Thursday, February 19, 2009

CFA(US) vs CFA(India)


If somebody is a MBA(finance) , engineer or any other graduate and has a will to enhance his career in Finance field especially investment banking field, CFA is the answer.
But there are two CFAs doing the rounds
1) CFA from AIMR, USA
2) CFA from ICFAI, Tripura , India
so which one to go for , answer is simple and straight , go for AIMR, USA . It is very simple and straight , there are no reasons for you to go for CFA from ICFAI ,India because of the following reasons :-

a) Indian CFA is just an offshoot of CFA from USA , all the syllabus is similiar and has been copied from its foreign counterpart.
b) Syllabus is more suited to indian industry , which in anycase doesnt have any I-banks to work for , so why to read and learn something which will not be useful.
c) CFA from USA(AIMR) is definitely more recognised, not only in USA but across the globe, I-banks wants the best people from the best schools, universities , then why jeopardise your career .
d) Some people says CFA USA is costly , but if you seriously want to boost your career , then you should pay something for it, NO pains , No gains .
e) There is a myth that both the CFA's are considered equal , i bet you it is not , recruiters dont say overtly but definitely hesitate to hire Indian CFA.
f) Once you become a charter , you join some of the elites in the finance field , namely some 70,000 charter holders . CFA institute , USA has chapters in every major city of the world.

These are just a few reasons why you should make CFA(USA) your right choice, rather than the CFA(Indian), there may be plenty of reasons .

MInd you , its not easy to become a CFA charter hold , it takes sweat and blood to become one. You pay with your hard work, grit , determination and lot of toil to earn CFA designation to write it after your name .

Few Facts:-
1) It is divided into 3 levels , Level 1 happens in June and Dec every year , Level 2 and 3 happens only in June , so that means it takes minimum of 1.5-2 years to appear .
2) Pass percentage is not that encouraging , for Level 1 it is 30-35%, Level 2 - 15-20% , Level 3- 25% approx..
3) Besides this , you pay approx 1000$ for first time and 700$ each time you appear .
4) CFA insitute recommends more than 250 hrs for preparations, rest depends upon ur earlier qualification too.

If you are serious and want to undergo the grind, step in .

Useful links :-
1) http://www.cfainstitute.org/ - you can get all the information you want here , dont keep searching forever .
2) http://www.pagalguy.com/ - most probably here , you will be able to find people for group study in and around your city.
3) http://www.schweser.com/ - these are the best notes , they say to study from after the CFA institute books .
4) http://www.analystnotes.com/ - similiar to schweser.

They are few institutes which train you for the exam, there are conflicting views about their styles, methodologies and success rate , do your search diligently before you enrol for them , but nothing is better than self study .

There are few guys who have written blogs bou CFA , some are documenting their efforts towards achieving their goals daily , read their blog to know more abt " been there , done that - guys" .

IF you have any questions or facing any problems , please shoot , i will be more than happy to answer .

Thanks .

24 comments:

  1. Hey Sarabpreet,

    ur article explains more about CFA US..can u try and include some more details and links on CFA India...maybe the curriculum, total cost involved adn the duration to complete the course.. Its then pretty easy for a beginner to analyse and decide wat he wants.... CFA US or India.

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi,
    Its really gr8 to know dat u r providing such a beautiful information in ur blogs, really love that. As i have told u earlier that i am planning for CFA but now i m in mess after reading ur blog..
    dont know why i m bit hesitant to go for american CFA. i would request u to throw more light on indian counterpart...

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  3. Hi Shilpa ,
    Though i have a fair idea of what is the curriculm , fees and duration of Indian CFA is ... but i would like you to visit the links below to get an idea about it yourself and make a good decision.

    Link -
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_CFA

    Else , Shilpa you can visit ICFAI official website or their distance learning centres which is everywhere to get one to one interaction.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Anonymous ,
    Good for you that you are thinking of CFA , i m sorry if you got more confused after reading my blog , though it was not meant for that , anyways ,
    the only thing that can come into somebody's mind before choosing b/w the two is the fees structure ,as it is really high for CFA (US), but i can bet you that your Return on Investment(ROI) will be really good and you will fancy it .
    Spending Rs . 1,25,000/- in 2-3 years will fetch you a job worth $65-70K(mind you thatz just the starting salary) , average salary according to various sources comes to around $160,000 - 180,000 and since CFA(US) has more global recognition and wider reach , it obviously becomes the right choice .

