. And his teacher said he will definitely pass this year if follow the class material. And what backing they have got for it is nothing but CFA level 2 passed candidates teaching in the class, and material generated using different material already available in the market. SO what course material provider one should ask or should he join a class room teaching course so as to increase the probability of passing? Simple answer for it comes from CFA institute itself No course provide appear for exam on your behalf so any material they provide will be best if only candidate use it honestly.
Now coming back to the subject of which material to select, CFA institute states that their survey has indicated average candidates passing the exam needs to put 300 hours of study for every level. So what does this study comprises of? CFA prides calling itself a self study program, and provides every required material along with the course fees. So why one should join a tuition or pay for additional material from external service providers? It i simple because it is personal choice, some people need explicit motivation for studying, these class fit the requirement perfectly. These classes create a peer pressure group which enables a candidate to study hard after a long day in the office. Os for those who needs to have peer pressure group should pursue class room programs. But these program may tend to affect negatively as well, if for some reason a candidate misses large chunk of classes or gets left behind in the study race, he starts feeling negative incentive. He start thinking what is the meaning in studying next one month hard, my friends are already ahead I cannot catch them Even if work hard. this feeling would stop them from making last few efforts which could have been very helpful.
So be careful when selecting a coaching institute, it should match your natural pace of studying. If you can get time only on weekends but cannot concentrate for more than 3-4 hours then better look for very long duration class which provides plenty of months spread for study. And then as it is said the coaching class can take you till well, but you need to drink the water.
For choosing external course material what one should look at. First thing is what is the natural tendency of studying for a particular person. If the tendency is reading for long hours with god habits of studying then probably external service provider is not needed as CFA curriculum is something which will provide every detail needed for the exam. But if you think the syllabus is very large and too repetitive and descriptive then shift to any service provider courses.these books finish fast and frees lot of extra time for practicing the question. But one should be clear that CFA institute never refers to these course providers for preparing the ea papers. So any level of difficulty they may have please select only that material which provides all levels of difficulty.
For level 1, question bank or list may be very useful as it helps to keep the memory of read articles very fresh and re callable. By this way a candidate can be relived from the feeling of reading it first time syndrome while revising.
Level 2 needs more of item set type of questions to make candidate comfortable with the format. By the way of solving more of practice paper sets, the familiarity increases.
We will discuss pros and cons of each of the materials and classes available on the basis of question asked.

EVERY THING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CFA IN INDIA- Part I

2012-06-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

In this section I am going to write every thing I know about CFA from my past 4 years tryst with CFA. I am going to write about how one should prepare for the exam, how one should select a tution class for the preparation. what is the status of CFA in India. how much time does it take to study. Why Indians are trying the exam in such a vast number. Every thing under the earth I am goinf to discuss hear. So freinds if you have any specific queries about anything related to CFA preparation shoot a question in the comments section below and I will try my best to answer them with reasonable accuracy and time.

IS CFA LEGAL IN INDIA

2012-06-13T11:07:00.001-07:00

Many people say that they have done their CFA from ICFAI years back and that CFA is accepted all over the world. DO NOT FALL PRAY to these rumours, the only CFA recognised across the glob is from CFAI US which has won the court battle in India as well as US for the copyright of name CFA.
CFA was not able to conduct the tests in India due to differences because AICTE gave a injuction against CFA that it needs the approval from it to conduct the tests in India. CFA had a stand that since its not a technical education body but a self regulated certification course approval is not needed. The matter was pending in front of Delhi high court since 2007. Since technically the matter was prejudiced and AICTE had not given approval to CFAI it did not conduct the exams in India. But every year court used to decide on case by case whether to allow exams in India or not. Thus for last 3 years CFAI gives option to candidates from India to change the center after the nod from courts.
The current development has allowed the CFA stand rectified with AICTE saying it does not have juridiction over CFA exam as it not a technical education.
If one takes a closer look to the so called CFA program from ICFAI it has changed substantially from last few years, they tried to make money from the program by renaming it CFA with MS finance. Then converting it only MS finance, and now they do not have any course named after CFA. So what happens with all those student who passed the ICFAI course and are using the CFA degree. Legally all these students are not allowed to use CFA mark as designation. But as I always say CFA is supplimentary exam which helps in enhancing the current skill and position. So for all those people who have really gained the knowledge from ICFAI course and are working in the investment management industry have already gained the precious experience. Nobody can challenge their experience which they have earned not even CFA.
SO not a reason of worry for all those people who has done their course from ICFAI, but beware prospective candidates, if anybody tries to position themsleves as the real CFA in India then please cross check and verify with website http://www.cfainstitute.org/.
For more information on the case between CFA and ICFAI in US court please visit to the following links.
http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/press/release/Pages/01162009_16347.aspx
http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/locations/asiapac/Documents/order_contempt_30mar09.pdf

