Calculators

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sugar01

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Hey Guys,

This may be a childish question...but please answer if you can

Ok.. in my school, we are not allowed to use those fancy calculators because some Idoits use them to cheat , so i am among those people who still use the PV and FV table.

I will be writing my CFA exam in June or Dec 07 and need advice as to what advanced calculator i need to buy?

Thanks...(am new to this site).
 
I saw more of the TIBA calculators when I took the exam this June, though I used the HP 12C (traditional, bronze colored) calculator, because I have a sentimental attachment to them (I used the 15C in high school and really liked it). Once you get used to the RPN, it's nice to use.

I avoided the HP12C Platinum because I thought it was ugly. However it is supposed to be faster, and I found that waiting for the machine to compute long annuities and things was a little stress-inducing on a timed exam. If you go the HP route, it might be worth the extra bux to get the platinum.

That said, it did seem that the TIBAs were more popular, though it might just be that they are a bit cheaper...
 
I like the TIs a lot better. The attachment to the HP seems to be soley based on the idea that if it's harder to use it must be better.
 
I prefer the HP 12C Platinum.

You can solve most CFA-related problems with a minimum of keystrokes.

The HP uses something called RPN logic (versus algebraic logic). Its a specific way for entering data.

e.g.
algebraic: 4 + 3 = returns 7 as your answer
RPN: 4 enter 3 + returns 7 as your answer

A lot of people are scared to learn RPN so they automatically choose the TI by default. However, RPN is easy to learn (less than 15 minutes - really!) and is much more intuitive for chain calculations.

I have never met a person who prefers algebraic logic over RPN, once they learn RPN.
 
I still have my slide rule from '72. I was interning for a company that made high power circuitry equipment. Still works- never had to change the batteries :-p
 
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