    If you are ready for the grind , take the plunge and i am sure therez none better a course than this at this cost and you wont repent your decision.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Preet.. As u guys r discussing i could not resist myself being one of you conversing about the CFA(USA & ICFAI). My case is li'l different. I have already enrolled in ICFAI and giving my final 2 papers soon. "BUT" I am still not satisfied with it when i look at the market demand for Indian CFA. unless n until u ve a prior professional degree like MBA recruiter don prefer the plain CFAs. I was late to realise that how valid the US CFA is globally.. And i would not say Indian CFA is far behind, it's just that its demand in India is very less and itsnt recognised globally unlike US-CFA. For the light of the above fact i am planning to give a shot for US CFA.
    Currently I am employed as a Technical Analyst in an Investment Firm. What would be your suggestion?? How hard is the US-CFA to crak..What level of confidence you would give me provided i earn the Indian CFA.
    looking forward for ur response.
    Thanks
    Chhetri

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  6. Hi Chhetri,

    First of all congratulations as u r pretty near to clearing ICFAI exams.....as u realise that u have to take up CFA US as ur next goal,it makes me happy and i would like to tell u that i knw couple of guys who have done this already and they successfully got their charters too. You can send me a mail @ sarabpreetchahal@gmail.com and we can discuss more on this.Best of luck for ur endeavour towards CFA US.

    Preet

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  7. dear sir
    I am an mba finance and did job in brokering for 15 month and now i want to change my career to equity research but I am not getting any job in that field despite i has been selected as team member in bank of america in FBRM department and planning to do us cfa for value addition if it will assit me or not

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  8. Dear sir,
    i am MBA(Fin).i have been working in Banking sector since 2002.i want to enhance my career in stock market globally.please sugest me.
    Regards
    Surya

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  9. recomend me some tricks to study, guidence and material

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    Replies
    1. This is a standard question and you wont like the answer -- i would say study but very hard :)
      As far as the material is considered, schweser is good but dont depend on that completely, read the curriculum first.

      Regards

      Delete
  10. Hey,
    I have registered for C.F.A level-1 (june 2013) and my query is that, do you require to undergo a practical training during or after the completion of C.F.A. program...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes... You should have 4 years of relevant experience to qualify for the charter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi preet, i am in CA final, i need to know that which subjects of CFA can be done by myself (i.e. without any tution) and suggest me that which calculator should i buy...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey,I wanted to know that whether the cut-off marks are fixed or the change every year for CFA exam...
    And is there a negative marking in the paper.
    Thanks..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Harshit,
      Your answer is really in your question. Most of the working professionals study on their own but do take help from schweser or stalla notes. It really depends on your previous qualification, as you are a CA finalist, i would think you would be quite comfortable with FSA but may be not so much with Derivatives.
      I would suggest you start onyour own and then take help as you go on.

      Regarding the cut-off marks, its changed each year and nobody knows or can predict -- what it will be next year. Just do your best in each subject and you will be there. No negative marking, so eliminate the wrong ones and choose the best choice.

      For calculator, i use BA II plus but i would recommend BA II plus professional just for the ease of changing the battery.

      Hope this helps, please ask if you have any more questions.

      Delete
  14. Would really appreciate, If you can help me come out of this dilemma.

    I hold a commerce degree and have been working for 6-7 years now. I’ve worked for 4 years in BPO industry and 2 years in Insurance in Sales as relationship manager. As per my understanding currently I don’t hold any relevant work experience required for CFA charter. But I want to pursue some professional course like CFA to give a direction/boost to my career. So, should I go for CFA or you suggest something else. I also have done a DLP Executive management program from IIM Calcutta in 2008.
    Please guide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi J,

      Its not quite right that you dont have any relevant experience. Though its for CFA institute to decide if they deem your experience good enough but i would hazard a guess that sales experience in financial services is considered.
      Your commerce degree should be helpful too, i would say go for it and never look back.

      Cheers

      Delete
  15. Hey,
    I am in final year BBM and i am planning to do CFA (US). I also have plans to go abroad (Canada) . Only having a CFA degree will it fetch me a good job in abroad or should i enroll in some other courses also? If yes then which course and can i do both courses simultaneously?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      Honestly CFA is one degree which commands respects all around the world. I would suggest go for it and you should be good.
      It acts as a entry point to many careers.

      Best of Luck.

      Delete
  16. m a chartered accountant, n want to pursue CFA(U.S.)
    Please tell me that the relevant work experience is required before or after exams.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anon(please put your name through),
      One needs to have 4 years of relevant experience(financial services) to get the charter but to start with you just need to be a grad. Since you are a CA already, it should be comfortable for you.

      Let me know if you have any more doubts.

      Cheers

      Delete
  17. hello every1
    this is Abinash....i have complited my btech n now doing MBA in finance... m in 2nd yr of MBA....n i have intrested in finance sector n m also doing gud in it...so as m nt from commerce background i want to know whether i can able to do CFA-us course??will it b a good combination MBA(Finance) with CFA(US) for my carrier??

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  18. Sir i am a b.com grad. I want to do a finance degree in distance education mode before doing my mba. can you please suggest some courses?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Can we clear all 3 levels of CFA (US) & then work for 4 years in finance field to get the CFA charter?

    ReplyDelete