After far too long a delay, you can finally see the pictures that were taken during my trip to San Diego.

San Diego is an easy city to get around, with not too much traffic to worry about – people were friendly, and the weather was nice. Unfortunately, I didnt’ get much of a chance to hit the beach (it was dark by the time I left the conference everyday) – So I had to take a picture of the sand at night.

The conference had a great line-up of speakers focusing on all topics health care IT related. Some of the notable speakers included:

• Mark R. Warner – Ex-Governor/ Entrepreneur – Very animated, high-energy, -not what you would expect from a typical politician. Stressed the need for government to take an authoritative role in the deployment of health care IT. Mentioned his experiences with Telecom industry (he was founder of Nextel) and said that we would have been in the same position as ten years ago, had not the government stepped in.
• Craig Barrett - ex-CEO of Intel – Came on stage with a whole collection of crazy gadgets. Barrett is a high impact speaker – Directly contradicted Mark Warner’s views on government intervention/stimulation. Says private sector needs to take initiative.
• Dana Carvey – Comedian - Funny. recently had heart work done. Kept on turning up the heat on his material to see how far he could push it. One of the jokes that came during the end was: A mother find her young son reading S&M websites on the internet – she goes to her therapist and asks what to do – Therapist says, “There are a couple of options, but I’ll tell you what not to do – You sure as hell shouldn’t be spanking him” (
• Tom Ridge – Former Secretary of Homeland Security- Didn’t see him speak – was busy elsewhere

The collection of select speaker presentations can be found here.

Tags: Health Care, tech
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It’s actually less of a guide, and more of a simple program – but I thought Beginner Workout Program (300) (PDF) for anyone looking to get started in the weight room.

I recently created a foundational program for a weight lifting novice. The program hits all the major muscle groups, and provides 2 alternating workouts: workout A, a push day; workout B, a pull day. If you are a man, or a woman – the program (or any program) will be equally applicable. For more on this outlandish statement – read here.

Each exercise is composed of sets. Between each set take approximately 2-3 minutes of rest. Each set will be composed of repetitions, which are the number of times you complete the weight lifting motion. This workout calls for 5 exercises per workout, 1 warm-up set & 3 working sets for each exercise, and 6-8 repetitions per exercise.

For each exercise, the approach is as follows:

1. Do 1 warm-up set with a weight that is light enough that you can do 12 repetitions easily
2. For the first working (or real) set, choose as much weight as you can do for 8 repetitions
3. If you can do more than eight repetitions, increase your weight so that you can no longer do 8 reps per set. It’s ok if you can only do 6 reps at the new weight. Maintain at the new weight until you can increase above 8.
4. The final repetitions of each set should be a struggle – Lifting weights is work, and you should push yourself as far as you can at each opportunity.

Workout A – Push Day

Guidelines for the program:

• Get Clearance – Make sure you’re medically cleared to lift weights – see your doctor
• Get Advice – Have someone who knows what they’re doing show you how to do the exercises properly – Either a Professional trainer, or someone of equivalent knowledge (not the guy at the local gym who spends all day talking to anybody who’ll give him the time of day)
• Stretch before and after you lift – Flexibility is very important – and something that I need to develop more of (At one point I was very flexible, but times have changed)
  Set goals, track your goals, and record your daily progress
• Eat properly – Make sure you get enough protein! Make sure you eat enough of fruits and veggies! If you pound meat (low cholesterol meat) and fruits and veggies all day, you won’t have any temptation to eat crap.
• Sleep enough – This is one where I fall short – It’s recommended to sleep 7 hours a day – If you sleep more than that, you will die earlier, less than that, you will not develop your body, and will also die earlier

Workout B – Pull Day

Resources I used for putting this program together (and whenever I need training information):

• exrx.net - One of the best and cleanest resources around
• T-Nation – Excellent articles by some outstanding writers (Including John Berardi)
• Bodybuilding.com – There are pre-made programs, and exercises
• JohnBerardi.com – Great articles here. He’s one of my most trusted sources of workout knowledge.

Tags: Fitness
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There is plenty of interest in this designation out there right now, so I thought I’d share some of my experiences. I wrote level II in early June, and was informed of my passing grade on August 19th (Far too long for an Item set test that is marked by computers).