for details about court battle between CFA and AICTE in India follow the links below.

http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/press/release/Pages/04232012_66112.aspx

CFA Program some MYTH busting- Part II

2012-06-13T10:44:00.002-07:00

We spoke about few of the myths surrounding the CFA examination yesterday, lets move to next few myths which needs to be busted before the exam. People say CFA is the door to investment management industry, I have seen manyguys asking questions such as how much salary will I get if I pass level exam or can I apply for Fund manager job after completing the Level I. these kind of questions show navie behaviour of students turning to CFA. CFA is not a magic wand which will turn everything gold in one stroke. Its a regourous four years journey to be undertaken who knows the destination well. Do not jump in to the bandwagon without really understanding what CFA can do for you. One thing is it cannot make you red if you do not know how to read. So if a person do not have the relevent expeience in iinvestment management related field he would not get a chance to anage a fund just after completing all levels of CFA.
CFA can never know even if you break one or two standards in CFA standards of ethics. This is one of the biggest of myths. Visit the link http://www.cfainstitute.org/ethics/conduct/Pages/candidate_sanctions.aspx and read yourself why not to take CFA head on. Those standards are made to follow and they there for some reason. People consider themselves hero by violating the rules and not getting caught. SO if some one is trying to coast you in to violate the standards just ignore him. Do not discuss or collate exam questions and other details after the exam.

CFA Program some MYTH busting- Part I

2012-06-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

It happens whenever any program reaches at a height of popularity a hallo starts forming around. it. People start start spreading rumours, these rumours become spread from mouth to ear. The older the program gets bigger the rumours get, turning it into myths. Myths propagate from generations to generations. So people start advising the a aspiring students about CFA institute made a student erase brand printing of eraser he was carrying for exam.

Or how a student puked in-between the exams due to huge pressure of the exam. Some of these myths are interesting and they make a good entertainment, but some makes people fool. So today I am going to bust some myths which if spread may be harmful from exam point of view.

People say the guy seating next to him studied for only one month before the exam and passed, to make his point another person says a friend of him passed just preparing for 10 days. Yes definitely these may be the Einstein in our world, but let them be themselves, for us mortals studying hard for 4-5 months is the only way to salvation. There is no sure shot way than a hard way. So if you want to pass the CFA exam without dependant upon luck, start studying 3-4 hours a day 5 months before the exam. If next time some body tells you he passed the exam by just studying one day before exam give a hard laugh for being so entertaining, and start studying.

The next myth is about style of studying, as there is an old saying listen to everybody but do what you feel is the right to do. Definitely listen to advice of people around you who has passed the exam using their own tricks, but always decide on the way which suites you. Some people can study best at night some at the dawn, some can study 8 hours at a stretch, some only 2 hours at a time. Pace your study pattern according to your natural style, don't over do on advice, try different methods before setting on your own. Coaching classes and tuitions are there for peer pressure only but the pressure works best if you have the motivation to do the labours.

So if next time somebody tells you a secret trick he discovered during CFA study definitely listen to it, think over it but use it wisely only if it fits in you pattern.

