Why I quit the CFA program after passing level 1. |Chartered Financial Analyst| 

Thank you for being so candid Karan. Im sure this will inspire others to decide what their goals are when they undertake a course rather than mindlessly go into something. Time indeed is the most valuable investment

You are absolutely correct. I am a CFA level 1 candidate. Few days ago, I have also realized that CFA is just a validation. You don't become a value investor by getting a chater holder degree. There are lot people around the globe who are in the field of finance yet they don't know how to analyse a company's financial report, business model and management.

"Experience Give You Deep Learnings But When This Is Mixed With Proper Knowledge & Professional Degree , It Will Give You Deep Earnings With Proper Respect Which You Deserve. "

" MOST VALUABLE THING IS YOUR TIME " Love it ❤️ your point of view brother...

Optimum amount of information in shortest possible time. I could feel the idea behind your whole line of thoughts just basis how you explained all of it. You made it so easy to understand! Thankyou

Thank you karan for sharing your experience with us ☺️... After all Investing is not about crunching the numbers it's all about understanding the fundamentals of the business

Don’t leave your CFA program after seeing this video. This man thinks that life is like a fairy tail with no pains. Be strong and prefix that damn CFA charter.

Thank u, for clearing the myths about these designated certification programs and I would like to talk to you personally because I am I am in the same situation as you were.

Thanks for this, very helpful insight! I too was looking for the valuation aspect like you, so I purchased the study material for level 1 thinking id be set, but noticed it's not what I was looking for either. I maybe shoulda gone with the FMVA instead haha but glad i got to see what the CFA is about so i won't go wasting time there. Thanks again!

Dude your videos are gold. I found you through Tom’s channel 👌🏻 keep up the work

Thanks so much for the share Karan! You saved me many hours of potentially wasted study.

I think you are right....My educational background is of commerce and I understand financial statements. I was also thinking of pursuing CFA just for additional degree but then I decided to give up on the idea considering the amt of time and investment it will require....it shall not give me fulfillment and happiness at the end....so am finding what shall be my right destination

You sound so smooth and reliable... Thanks for your insights..

Great Karan ji I respect your thoughts. Ur decision is marvelous .

Thanks a lot brother for sharing your experience with your juniors

I never pursued the CFA for similar reasons. It seemed more like I would be doing it only for a credential rather than practical knowledge. Saw nothing new in there. That being said it is a great learning path for many. I tell many of my peers to do it when they ask where to start for a career in finance.

so, according to your experience what do you recommend someone to study/read/watch - someone who wants to get deep into investment for self rather than having any formal certification/degree in finance?

Thanks bro this was really helpful!

Brilliantly articulated, agree with most of the things you said.

Hi Karan. Thanks for sharing your experience. I used to think passing CFA level I exam would help me walk through the entry door to investment. But the basic knowledge turned out to be not valuation or financial analysis related.

I agree so much with you Karan, our most valuable asset IS our time. Especially time to play with that joyous Orange dinosaur in the background ! HOW FUN ! 🤗

Great video, how long did you study Buffett until you actually started applying it by buying stocks?

Hey tnx for the video. Exactly what I was looking for.

You made me rethink the why. Thanks bro.

I work in FP&A - not so close to investment. I cleared level 3 not a while ago. It opened doors for me not because of the knowledge out of the certificate but rather the credibility in the charterholders perceived by the market at least in my region.

Could you please mention some of the books that you found the most helpful?

I am not CFA yet but being a commerce graduate and MBA finance I think, Non-commerce background people especially science background students face difficulties, As he said that he didn't know about annual reports as he only relied on his teachers. Passing the exam is very hard but I think if you are very intelligent you can crack the exam but you need a strong base which you need to build by learning from 11th std to PG. Understanding concepts and interlinking them will give you results but you need proper foundational knowledge you can't cut corners.

Hey Karan,thanks for sharing! at this point I’m having the same thoughts, what books/sites do you recommend me to look for?

You can do both. The fear of failure is real but we have to face it to grow.

