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Lana123

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Good morning/evening everyone,
I just started out my career in a top boutique investment bank and I’ve been hearing a lot about the CFA.
I’m considering studying level one for june next year but,
1. my maths at the moment is very poor- because i did my MSc in intl development and finished undergrad all the way back in 2009
2, i’m weak with accounting and finance
3. lets not talk about quants.
I’m wondering if anyone has any tips/ recommendations as in books that’ll help a beginner like me (i’m in the UK at moment).
I’m more or less asking for help and advice or if another qualification for a beginner wouldbe better before the CFA let me know thank you.
 
who in IB is talking about the CFA, i dont think IB cares about the CFA.,…
 
Well not Corp Finance they mainly have MBAs. It’s kind of like how morgan stanley is set up.
The way the company is structured is complicated but the research and trading department within the company are all sitting for the CFA and those are who I really work with.
I’m with the investment advisory unit of the firm and just more or less want to brush up my understanding of the capital market and equities.
but in terms of career path i’m looking into trading, portfolio managament and research and thats why i asked the question.
 
If you want to do portfolio management, the CFA can help.
If you want to do trading, it won’t help that much (or at least the work/benefit ratio is not that great).
If you want to do things like equity or FI research, it can give you a more academically rigorous approach to the things that equity researchers do, and the letters reassure people you’ve been trained, but every shop has their own modifications to that approach, but experience doing the same things at an investment bank will probably give you what employers are looking for there. If you are an intellectual type, the academic knowledge can give you a sense of *why* certain calculations and approaches are done, but most people are content just to have a method and crank through it and collect bonuses and leave it at that.
CFA can also be useful if you want a broader view of the parts of financial analysis than simply your job function.
 
If you are someone who is just starting out in IB and don’t have much of a finance background, I think that the subject matter of the CFA program would be useful … that said, I’d be skeptical that you’d find the time to pursue the Charter as a first year analyst at any IB. (I’m trying to do the reverse … crack into IB after the CFA program.)
 
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