So what's the big deal?

Why does earn want to earn the charter. I can't answer for everyone. Hell, my answer is different than most. It's actually a key to a dream. Ever since childhood I grew up wanting to work in one of those big gleaming office towers downtown. I wanted to be the guy working on Wall St. before I knew what they did. I have since refined my desire to be a great analyst. I want to be the talking head on CNN talking about th airline industry and why this new merger is / isn't a good idea. Will the charter get me on CNBC? Nope. However, it will get me a job as an analyst - even if not the chief industry analyst. Right now I am working as an accountant on Florida's atlantic coast. In fact, in a suburb of Daytona Beach. A charming town, but no investment bankers here. Plenty of accounting jobs, but not finance.



I have a BA and almost a decade of experience, but that is my weakness. I apply for positions as an analyst, my resume gets scanned into a computer which looks for keywords. It sees all the experience I have as an accountant and the computer sends my resume to HR. HR calls me back and says they have an opening in accounting that would be perfect for me. That's not what I applied for, but it's what they call about. With the charter, they will call me back for the job I want. What I want is quite simple really. I want to move to Atlanta (one of my favorite cities). I want a job as an analyst. I want to have at least the same standard of living after adjusting for the cost of living. I want to be involved in decision making. I want it all in the next few years. The CFA charter was the only thing I could find that can get me those things.



Most people who earn the charter already have jobs in finance. It's kind of like accounting. Most CPA candidates are already accountants, but they want more. I have nothing against CPAs, but it's about accounting and I want finance. No other designation is as valuable as a CFA in the field of finance.

First Entry

Welcome to my new blog. This blog is about my quest to earn the Chartered Financial Analyst designation - also known as the CFA designation. For those who don't know, the CFA is a professional designation used primarily in corporate finance and investment banking firms. This designation is held by approximately 70,000 people worldwide and at most there are 30,000 people who are candidates. Between those 100,000 and maybe another 100,000 who may be considering earning the charter, we are talking about a very smal percent of the world's population who might be interested in this blog.

I am writing this blog for several reasons. First, anyone who is attempting the charter feels lonely. Some more than others, but all are lonely. This is a written record of my quest so that others may know what it is like. Second, for my benefit. My son was born very sick and I needed an outlet for my thoughts and feelings. I created another blog on the matter and now that he is healthy, I sometimes will read my past entries to remember the feelings. It is fun now, but it was hell then. Finally, to provide a decent record. If you search for CFA blogs in a search engine, many blogs compare the charter to other things. Some blogs are posted to for about 2 months and that's it. Most others to put it bluntly are incoherent. They start right in responding to some esoteric article or posting DIY notes on the cirriculum. That's not going to happen here.

Everything I post on my blog will be my opinion, and I readily acknowledge that. If someone else has a different opinion than me, or facts that prove me wrong, please post them. Maybe we can start a discussion. However, realize everything I say is with my own personal bias.