Here are my thoughts organized into several convenient topics:

Content Difficulty – Level II is known to be the most difficult in terms of content. The topics covered don’t change much (See my Level I cfa review), but the depth of knowledge needed to get through the exam does. While writing level I, I found that there was very little material that I hadn’t covered in my undergraduate degree – I could prepare for level I very quickly. Level II introduced topics that I had not had much experience with, especially on the accounting side (especially international accounting). However, if you do have an accounting background, I don’t think the accounting material will prove very challenging – just shift focus over to the economics, portfolio management or one of your weaker subjects.

Change in Format – 2005 was the first year that the Level II exam did not include a written portion; The written portion was replaced by Item set questions. I can’t comment on whether the exam has become easier or more difficult because of this change (This was my first time writing Level II), but I do think that the type of questions asked have shifted as a result in the changing format. More than I expected, the exam focussed on having a qualitative understating of material rather than centering on calculations and quantitative answers. There were many answers where you had to pick the best answer: “A only; A and B; A and B; A, B, and C”.

Study Material – My strategy here differed from the recommendations of the CFAI (formerly AIMR). I used the study notes and software provided by Stalla as my primary study aid. Where I felt I couldn’t get an adequate understanding from the notes, I would either consult my undergraduate textbooks, or the recommended texts of CFAI. My choice of study notes provider was made based on my liking of the PassPro software that stalla produces – the software is well integrated with the study notes and exceeds that of other providers. Schweser is the other big game in town, and they also provide quality notes (many feel that the schweser texts do a better job of covering the material). There definately isn’t one note provider that stands out from the other – you choice will have to come down to preference not quality.

I wouldn’t recommend only using study notes (and no textbooks) for anybody who hasn’t had plenty of academic finance experience – The notes tend to be only refreshers, and if you are looking at the material for the first time, it will be difficult to absorbe any of the material.

Scheduling – According to my estimates, I studied approximately 250 hrs. for the exam, slightly below the recommended allocation of 300 hrs. – I would generally study 16 hours per week, with an average of 8 hours of studying during the week, and another 8 hours split up during the weekend. Here is how I approached the chapters:

I was able to stay relatively close to the plan I had set out at the beginning. When you’re working heavy hours, it’s not an option to fall behind. Here are the chapter topics:

Actual Exam – As mentioned earlier, the exam was very qualitative, which I found surprising. The exam questions did not relate to what I studied, in terms of question format and specific material. With many of the questions, I felt that I was looking at the material for the first time, despite being able to comfortably pass each of the six practise exams that I had written. I don’t feel that studying more would have made much of a difference for my own success, or would have led to a higher exam score – Having a background outside of the assigned material definitely helped.

The morning exam was seen as being relatively easy, while the afternoon left everyone in the coliseum gasping for air (I wrote at the Pacific Colliseum @ the PNE, along with several thousand others). It’s fairly difficult to gauge the difficulty of the exam after only the morning session.

Passing Grade – 56% of people who wrote L2 passed, vs. approximate 32% last year.There are several possible explanations as to why this grade was so much higher than last year: the great number of rewrites this year (from all those who failed last time around), the change in format, the return to the more traditional pass rate for level II (which is aprox. 50%).

There is no way to really know why the passing level jumps – CFA institute is quite cryptic on how they set the passing grade. One thing we do know is that the delay in getting are results back (2 months) is partially explained by the amount of time it takes for them to set the passing grade.

Final thoughts – I left the exam thinking that I had failed (unlike level I where was confident I succeeded), but ended up passing fairly comfortably. This exam, more than any other I’ve written, feels like a crapshoot. You definately need to know the material to have a chance at passing, but knowing the material is really not enough to ensure that you do pass. There are many well-prepared, intelligent people who fail – and I think you need a bit of luck not to end up that group.

Tags: CFA, Finance
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I’ve got some new pictures up that showcase some of the beauty Vancouver (and surrounding area) are famous for. Biggie and I drove up to Squamish to hike the infamous chief, although we decided to pass on climbing the granite face, and instead went for the hike up the back.