Hi Karan, thanks for the video, did studying for CFA level 1 teach you how to value companies at all? did it help you in any other way before switching to Buffett's investing?

Guys if you are struggling with CFA, this video will give an excuse to quit!

Mr Karan You made my day and i was right at what you will talk about...Just now i was just trying to watch CA vs CFA debates for fun and then came across yours and initially i thought You would quote warren and charlie (my all time gurus) and they were right when they said "buiness schools teach a lot of things which we dont believe in" am so happy that before starting investing I went thru warren and charlie mindset and everything about them and guess what ,though i am born in 2000 my mindset is still like how my gurus think about a business . modern finance and schools teaching finance just teach some greek signs which are BS and teach the popular EFFICIENT MARKET THEORY.I love their speech about how they grilled business schools ..... MY GURUS ARE ALSO MOHNISH PABRAI,GUY LILU TOO..we have a great mindset.. BTW you did a great job quiting that useless course..just they both are enough to change your entire career.

Yeah man no extrinsic motivation to obtain CFA to drop out makes sense. There's a ton of information and ideology to portfolio management but the CFA license provides a strong base of knowledge that can be tied to other teachings later on

i've been investing since 2018, & i am 3rd year BS in finance atm, i really don't find diversifying that bad if YOU included with it other stuff, it makes sense since bankers did it for decades, but you can always find a strategy & mix it with it.. and as i see, working on our psychology/strategies/testing etc.. rather than studying hours for exams can be way more useful! at least in the investing departing

i appriciate your thought bro... becouse all the Business study Schemes are not desigend to b a student Business leader or a Self motivated investor....but its all is only for to make us A useable part of the finacial and economic mechinery working around the word....for the benifits of Corporations not really & actually for us own....

dude this exactly what i feel too, i wanna a good investor too and get good at valuing businesses , which is why ive been thinking of starting CFA, can you please tell what did you do next? and what kind of a job or course should someone who thinks likewise should get into?

Your prospective definitely worth to hit a like above. However, I still believe in the CFA value.

What is the approximate word limit which most of the people uses to write personal statement for CFA scholarship ? Please reply 🙏🙏

I’m 12th passed batch of 2021...now I am totally confused wht to opt for my further studies...I came across this cfa thing including other profile posts in commerce corporate....WHAT SHOULD I CHOOSE? HELP ME 🥺

From whom do you take coaching for level 1 cfa?

Yes, i have the exact same thought, time is our biggest assets, who we are depending on how we convert our time to something more valuable for our life. My life isn't that smooth, i don't even have the ability to go colledge like you and most of the people, but i didn't give up, im keep learning, i know where i should go thank to all of those hard time experience, this is a gift . Hope you found yours soon .

He'll sir I need your help can you please help me my interest is in stock market and finance only so are the options available I want to be a full time trader or a investment banker is it possible to be investment banker after CFP?

Thank you this video was insightful, I look forward to further videos on your most recommended books in the area of value investing. I do understand your approach and it makes sense so I will look into for personal investments. I will still do the CFA as it will be beneficial to my personal career track. Out of curiosity what mic are you using 🙈

Well said bro .... Gr8 investors never had such fancy degrees

Hi Karan I'm an electrical engineer 2018graduated now I'm interested to pursue CFA inorder to build a strong career as well startup infuture will you please guide me brother

Interesting insight Karan. I'm AUSer too (finance grad). Your videos are really helpful during these times as most fresh grads I know invest their time on more certifications without a clear goal.

Thank you karan Your experience helped me to decide what tje next of my goal, I'm hesitated between acca and CFA, my career now is accounting and reporting i think acca will be better, agree?

Hey Karan - At best, I am a novice in the world of investment but I can completely correlate to your self realization. This video has simply re-enforced my belief through someone who actually went through the grind. Thanks for being open.

buddy, can you share the links or name of lecturers that helped you gain the relevant knowledge?

