Q&A on Investment Banking Required Skillsets, CFA Prep, and Financial Modeling

Question

Background

Graduated in Commerce and Accounting in 2005
Hold CFA (AIMR, US) and CFA (ICFAI, India) Designation
1 year in Brokerage Firm Trading Desk in 2008 (Uncertain times with Stock Market ... )
10 years as Analyst / Project Manager in Investment Banking Research Firms (Some exposure to FIG and Generalist Sector)
2 Years exposure as Guest Instructor to Financial Modeling, Valuation and CFA Prep (At a cost of sacrificing my weekends ... )

Q&A
Open to questions on Investment Banking (IB) Required Skillsets, Financial Modeling and CFA Prep Guide.

sandeep-agrawal · Accepted Answer

I would suggest you to go for Schweser books as they are good enough for level I. In case you need video format then IFT materiel is the best.

Moreover, you should always solve as many question as possible from CFA Curriculum and online topic test from CFA Institue. Practicing questions will give you great confidence and help you sail through the exam. All the best !!!

Dillingo · Answer

CFA L3 candidate here. Was not a fan of IFT at all - very heavy use of accented Indian presenters. Their videos were also boring.

For L1 you can get away with Schweser, but Mark Meldrum is the go-to for L2 and L3, he's also great for L1 if you prefer learning through videos. Best of luck next year.

sandeep-agrawal · Answer

Obtaining the CFA charter will surely be a great credential for finance professional. However, It also depends on individual current academic situation.

For example, some people start their career right after bachelor's degree and they don't want or can't go back to B-School by leaving their jobs. CFA credential can be a great career option for them.

sandeep-agrawal · Answer

Well, I am a big fan of classroom / workshop based training where I have faculty in front of me to ask questions and peers for f2f discussion.
Some ppl like online videos as they can pace at their training based on individual capacity and schedule.
I would suggest you to take either of these based on your circumstances, make a schedule and stick to it. Practice some model building at your own after the training and master it.

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Q&A on Investment Banking Required Skillsets, CFA Prep, and Financial Modeling

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Q&A on Investment Banking Required Skillsets, CFA Prep, and Financial Modeling

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