The total trip took just over five hours and is comparable in difficulty to the Grouse Grind (although a bit longer):

• 45 minutes – Trip to Squamish – It’s a very scenic drive, although it is also famously perilous. The Sea to Sky highway definitely one of the more beautiful drives I’ve been on.
• 1hr 40 minutes – Hike up the Chief – Starts out slower than the grouse grind, with about equal difficulty, although you do have to get more creative when you get near the top and the trail gets steeper. At certain points, you have to use chains and ladders drilled into the rocks to help you climb the granite.
• 1 hr – Lunch Time – There are three peaks, and we picked the first peak because we were told it had the best view; We were not dissapointed as our pictures will indicate. We enjoyed the sun, pounded Subway, and tried to keep away those little chipmunks.
• 1 hr 20 minutes – Hike Down the Chief – The trip down was boring, and seemed anticlimactic. We wanted to get home, and it seemed to go one forever, it may have even lasted longer than the 1 hr 20 minutes I remember. The trip down is easier on your cardiovascular system, but much harder on your joints.
• 45 minutes – Trip Back to Vancouver – By this time, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got an alert driver. It is very likely all the passengers of the car will be sleeping.
• 5 hours 15 minutes – total trip time – The perfect length for a day trip, and you can still get back in time to party all night!

Even though it was a cloudy day in Vancouver, it was sunny up in Squamish, so make sure to check the Squamish webcam pictures before you go – you might be able to escape the rain.

Tags: Fitness
Comments (5)

As you may have noticed, there are some display problems with the site- You may have also noticed it hasnt’ been updated for awhile. These two developments are related.

About 1 month ago, wordpress was released to version 1.5, and I felt compelled to upgrade. Unfortunately, my site is so modified that the normally easy upgrade process degraded. It wouldnt’ be a big deal to fix -especially since i modified it in the first place – except that I haven’t had the time recently. Between Work, CFA, working out and eating (in order of decreasing magnitude of commitment), it has been mad busy.

I’ve also been travelling a fair amount over the last couple months – was in Toronto and Edmonton – and will be returning to both in the near future. So if you’re a friend, let me know if you want to hook up. I’ve taken some pictures, but also haven’t found the time to upload – I’ll be sure to do it when i get a chance.

There is some new hardware coming in as well: Canon sd300 and an Iaudio M3. – Maybe I’ll put a review up here after I test out the gear.

Tags: CFA
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I was talking with a friend last week, and he was considering education options. He’s currently in law school but is looking at a joint MBA/LLB.

Personally, I feel that getting an MBA makes sense if you approach it in one of two ways:

1. Quick and Dirty – Let’s face it, the MBA does not provide that much differentiation in the market out there today. For some corporate jobs, having the MBA is necessary to boost your salary/band level, and it is relatively unimportant where it comes from. In these cases, getting an online or distance MBA makes the most sense. Essentially, what you are going after are the credentials – rather than the knowledge gained through academia.Although this approach doesn’t conform to plato’s idea of an education, with the increase in tech tools, and the greater number of online options, it isn’t neccessarily a cop-out to go this route.
2. Go Elite – With all the MBA’s out there, going elite is the only way to stand out. If you can afford to make the sacrifice it takes, go to one of the top schools. In addition to the reputation the top schools bring, you will ensure that the people you study with will have the same qualities that got you there.Obviously, not everybody can get into a top school, but if you can’t – I dont think it is worth going to a middle of the road institution. There are alot more quality undergraduate schools than there are grad schools, and once you get out of the top 20, the quality of grad schools drops very quickly.

That’s my take on it anyways.

Tags: Education, Finance
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This site has been getting slammed by Spam over the last week or so, with up to 120 Spam comments being posted per day. My inbox was overflowing, so I had to make some changes.

Comments are now improved. There is no moderation, and they will be posted as soon as they are submitted – the catch is that you have to enter a small code before it will be accepted. A small price to pay, no? The comments on the daily links section, however, have been temporarily suspended. Because of the coding I’ve used on that section, they’ll have to be upgraded at a later time.

The blogging system I use for this site is WordPress, and it has been an excellent choice. Since I switched over form greymatter about a year ago, the community has grown exponentially, and it has become the new leader in blogging tools. One of the great benefits is that it is opensource – anybody can look at the code, and make improvements, and the best improvements get included in the next versions of the software. In putting the site together, I’ve definately “stood on the shoulders of giants”. Mixing and matching different techniques, and using it as a learning tool.

WordPress has been a great learning tool, but blogging definately isn’t for everybody (if you want to start playing around with it, let me know – and I’ll direct you to some more resources). There are , however, some great new opensource programs that I’m anybody could love.

Mozilla Firefox

I’ve meant to mention this a long time ago, but have never got around to it. This is a replacement for Internet Explorer (IE), and it has been getting tons of press lately.

If you’re not sure what Internet explorer is, I’ll provide a quick analogy. First off, both IE and Firefox are web browsers. What is a web browser? it is the way to get websites off the internet. A web browser is to the internet, what a TV is to the TV Channels.