Hey Karan, diversification in portfolio doesn't only limit to equity in which you analyse and pick stocks of different sectors,it is much beyond equity,where you will know what proportion has to be allocated to equity,debt,fixed income,futures, options,real estate etc which cfa teaches you in depth and no other program teaches whereas the successful value investors mostly guide upon picking right stock and are only limited to this. So if you want to restrict yourself only in investing in equities that to if you want to be a investor and not a trader then you can follow the footsteps of the successful value investors,but if you are a person who wants to have a full knowledge of the investment in the world and want to work in profile like investment banker, portfolio manager,equity research analyst, financial consultant then I think Cfa is the program you should pursue.

Can you suggest me which master course is better for me because I believe exactly like you in investing and I don't care what is trend.

Very nice video. Thanks a ton.

Brother along with Company secretary, CFA is good??

Guys need help is that mandatory to do level-2 after level-1, i mean if we don't pursue level-2 level-1 will get expired ?

Bro it do help if you read the syllabus and curriculum overall it gives Extra material to just pass the exam won't help you if you only want to do for promotion and just a having CFA on Ur resume

Strange thing to hear that the college/university you were studying in, never gave you an assignment to actually study two company's annual reports and compare them to understand trends. As, where I am studying, this came in the very first semester. Anyways, there is no point of criticizing you or your mindset, as what you said also makes sense, but at the same time, ignoring CFA is also not the right thing. I believe, that more than earning the CFA charter, it is the in depth knowledge of the basics that is the need of the hour. So, I would recommend listening to you, and at the same time, listening to others as well, who think CFA is necessary too. Besides, many job openings have CFA listed as a pre-requisite, so for people who are seeking brighter opportunities, doing CFA can just lead you to the right place. However, also be mindful of the fact that in India, there is no provision to apply the core-concepts of level-3, so first two levels can be handy and substantial.

Brother please guide me. I am from India and persuing BCom Hons for now want to go for CFA but I come from lower middle class family and money is a issue. Is it good to opt CFA as a career because I won't be able to invest again in the course if I fail. Please can you guide from your knowledge

Sir how did you prepare for cfa level 1?Did you take coaching?

Can you share what resources you used to learn about investments???

All these fancy degrees, fundamental analysis, value investing just to see another dog-themed crypto outperform every asset class in the world.

I am pass now 12 th so what we do for cfa plzz tell because I am interesting in this but i have no idea what we do so tell me only that step to step what we do B.com that is regular or none. After b.com what we do.

Bro I'm a graduate. I'm really keen to be a good analyst. Is it a good idea to pass level 1 exam have a. Job for me. Because a consistent amount of money is required to invest

Good on you. Very helpful and informative.

You should have continued your CFA; then you would have seen how beneficial that charter really was for anyone trying to manage his own portfolio.

You can send me the link to the video of Warren Buffet?

To become a financial analyst in uae, do cfa require?

whenever i search for a CFA level 1 concept i will see this video appearing in my screen and big discourage and disappointment for me.

thankyou for sharing your experience

Realy enjoyed your content, please share your strategy to value a company, I mean what are the things you look for while going through the annual reports?

this is absolutely right.............

It's nice to finally find someone relatable. Just graduated from university this December with a Finance Major. Like you, I also didn't feel confident in my Finance abilities so went for CFA. While it's reinforcing what I learned at uni, it's painfully boring. I simply don't care anymore and I'm just trudging through it because I paid the admission fee I've lost all my passion for the CFA and this only level 1! Imagine how "excited" I am for level 2 and 3 😑. I'm thinking that once I do level 1 (either pass or fail), I'm just going to stop with the CFA completely. It hasn't really taught me anything practical, or at least imo.

As a software engineer, I am pursuing CFA and it added tremendous value both in terms of knowledge and career growth. If achieving great success in investing was as easy as reading a few books and following a few investors, then half the people on earth would be billionaires. For every Bill Gates who dropped out of college and went on to become very successful, there will be 1000 others who dropped out and ended up achieving nothing. Nothing stops me from both pursuing CFA and reading investment books/following great investors if I am PASSIONATE enough. But nothing against the creator of the video as he seems to be a reasonable guy. Everyone's individual circumstances are different. Do what is right for YOU based on your interests and circumstances. There is no easy and quick path to success.

