Sunday 29 August 2010

Break up of Financial Planning and Analysis

Financial Statement Analysis (Introduction)
Financial Reporting Mechanics
Financial Reporting Standards
Income Statement. Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement
Understanding the Income Statement
Understanding the Balance Sheet
Understanding the Cash Flow Statement
Financial Analysis Techniques
Inventories, Long-Term Assets, Deferred Taxes nd On and Off Balance Sheet Debt
Inventories
Long Lived Assets
Income Taxes
Long Term Liabilities and Leases
Applications and International Standards Convergence
Financial Reporting Quality
Accounting Myths
Applications of FS Analysis
International Standards

Whew! Economics CFA Level 1 and Financial Reporting and Analysis

Over! For the time being Economics CFA Level 1 is over. I have to go over the Analysis Notes study material and their online review and practice questions. Yes, I have subscribed to Analysis Notes.

AN looks like great VFM at a glance. If the review questions of Analysis Notes are any good - only the exams will tell! They also have 10 Mock exams. Should be helpful sometime I am sure - in the distant future - when I have managed to finish my CFA study material!

Next deadline -10th September. I need to finish Financial Reporting and Analysis by 10th September. Just 675 pages in the book :-) Should be a breeze...lol. I hope you understand I am joking! It is going to be very very tough considering that I have forgotten how a balance sheet looks like. I not one of those people who just needs a restaurant's tissue paper to balance the left and right hand side (not the table - the balance sheet)!

I will treat myself to a day's shopping if I actually manage to finish the book by 10th September - lost debit card or not!

Tuesday 24 August 2010

CFA Level 1 Question Breakdown

I have done a CFA Level 1 Question breakdown from the weightages given in the CFA Toolkit at cfainstitute.org - the official CFA website. Please refer to the official CFA website for accuracy of any information given here.

Total No. Questions - 240 MCQ
Time - 6 hrs in two sessions

Study Session 1 - 15% - 36 Questions (Ethics) - 1 study session 36 questions - no surprises on what CFA stresses on - ethics, ethics all the way...


Study Session 2 & 3 - 12% - 28 - 30 questions (Quant)

Study Sessions 4,5 & 6 - 10% - 24 Questions (Economics)

Study Sessions 7,8,9 & 10 - 20% - 48 Questions (Financial Reporting and Analysis)

Study Session 11 - 8% - 18-20 Questions (Corporate Finance)

Study Session 12 - 5% - 12 Questions (Portfolio Management)

Study Session 13-14 - 10% - 24 Questions (Equity)

Study Session 15-16 - 12% - 28-30 Questions (Fixed Income)

Study Session 17 - 5% - 12 Questions (Derivatives)

Study Session 18 - 3% - 7-8 Questions (Alternative Investment)

From my initial observations it seems Ethics, Corporate Finance and Fixed Income have the most questions/Readings. Financial Reporting and Analysis seems to be Heeaaavvviiilllly Weeiigghhtttedd.

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Disclaimer - I dont vouch for the accuracy of any information given in this blog. Please refer to the CFA website for accurate and up to date information.

Time Flies - Pages Dont! My CFA Level 1 Study Schedule

103 days... I am supposed to have finished Economics by now.

This is how my re-revised schedule looked like 2 weeks back

Economics - 24th August
Financial Reporting (Book 3) - 10th Sept
Book 4 - Sept - 18th
Book 5 - 5th Oct
Book 6 - Oct 18th

I have pre scheduled visits from guests for a fortnight and a one week trip abroad - all planned more than six months back. That would leave around 15 days for revision.

WHERE IS THE TIME?

I am still steeped neck deep in MR, MC, ATC, MRP, DC, SC, slopes, curves and all. Have to come out of that FAST to enter the fascinating world of M1, M2 etc. It would all be a breeze for an Eco grad, I know. Point is, I am not an Eco grad!

Bottomline -  24th has gone (almost) and Eco not over!

Any suggestions - anyone?

I thinks I will re-re-re-revise my schedule. Make it one readings a day! I have an effective time of around 70 days. At least 60 more readings to go through (for the first time). Logistics look slightly better, then!

Monday 16 August 2010

111 Days to CFA Level 1 Dec 2010!

111 days left for the exam. I have started on the Volume 2. Not because I completed Volume 1 in entirety (in fact I am doubtful I remember anything I read at all!) but because I was tired of seeing and holding the same book for more than a month! In the first target I setv- I was supposed to have completed Volume 1 by 25th July! Doesn't augur well for prep zone!


Volume 2 is Economics - was never comfortable with the subject. Lets see. I have so far understood the first page :-) There's 503 more pages in the self study material from CFA. 503/6.5 (since half a day already over!)...70 odd pages a day. Doesn't seem realistic I guess this will again cannibalise on next week's prepn - which I had kept for re-studying, practice exams for Quant, Ethics and ECO.

As you can see my schedule's going all haywire!

If anyone looks this up - any ideas! No no I dont want any - too many ideas online!

Saturday 14 August 2010

My CFA Blog - I attended a Stalla Session!

I attended a Stalla session organised by Ab Maximus, CFA  malaysia and Stalla yesterday. There was asmall session on Study Session 11 (Corporate Finance). There was some time spent on about the Stalla Courseware.

I am now in the Ethics session (still!) again after covering some of Quant. Methinks - should CFA Malaysia have given our email ids to Stalla ? Or should it even promote one prep provider over another? Isn't there some conflict somewhere?

No finger raising - just wondering aloud - okay! If anyone sees this (doubtful as I have just begun this blog and don't have time, will or energy to promote it) - can you clarify?

The session per se was interesting. At least I met some "live" CFA candidates  and they looked as human and nervous as me. Not some nerdy species from outer space!

I think I will opt for their (Stalla's) Pacer program - will be easier to check my progress - and I get a Ethics and Quant session free! . So should I dump studying ethics for now and wait for the gyaan session! The Pacer program gives you a online test weekly on one study session and gives you the curriculum to prepare for the next session. Sounds useful and should tighten up my pace!