So, according to this analogy, your favorite search engine, google.com, is analagous to your favorite televistion station, FOX TV – Meanwhile your old browser, IE, is analagous to that old hitachi black and white TV your grandma had. If you’re ready to step up to the world of high definition, you’ve got to see Firefox – It’s the internet’s version of a 50 inch LCD flatplanet wide-screen HDTV.

With Firefox, there are tons of great plugins that you can use to customize your browsing. I’ll give you an example of how I’ve used mine. I’ve been trying to practise my spanish lately, and while I’m reading spanish website, I occasionally come to a word I don’t know. With the Conquery Firefox plugin, all I do is select the text, right-click, and a separate window (or tab) will open up with an english translation of the word – and this works on any website.

Here’s a list of some the other plugins I’ve been using:

• Sage - An integrated RSS reader
• Mouse Gestures – Custom Navigation – no need to ever press the “back”, or “reload” buttons
• IE View - Opens a site in IE, this is useful if the site has a bad design, and won’t work in Firefox. An occassional nuisance and disadvantage resulting from IE’s overwhelming marketshare
• Gmail Notifier – Let’s me know when I’ve got new Gmail
• Bug-Me-Not – This is great for websites that are free, but require registration. Saves alot of time while reading the news
• Web Developer – This is priceless for anyone who does webdesign work. You’ve got to pick this up.

Here are some key built in features that make switching worthwhile: tabbed browsing, live bookmarks, faster load times, built-in pop-up blocking, no more spyware, customizable themes.

I’ve been using it since version 0.6 – it’s now at 1.0 and is definately ready for mass adoption.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Thunderbird is an Email client, News reader, and RSS reader all in one.

It’s currently at version .9 and is slightly less polished than it’s cousin Firefox – Nonetheless, I’m very impressed with the progress the program has made.

It is the best free RSS reader I’ve found – and does a great job of integrated mail, news and RSS together. If there was an integrated calendar, and pocketPC sync support (my old axim X5), I would have no hesitation switching from Outlook (I use Lotus Notes at work, but that is another story).

The last time I used thunderbird I was dissappointed. The interface was not at the level I was expected, and it was missing some key features – like integrated RSS. The latest version has surpassed my expectations, and surprisingly, I prefer the interface to Outlooks – They have even added the mail grouping function I love so much.

Bottom line is that if you don’t use calendar, and don’t have a pocketpc (I think palm is OK) – you’ve got the see Thunderbird.

Tags: tech, tools
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There are two very different books that I think are relevant to those starting out on their career paths: The 5 patterns of Extraordinary Careers, and The Alchemist. One Non-Fiction, one fiction. One is direct and structured, while the other floats like the suspension on a 70′s Cadillac. Although they are both relevant, I wouldn’t say they are both of the same literary quality.

The 5 patterns of Extraordinary Careers

Generally, the concepts are solid, but I would have preferred more indepth/engaging support.

Looking back, the conclusions of the book seem to be common sense, but the the authors do an excellent job of outlining and guiding you though. With this type of book, most of the value is not in the actual recommendations that they make, but in providing situations where their theories have been put use.

The authors had access to some of the greatest business leaders around, and often used the experiences of those people as support of their 5 patterns. I found that these ‘story’ sections were well-done, and would have liked to have heard more. The stories were typically written from a third person perspective, with very few quotes – It might have worked (and been quite innovative) to use first-hand accounts.

The book ends with the very practical job survival guide (which can be downloaded here). This last guide acts as a nice grounder, after going through alot of strategy and theory.

What were the five pattern? Well, I’ll give a quick run-down:

1. Understand Your Value – They use the ultra cheesy heading of “know the value of you”. Basically, it is understanding what combination of experience/potential employers are paying for when they hire you. And understanding how the decisions you make early on in your career will affect the trajectory of your career path.
2. Practise benevolent Leadership – The identify different leadership styles, and do some interesting attributions with some prominent execs. I think Larry Ellison gets ranked as a Pirate. Also talks about benevolent organizations, and how historically, benevolence wasn’t always rewarded in business.
3. Overcome the Permission Paradox – what is the permission paradox? It is the great catch-22 of job hunting – “You can’t get the job without experience, and you can’t get the experience without the job.â€? How do you conquer it? By understanding Direct and Implied permission. Supporting this, they’ve got a great quote on their website:
   

   “Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.”
   – Ralph Waldo Emerson

4. Using the 20/80 Principal – This is a variation on Pareto’s familiar 80/2o Principal (20% of the effort yields 80% of the benefit/profit). The 20/80 principal states that 80% of our jobs requirements are mundane, and do not allow for differentiation, while the last 20% (what you accomplish beyond your written objectives) is what sets the extraordinary apart. This section of the book is well done – and they provide some great insight.
5. Find the right Fit – This one is almost too obvious. It’s practially all you hear from career councellors and recruiters these days. Know the culture, and make sure you can be passionate about what you’re doing.

