CFA and Investment Banking?

Careers in investment baking typically don’t last very long. They also don’t allow for much free time. I would recommend starting the CFA Program after your stint in investment banking, once you’ve hopefully moved on to: (i) hedge fund; (ii) private equity; (iii) venture capital; or (iv) a management position within an operating company. In these situations, the CFA is a “nice-to-have” and not a “need-to-have”, although I am sure that you will find the program (and the designation) useful, whether you are managing your own finances or trying to impress clients/investors. That said, a lot depends on your work-life situation (i.e. kids, wife, etc.). If you have some free time at night and on the weekends, I say go for it. Getting the CFA is better for you than binge watching Netflix.
 
Consummate Professional wrote:
I would recommend starting the CFA Program after your stint in investment banking
I thought that a CFA would help me get the ‘stint’ in investment banking, no?
Another question: How relevant is CFA to auditing firms (such as the Big 4)? Could you tell me a few fields in which the CFA program is not just a “nice-to-have” qualification?
 
Thanks for your reply.
Correct me if I’m wrong but getting a CFA Charter would be quite useful if I’m planning to become a Chief Investment Officer?
 
dejavu wrote:
Consummate Professional wrote:
I would recommend starting the CFA Program after your stint in investment banking
I thought that a CFA would help me get the ‘stint’ in investment banking, no?
Another question: How relevant is CFA to auditing firms (such as the Big 4)? Could you tell me a few fields in which the CFA program is not just a “nice-to-have” qualification?
Since you are in India, i don’t think i can really comment, but i would suggest going to networking events for audit firms and see how many of them have CFA’s, and then also look at their job board and see what qualifications they require?
I do not think CFA is TYPICALLY a requirement even for advisory but it can be different in india, it’s best to just go to the source.
 
dejavu wrote:
Thanks for your reply.
Correct me if I’m wrong but getting a CFA Charter would be quite useful if I’m planning to become a Chief Investment Officer?
Yes
 
Nice chart, but the percentages sum up to 70%. Why does it omit the largest bar at the top - Unemployed 30%*.
*Source: local society events
Consummate Professional wrote:
This information can be inferred from the current occupations of CFA Members. According to the CFA Institute website, top occupations of CFA Members are:

http://www.cfainstitute.org/about/research/pages/index.aspx
 
Mobius Strip wrote:
Nice chart, but the percentages sum up to 70%. Why does it omit the largest bar at the top - Unemployed 30%*.
*Source: local society events
LOL!
Can’t forget IT*
*Source: AnalystForum
 
dejavu wrote:
Thanks for your reply.
Correct me if I’m wrong but getting a CFA Charter would be quite useful if I’m planning to become a Chief Investment Officer?
LOL
I suppose. Great plan bro. Also, no a CFA won’t get you a stint in investment banking…who gave you that idea. Bankers are not investors…the CFA is a designation for investors.
 
What’s so funny about my plan? And Investment Banking is a very broad term which has many divisions. Surely a CFA would help in Wealth Management or in the Trading divisions?
 
dejavu wrote:
What’s so funny about my plan? And Investment Banking is a very broad term which has many divisions. Surely a CFA would help in Wealth Management or in the Trading divisions?
You’re all over the place. CIO? Sales Trading? What is it that you want to do exactly?
Also, as others have said, the CFA won’t get you into banking. Banks care A LOT about where you went to school; everything else is just fodder for small talk at the beginning of the interview.
 
More the career options I have with the CFA, the better it is for me.
 
dejavu wrote:
More the career options I have with the CFA, the better it is for me.
Named must your fear be before banish it you can
 
dejavu wrote:
What’s so funny about my plan? And Investment Banking is a very broad term which has many divisions. Surely a CFA would help in Wealth Management or in the Trading divisions?
Investment banking is investment banking…it is not a broad term and does not include a wealth management or trading division. Stay in IT.
 
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