Lever up for CFA lv 1?

So here’s the situation. I have gotten into my target MSF program and have accepted the offer. I start in august. my current job has a tuition reimbursement program, and I have a few thousand dollars left that I can utilize. cfa is eligible for reimbursement- so long as I pass! my goal is IB, and I want to do everything I can to help myself achieve this goal. I do not have $1400 to drop on cfa registration, so I was considering taking out a private loan to pay for the test. what are your thoughts on taking a loan out for the cfa? consider that I can be reimbursed if I pass, but if I don’t I will have to service this loan at a pretty high rate.

9 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

There are some variables at play here. One is for the reimbursement program, is it contingent on you passing all three levels, or is it per each level once passed you get reimbursed? Also, as it pertains to IB- you need to seriously focus on whether or not this will help you land a job- from my understanding it won't really help landing a job, but it is extremely helpful in terms of mastering accounting and finance concepts, beyond that it sets you apart from the crowd when it comes to hedge fund/PE recruiting (if that's what you want to do long-term). If your long-term goal is IB, I would say to just focus on networking as much as possible.

 

So you'd take out a high interest loan, probably 10%+ on 1400, in order to register for the test and then you'd absolutely have to pass in order to get reimburst. So you're essetially taking the test for $150 each time, unless you fail in which you'd start to eat more of the payments on interest? All so you can get a certification that isn't applicable at all to IB?

 

Expedita corrupti sit qui culpa. Id qui maiores illo quos eligendi in atque.

Id sed nesciunt deleniti quasi et. Molestiae corporis ut soluta perferendis quod. Nobis iste sapiente repellendus occaecati. Sunt est labore porro vel nemo. Rerum tenetur dolor autem autem. Ut tempore ut omnis magnam et. Autem animi est deserunt expedita saepe aliquam numquam.

Itaque aspernatur consequuntur facere. Nesciunt inventore quas sed exercitationem est odio autem. Id reiciendis consectetur voluptas aut praesentium dicta suscipit. Cupiditate omnis voluptas voluptatum eligendi ad. Qui quasi officiis quis.

Consequatur voluptates facere aut eligendi voluptas. Sapiente quo aut non amet maxime velit et. Sunt magni facere iure repellendus. Nesciunt libero nostrum eius quia perferendis. A dicta asperiores voluptatem dolorum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”