The do have more detail on their website, so if you want more, check it out and buy the book.

The Alchemist

This is a great, quick read.

The writing is very simple, but the book relies on that simplicity to get at some universal themes. If you’re used to technical and business books, this book might motivate you to get back to reading some quality fiction.

It’s written by Paulo Coelho, a Brazillian, but follows a young spanish boy on his quest to find a treasure in Egypt. During the hunt, the boy falls in love, loses all his cash, meets a gypsy, joins the military, learns arabic, discovers gun powder (Not all of those things happened – I don’t want to wreck the story for you).

I think the book can be taken at several levels. On one level, the book is all about “obeying your destiny”, or “believing your heart”, and all that typical cheese – But if that is all you take from the book, I think you will be dissapointed by it (and be missing the point). If you look hard enough, the cheese dissappears, and you’re left with a story that you can apply to your own life, no matter who you are.

If you’ve got a couple hours, give it a look.

Book rating: 3.0 of 5.0 stars

Tags: Book Reviews, Career
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Wosk Centre for Dialogue

This last Thursday I attended a workshop put on by the Vancouver Board of Trade. It was hosted by VBOT managing director Darcy Rezac. Rezac is the author of “The Frog and Prince: Secrets of Positive Networking“.

First off, I would like to make note of the event’s facility; It was held at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. It is a beautiful facility – by far the nicest conference room I’ve been in before. If i’m remember correctly, it is the same room that housed the recent visit of the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Shirin Ebadi (all Nobel Laureates) to Vancouver. You can’t enter the room without being reminded of the UN.

Mr. Rezac’s presentation was informative – Often when management topics are being discussed, much of the content can seem obvious, but I think the value is in identifying patterns, and actually taking the care to write down the findings. Much of the value is found in actually taking a critical approach to a skill that we may take for granted.

Some of the topics that I found particularly interesting included the concept of “networking buddies”, his exploration of “Social Capital”, and his demonstration of the academic study of human networking, internal networking, and, finally, the imporance of Stories.

Networking Buddies

When heading into a networking environment (conferences, dinners) set explicit guidelines for you and your networking buddy: Create signals for when you want to be rescued from latchers; Make sure the other person knows to introduce themselves if you don’t introduce them first; Use Glowing Introductions as a way to let others know about your buddy (it creates a positive first impression that would seem obstentatious coming from them).

Social Capital

This is a concept that has been addressed quite a bit in blogs I’ve read. Mr. Rezac concluded that successful people are presented to opportunites through their networks, and that the value of their networks

Academic Study of Networking

This lead to the identification of supernodes – those among us that serve as connectors and catalysts. Research has shown that a introducing a small degree of randomness into a ordered network, increases the proximity of the connections throughout the entire network. The randomness was in the form of indivduals that maintained slightly above normal “connectivity” or networking ability. The moral of the story is that you should identify the supernodes, and get close.

Internal Networking

Networking does not begin outside your own organization – the importance of networking within an organization is often more important that outside. Rezac differentiated between political connections and effective networking.

Importance of Stories

Stories provide fuel for effective networking – People are naturally drawn to those who are good storytellers.

——————————-

There were more, but you’ll have to buy to book to find out

One of my concerns after the event was Network Maintenance – What do you do when your network is too big too handle? The answer is that it doesn’t get too big to handle.

I’m in Calgary and Edmonton for the next week – see you all there.

Tags: Business, Networking
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Good evening all,

It has been awhile since I have last posted – I try to regulate the free-time I spend online, and, to the detriment of this website, most of my online time has been consumed by a webdesign project I’ve been doing.

Hopefully, that project will be up and running by mid-september, and when it’s up, i’ll be sure to post a fat link to it.

In other news, many of you know that I’m a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) candidate – well, last week I got my results, and I was fortunate enought to pass. I’m now 1/3rd of the way through the program.