Have you ever heard people cribbing about losing precious 4 years of their life due to preparation for CFA, or people not able to give time to family due to the preparations. Consider them all as myth, the same way as disciplined investment is the only near sure shot way which makes a man wealthy; Disciplined study over a long time is the only sure shot way to pass the exam without undergoing stress. You need not lose on the enjoyments in the life if study is planned in a disciplined way. Only planning i not enough but implementing is even more important than the planning. Ideally a person start losing concentration and interest in the study after a certain amount of dedicated study. So no one should sacrifice his 4 years of life for the exam, a perfect fun study and work balance can give the confidence of partying (not the hard partying ;) ) with friend just a week before the exam. So no need to say no when next time your spouse wants to watch a romantic movie with you a week before the exam.

So will publish next few myths in the next part of the post.

WHAT IS THERE FOR ME IN CFA

2012-06-10T11:30:00.002-07:00

He completed his engineering from a reputed college in a city known for educational institutes. After completing engineering got a very good job in a typical IT firm, expert in outsourcing of the technical projects to India. Entered in to the corporate world just after graduation he got a very good chance of working in diverse fields as banking. specially starting from second job he got very good experience in \ analytics implementation for international banking. This gave him the view of huge money in the investment banking, just after completing his second onsite assignment he got a bug of entering in to investment banking domain as there was no future for him in the IT sector.
Wherever there is a wish there is path. He tried to enrol for an MBA but leaving the job for 2 years and studying so many ears in college was really difficult for him. So he decide to pursue some certification course which will open the doors of investment management industry for him.
And there came the enlightening when he read about CFA . It was easy option for him studying for CFA and passing 3 exams while at the work was not difficult for him. He was very studious in college and knew how to mug up things and pass on the exams. The only difficult part seemed financial jargon and totally different base than a typical maths during engineering.
So there was an easy way out of joining a class where these people would provide a training which enables a student to walk on a focused path which guarantees passing in the exams. It was acceptable if he was going to get a chance to enter the investment banking domain where the huge money was waiting for him.
Now 4 years pass by an average period required to pass 3 levels of CFA exams, he has passed all exams in a single attempts except 1 st level which took second attempt due to finance being totally new area for him. Just after completing 3 levels he gets a shock that he is not eligible for getting CFA charter because his experience is not counted as related experience. When he tries to get a job on the basis of his level 3 pass status, companies ignore him as inexperience candidate. He strives hard makes an efforts and gets a analyst job in a KPO.
Now the reality start downing on him, CFA is not a golden key which opens the gates of treasure unlimited. But its just a next step for the people want to move ahead or freshers in the field. By changing the filed he has just destroyed the experience he gained in his previous job and turned to a new sector where he is as inexperienced as a novice. So do not look at the CFA a door opening to opportunities unlimited. Its just a learning ladder which enhances knowledge and competencies of incumbent professionals.

CFA IS IT GETTING DILUTED IN INDIA?

2012-06-08T11:06:00.001-07:00

CFA essentially stands for a professional standard which is expected to be obtained by investment management professional wishing to enhance their skills in the field of investment management. But since last decade it has become a synonym with a license to get a job in investment management industry.
India a factory where workers for job are manufactured CFA became a attractive designation for the students pursuing MBA from colleges or the engineers in IT firms seating on bench with lot of spare time at hand. The Indian story starts with faculty suggesting students to achieve at least level 1 or 2 during MBA which enhances the chances of getting a good job in finance industry. But in doing all these things they forgot the most important aim of the CFA to provide enhancement to current experienced professionals working in the Investment management Industry.
Ironically India is fast becoming ahuge market for CFA in coming decade but very less number of the test taker are getting converted in to a full fledged charter holders. Very few are there in a big city like Pune. Many of the students who passed the level 3 exams years back are not able to get the necessary charter is because they lack experience or relevant experience.
So why these candidates lack the experience? is t because there is no demand for CFA designation in India or the quality of the designation is not considered u to the mark. The answer for the question is hidden in two facts, one people tend to be ignorant about world not known to them and second every society has inertia and tries to oppose any change taking place.
So when we say People are ignorant about CFA, we want to say they do not try what does it mean to be a CFA charter holder, they consider it same as any other financial course. So when can this be changed? It can definitely change by educating and advertising the actual rigorous nature of the exams and the basic emphasis of the CFA on ethical investment management practices. As more and more people become aware of the actual meaning of CFA they will stop Advertising " WANT CA/MCA/MBA/CFAs." This is actual a insult for a CFA charter holder where he has been compared with also run designation holders. They do not understand CFA essentially is a global designation.
For the second problem of inertial of the people, it will change with more and more charter holders demonstrating ethically superior and complicated-ness to the highest standards in the industry. Alumni is something which creates a reputation for any course over the time. So this is the responsibility of current CFA charter holders to pave a way for the future CFA charter holders to climb the net level in the success ladders.
So I invite all the current charter holder to create a vibrant platform for future CFA holders so the designation can gain the place it deserves.