I know you initially came from an engineering background and then pursued finance courses but if I may ask what about the difficulty level of CFA level 1 for a person who was pretty average in commerce in his 11th and 12th and didn't have maths in his graduation also? I'm asking this because of 2 reasons. 1. that you yourself have cleared CFA level 1 and 2nd reason is that your maths must have been very good because of being in an engineering course earlier. Your response can help not just me but so many others as well looking for answer to this kind of question. Thanks.

sounds like an honest speech. also, please improve the audio quality next time, the sound keeps jumping up and down

Great I was planning to study CFA so that I can trade better. Self realisation !!!!

Which book to go with?????

Great insight and new sub here! I've passed the CFA exams but haven't done the final review to "use" the designation. I'm not a fan of some of the recent changes from the CFA institute. I might share a video on my experience as well :)

What kind of knowledge or degree is needed to analyze companies annual report, financial statements?

can we do from university from uk because I want to do offline from uk

Hey. But what if someone just want to do it for better high income job opportunities?

But the so called time is just around 2-3 years extra max. Whereas the gain is massive. The materials and the lens after doing the CFA really helps me.

Thnx for video man

Hi... I am an non finance person with an mba and exp in HR.. Intersted recently in persuing CFA... Do you think it would be easy for me to clear and that a career switch from HR to Cfa is worth it in the US ??? Thank you

Hi do any one have old cmt level 1 book??? Please advise

The most common misconception about the CFA is that, with this designation, you’ll make a lot money once achieved. Though there is potential to do so, as with anything you work towards, this designation is becoming “saturated”, lack of a better term. Soo many people are after it and a degree in finance (one would assume) isn’t required. If you ask me, it’s all about the CFA institute making money at the end of the day. I’m not bad mouthing anyone who has busted their ass to achieve this designation whatsoever.

Hi Karan, I share your sentiment on the value of time as well. I was actually just looking for short vid on default risk, then I saw this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the CFA exam.

Can anyone help us to find best traing for investment in stock? Not theory need practical

Great investors with CFA : Eddie carl Brown, Mario gabelli, Howard marks, Bill gross, etc..Great investors without CFA : james simons, warren buffet, kenn griffin, Robert F. Smith, etc...Win - Win..choose what you want and move forward, but work hard in improving both knowledge and investment wisdom.

hi, I am 21, finished UG (2020) I am Financial background i intrested to do in CFA currently I got financial job as a fresher, how to prepare for level 1? give me some guidance

Is CFA good for knowledge gaining? I’m trying to learn day trading for now but want to know finance and investment in depth and apply practically in real life? Should i do this course? Please guide

Do you know fundamental analysis and technical analysis

I also was pursuing my CFA. I felt like even if I did achieve my goals, I'd be stuck in a life of high-stress and great pay. I decided I'd rather be a software engineer. I hear that lifestyle is relaxing and a bit exciting, and the work is fun. Pay is still pretty great, but time is key. I'm working for a big bank and hate it lol. I'm also 1/3 through my CS degree! I hope you're thriving Sir!!

It was really valuable brother

A person should go for CFA if they feel like they should. CFA is definitely a great certification and not for the weak willed or faint of heart. So if someone is preparing, it's not that you should get demotivated. Also, you never know when a certification will land you a job or a promotion. There's no point pursuing a CFA if your only thought is companies will eagerly wait for you to complete the CFA with a red carpet. Don't get depressed now if you have started. Give it your all. Don't get discouraged by a video which defames CFA and then gives disclaimer that the video is for entertainment purpose. LOL.

Mind 😏wash thanku 🥰😍😍😍😍😍

Are you working Karan??? Or self employed...plz reply

Thanks for the video buddy

Would you rather test your knowledge on your own hard earned money or on an exam?

im pursuing bcom right now and i was thinking of doing CFA. i don't have enough money to go for mba. I'm stirred after watching your video please suggest me what shall I do.

Cfi which year start which month start