Many people have asked me about the charter, and I’ll take this chance to give my impressions.

First off, here is the opening paragraph of the letter that came:

Congratulations! You have passed the 2004 CFA® Level I examination. The CFA Institute Board of Governors recognizes the challenge you have met and congratulates you on your achievement. Your success at Level I is an important step toward becoming a CFA charterholder. This June 34% of Level I candidates passed the examination.

Yes, that is right – there was a 34% pass rate. Ouch. Fortunately, most of the people I know who took the exam ended up passing. I’ve heard a couple theories as to why the pass rate has been continually dropping, but I feel that two factors are to blame:

1. Global Interest in the Program – There are an increasing number of candidates from outside of North America – this means that fewer candidates are comfortable with the langauge of the exam: English. The program is difficult enough with a solid English background, and it must be incrediblely challenging with limited english skills.
2. Increased Recognition of the Charter – The increased popularity of the program means that more people outside the core functions of finance are attracted to the program. Many people attempt to take the exam as a career booster or means to an industry shift. This inturn leads to people who sign up for the exam without knowing the commitment that it entails

To demonstrate the second point, there was an accountant sitting next to me during the exam (He was from one of the big 4) who said that even if he passed the exam, he wouldn’t sign up for level II. He had no idea how much work the program would be. Supporting this theory, the number of LI candidates who succesfully complete the program has fallen to 10% from what was once 30% (sorry, I coulnd’t find a link to support the numbers though). CFAI (CFA Institute) sent out a letter stating that they believed the reason for falling marks was due to the increased use of study guides in the place of recommended texts. I don’t buy their reasoning. The major study guides (Stalla, Schweser) are excellent, and do a great job of getting you ready for the exam.

The following is from an Email I wrote to a fellow SFU Finance major:

The CFA exam is a big commitment, but the material is honestly not that difficult for someone who went through SFU’s finance program. Most of the people I know who write it, pass pretty easily. In terms of study hours, CFAI recommends over 200, or even 250 hours.

The fortunate thing for us is that almost none of the material (at least in level I) is new – it’s like a six hour exam that covers all the topics we’ve done in school. The hard part is being able to retain so much information; there are no formula sheets. Level II and III are apparently a different story though, and there are very few people who feel comfortable after writing those exams.

While I do indicate that the material is not difficult for a finance major, I would feel sorry for any exam takers that didn’t major in finance. There is just so much material, that it can be overwhelming. The study guides may not be enought for those that do not have a strong finance background.

In case you are wondering what the program covers, here are the main topics:

• Financial Statement Analysis
• Alternative Assets- Real Estate, Venture Capital, etc.
• Derivatives
• Economics
• Equity Analysis
• Ethical & Professional Stnds.
• Fixed Income Analysis
• General Portfolio Management
• Quantitative Analysis – Statistics

The weighting varies, but Level I seems to focus more heavily on the accounting and ethics sections.

For all the Canadian bankers, brokers, and PFR’s out there that would like to use the CSC (Canadian Securities Course) as a measure, I assure you that the CSC pales in comparison both in terms of both depth and breadth of material covered. I did the CSC about a month before the CFA exam, so it was fresh in my mind. The CSC exam is probably 1/20th the difficulty of the CFA exam.

Now the big picture question: What does the CFA do for you?

The first thing to establish is that the charter alone is not a ticket for success. It alone will not open doors and get you to the top. What I feel it does do is give others a sense of security what you know – because it is standardized, it is recognized the world over – something that very few collegiate institutions can offer.

My reasons for taking the exam include career advancement, but I’m also taking it because I want to continue the learning process I started in University, to become secure in the knowledge I’ve gained through work and school. Am I an education junky? maybe, but a credentials whore I am not .

If you find the material enjoyable, I definately recommend the program. If you are only looking for career advancement, and find it difficult to stay focussed on studying – the program is going to be one tough experience. You’ll have to have a ton of discipline to maintain the commitment necessary to pass the program.

That’s it for now – I banged this post together quite quickly, so there may be some holes in what I wrote. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask, and if there is more interest, I’ll gladly write more on the subject.

To find more information, try the following sources:

• CFAI – The organization behind it all
• Analyst Forums – Many of the people active in the forum are idiots, but there is some great discussion as well
• Stalla - Study Program
• Schweser - More study material

Tags: CFA, Finance
Comments (56)