CFA Payment options for Indian students.

2010-08-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,
         I am a II level Passed CFA student and this is where I think I should put my experience with CFA. I want to be a torch bearer for my fellow students who have just started preparing for the exam. I will go step by step about the examination.
About CFA- CFAI is a USA based independent body who conduct this exam for awarding charter financial analyst designation. The Institute was started on the dreams of Benjamin graham the Investment Guru of all time. It’s a body formed to bring standardization in investment analyst industry and increase the practice standard of financial analyst.
Who is eligible- I will first elaborate from the Indian point of view, graduate of any stream is eligible for seating for the examination. Student appearing for last year examination are also eligible for the exam. But for awarding the charter one needs a full time work experience of 4 years in financial research related industry. Plus two recommendations are needed from CFA charter holders (one can be direct supervisor without charter).
            These are the requirements from CFA for becoming a charter holder, But these requirement are decided in USA context where students start working as soon as they finish their high school or graduation. Seldom people there pursue post graduation studies immediately after graduation. Said this necessarily Indian students needs to think from different point of view. CFA ideally need to be done after one starts working with a financial company or at lease gains some experience of corporate working.
            CFA as a exam is totally different from the what we as Indian are used to, CFA is totally inclined towards application rather than just theory (though one can pass all three exams by just memorizing everything) so I will definitely recommend appearing for exam either after 1 year of work experience, or complete level II exam till last year of MBA and finish last level exam once 2-3 years of experience is completed. But best way suggested is doing it after getting some work experience. It is more relevant that way.
Exam formats and Difficulty level.
First level of the exam is conducted twice a year in June and Dec, while 2^nd and 3^rd level are conducted only in June. In total passing rate for all three exams come around 7-8% per year, which is reducing every year. In that way the exam is way tough since many people appearing for the exam are experienced professionals in the industry. One has to pass all exams one after other as one of the criteria to get the charter.
Level I exam- This is a entry level exam which consists of 240 questions in total 120 in morning session and 120 in afternoon. 3 hours are given for each session to answer multiple (3 options) option questions based on all section of the syllabus. Exam encompasses introduction to investment management and has broad view compared to next level. Level I tries make base of student stronger by introducing them to various facets and options available with CFA.

Payment Options- Currently CFA gives only 3 options to the students 1. Either pay through international payment gateway using international credit card. 2. Pay by dollar bank draft at their office in New York. Or a wire transfer method where a candidate can ask a participatory bank to transfer amount to CFA.
Many Asian students face the problem of not owning a international credit card. These students can follow the steps below.
1. Register on the CFA website and create credential.
2. on the page for pay CFA fees institute will give option to generate invoice or pay fees by credit card.
Select option generate invoice and pay and print a invoice with candidate details.
3. Take the printout to the local bank and ask them to make a wire transfer for the amount of $ written on the invoice.
4. Once transfer is made collect the necessary transaction number and send a scan copy of invoice and the transaction number to CFA institute by email.
The above said procedure is tedious compared to simple Credit card method, but still helpful for those who does not have the credit cards.