Are the CFA exams necessary for your finance career?

Did you just take the CFA exams and now are unsure if becoming a full CFA Charterholder is necessary in your financial career? Or have you received a pass or fail previously and have a whole different perspective on the testing process of becoming a full CFA Charterholder? 

We want to help you answer these questions. Do you really need to go for full Charterholder status, or can you stick with a CFA Level I? What kind of job will you get if you pass? Should you study for a CFA Charter or a CAIA Charter?

We also talk to Christopher Wiese, CFA Institute’s head of exam development, and Stephen Horan, CFA Institute’s head of credentialing, for any of you still interested in the CFA.

Is becoming a full CFA Charterholder actually a waste of time?

Whether you're taking the level one, two or three CFA exam, we'd like to bring you some perspectives from CFA Charterholders who've been through the whole three exam process before. Was it worth the long hours of studying and sacrifice of social and family life?

My CFA Level III pass left me unemployed, but it has its uses

A personal account of Bruce Packard passing the CFA level III exam, and what happened afterwards. "I am one of the special ones. I passed the CFA level III more than 10 years ago… then (was) made redundant."

The CFA Charter vs. the CAIA Charter - my experience

If you pass Level III and get your CFA Charter this year, you might think that's the end of studying. Bad luck! Once you've got the CFA, you might want to go on to the CAIA too.

Here's who will actually employ you when you get your CFA

If you're studying for the CFA Exam, you might be in need of a little extra motivation. Will passing the CFA exam open doors at more prestigious firms? Where could a CFA charter take you? 

Veteran CFA exam takers dole out advice for rookies

An accumulation of advice that veteran test-takers have given to rookies. Remember, don't mingle with other test-takers, pack your lunch and always have a bathroom strategy.

Answers to questions about the CFA exam you may never have thought to ask

Q&A with CFA Institute’s head of exam development, Chris Wiese. Topics range from general questions from soon-to-be CFA exam-takers and a few specific to level one, two and three.

Everything you need to know about the CFA exam for 2019

A conversation with Stephen Horan, the CFA Institute’s head of credentialing and its interim managing director of the Americas. We ask him, what are the big changes to the CFA exam for 2019? What are the most difficult sections of the CFA exam? Who shouldn’t be enrolling in the CFA exam?