Do u think cfa teach too little Math?

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maisatomai

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I finish the whole program without knowing what calculus is and how to do matrix algebra. I always thought that portfolio manager and analyst need a lot of math in their work?
 
Wow, you finished the whole program without realizing that you don’t need calculus and algebra. I question that you really finished the whole program.
 
Isn’t that what Excel is for? And if you can’t do it yourself, hire a quant analyst to join the team.
 
You still need some math skills to use the math computer. I actually agree that CFA math is pretty pathetic. Of course, math is hard. Pass rates would be… adjusted signicantly if CFA became more math heavy.
 
I heard insurance certs are much more quant heavy. And i do agree CFA should be a bit more maths intensive…
 
if it taught more math it would simply be one more thing for you to come on here and say that you dont remember and need help with
 
CFA is concept driven. You can make the work more complicated by adding more mathematics, but whether that would make you a better investor is questionable. Plenty of people apply ridiculously complex maths to problems that don’t require it.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t places where the mathematics is important, particularly in derivatives pricing and risk modeling, but it’s usually the assumptions that go into the mathematical models more than the quality of the math itself that is where the problems crop up.
Often more math just fools people into thinking they know what they are doing.
 
I think the reason why mathematics is so lacking in the cfa syllabus is because of the programme’s role as the great equaliser…you don’t need a fin/econ/math background to enroll and understand/pass the exams.Surely, somewhere between text book concepts and practical application, mathematics occupies a place of value. If I were working in the investment industry, and i didn’t know at least some rudimentary matrix algebra and its application in decision making…i would feel a tad inadequate/uncomfortable even if the day to day does nor require anything of that sort
 
I agree that more math is not always better. However, I was annoyed that the lack of math reduced some sections of the CFA curriculum to triviality. Why bother introducing someone to a quantitative topic, but not cover it in enough depth to make it remotely useful?
 
I think it would be good to include some matrix algebra / optimisation material in the syllabus..these are pretty self contained issues,can probably be easily tagged on to the Quant section in L2 or the portfolio section in L3,and are applicable across many situations. Just an introduction to the kind of math that doesn’t make you feel like you are treating software as a blackbox when making computations.
 
Will make a $100 bet right now that the OP and two other nerds (Alladin and Eddiechen) are all virgins.
By Alladin and Eddiechen’s username it is also clear that they are both Asians…surprise surprise, two asian dorks trying to ruin life for everyone else.
Listen you math hungry virgins, go somewhere else and study something else. Leave us average folk to worry about the 38% pass rate.
And for the record, doing more math does NOT make you smarter. Complicated and stupid math models helped mask the real credit/subprime risks pre 2008.
 
To be honest, I also think CFA should become more math oriented. That being said, I guess those folks just know what they are doing. If knowledge is useless in doing your job, why acquire it in the first place. I guess in order to become a portfolio manager, one doesn’t have to be math wiz. Additionally, current CFA cirriculum is tough enough anyway.
 
Really??? Do you think analysts and PMs are crunching numbers all day long? The higher you advance, the more it becomes a sales job. Even at the lower ranks, I would guess tweaking an earnings model takes up 20-30% of your time.
 
What is the point? The CFA is designed to make you a practitioner, not a math wiz. You should have learned math in school. For most of us analysts, in our everyday lives we never really need anything more than simple algebra and problem solving.
 
bleach wrote:
Will make a $100 bet right now that the OP and two other nerds (Alladin and Eddiechen) are all virgins.
By Alladin and Eddiechen’s username it is also clear that they are both Asians…surprise surprise, two asian dorks trying to ruin life for everyone else.
Listen you math hungry virgins, go somewhere else and study something else. Leave us average folk to worry about the 38% pass rate.
And for the record, doing more math does NOT make you smarter. Complicated and stupid math models helped mask the real credit/subprime risks pre 2008.
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Why is this retard even comment on other people’s post. Go do your CMA already and leave us talking about the CFA exam
 
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