CFA Level I 2014 - Reading 56, Part 1: Introduction, Credit Risk & Capital Structure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5z2TPjZN5Q&list=PLJnX_Qm2u8ejcXIF1ystPaIOibAT9E8Cg

CFA Level I 2013 - Intensive Review Seminar - Financial Reporting and Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXolfaMmLwY




Lecture 22  Finacial Statement analysis
Lecture 24  Financial Reporting Standards 0.41.00
Lecture 25
Lecture 26  Understanding Balance Sheet 1.57.00
Lecture 27
Lecture 28  Financial Analysis Techniques (Ratios) 2.49.00
Lecture 29
Lecture 30  Long Lived Assets PPE & Intangibles 3.59.00
Lecture 31  Income Tax  4.46.00
Lecture 32  Non-current (Long term) Liabilities  5.53.30
Lecture 33  Red flags and accounting warning signs  6.52.00
Lecture 34  Accounting Shenanigans of the Cash Flow Statement  6.58.30
Lecture 35  Financial Statement Analysis:  Applications  7.02.00

Your Cheat Sheet to Financial Professionals

•   
• By Henry Truc
 
• October 12, 2010

What is a financial professional? The term loosely covers anyone that works in an industry dealing with, well, finance. This could be someone as prominent as a stock broker on Wall Street or someone as common as your local insurance agent or tax accountant. Knowing the area of expertise each one deals with will help you pinpoint the right hire to help you meet your financial goals. After all, you wouldn’t have your insurance representative do your taxes or your CPA accountant picking your stocks.

The following is a simple break down of five of the most common industry professionals working in finance. While some responsibilities do blend together and some professionals do double dip in expertise, this guide should help clarify where each professional fits in the world of finance.

Financial Planner

While their services vary widely, most financial planners review the whole of a client’s monetary situation and devise a strategy for accomplishing their savings, debt and investing goals. They also help serve as an investment manager to plan for major expenditures like retirement, college or a home purchase. They may make recommendations for investment products and services that will assist in achieving these milestones.

Credentials: The most common certification that designates a qualified financial planner is a CFP credential. In order to become a Certified Financial Planner, a person must hold a Bachelors degree, obtain at least three years of financial planning experience, complete a CFP Board-Registered Education Program and pass a three-part, 10-hour exam. Continuing education is required to maintain certification.

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Sales ability
• Familiarity with legal restrictions and laws regarding retirement plans, tax shelters, insurance and trusts
• Understanding of complex mathematical concepts, budgets and financial and legal documents

What to Look for: There is no state or federal law that requires a person claiming to be a financial planner to actually be certified. For this reason, you should only hire a professional that has credentials and can provide references.

The CFP Board can be contacted regarding inquiries about particular individuals. In addition to receiving certification, qualified financial planners are registered with the SEC or the state securities commission where the business is located. You should also determine if your financial planner has taken a fiduciary oath to “to act in good faith and in the best interests of the client.” Financial planners are either compensated through fee-only or commission structures.

Financial Analyst

Financial analysts are also known as security analysts or investment analysts. They work for banks, insurance companies, securities firms and other institutions examining financial data to help a company and their clients make investment decisions. The primary duty of most financial analysts is to perform extensive research, write reports and create presentations based on these results to aid in determining the value and appropriate action on investments.

Credentials: It’s recommended that analysts obtain a Masters degree in business administration (MBA) in addition to their Bachelors degree. Analysts may also receive certification by the CFA Institute in the form of a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

In addition to holding a degree, Chartered Financial Analyst candidates are required to pass three exams that cover topics like accounting, economics and security analysis, and have four years of qualified, professional work experience. CFA charterholders are also obligated to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards.

Skills:

• Analytical, mathematical and problem-solving skills
• Advanced knowledge of statistical software and spreadsheets
• Ability to communicate complex financial ideas simply
• Motivated to seek out obscure information
• Possesses in-depth knowledge of the economy, tax laws and markets

What to Look For: Financial analysts are generally employed by institutions rather than individual investors, but you may still be interested in who is making recommendations for your portfolio within a firm. The combination of education, experience and success record will determine how qualified a particular analyst is and a designation as a CFA is seen as a key certification for financial analysts.

Accountant

Accountants keep track of money. Most have a specialty: Public accountants work for public accounting companies and do accounting, auditing, tax and consulting work. Management accountants keep track of the money earned and spent by the companies they are employed with. Government accountants ensure sure that government accounting records are correct and review the records of people doing business with the government. You can also find individual accountants to help you with your money records and taxes.

Credentials: A Bachelors degree in accounting is usually the minimum education requirement. Masters degrees in accounting or business with a concentration in accounting are also available. Any accountant that files a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission must be credentialed as a Certified Public Accountant. Obtaining certification as a CPA requires (in 46 states) completion of an extra 30 hours of related undergraduate college coursework.

Skills:

• Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles
• Proficiency with financial and accounting software
• Extensive knowledge of federal and state financial regulations
• Ability to analyze financial data and communicate effectively through financial reports, statements and projections

What to Look For: It is not necessary for an accountant to be certified, so any additional professional designation is demonstrative of advanced knowledge in their field. A CPA is probably the most well-known designation, yet many other special certifications may be obtained by accountants depending upon their particular focus. One such example is the Certified Management Accountant title conferred by The Institute of Management Accountants.

Stockbroker

Stockbrokers work privately or for stock brokerage houses. They seek out and assist retail clients, including both corporations and individuals, in determining the best investments based on their interpretation of financial data provided by analysts. They then facilitate the transaction on the client’s behalf. Additionally, stockbrokers develop investment plans for clients, maintain records, monitor transactions and review financial reports.

Credentials: While a college degree is not necessarily required, most stockbrokers have one. Many also pursue MBAs, especially for high-level positions. It is required that they are licensed by passing the General Securities Registered Representative Examination, also known as the Series 7. Many states require stockbrokers to pass the Uniform Securities Agents State Law Examination as well.

Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to identify market trends and how they affect investments like stocks or bonds
• Comprehensive understanding of financial health of investments, balance sheets, P/E ratios, etc.
• Recognition skills of unique investment opportunities

What to Look For: Personal qualities and skills are often considered to be even more important than academic training. The track record of the stockbroker is also important. Since they are often entrusted with large sums of money and sensitive information, it is especially important that you trust your stockbroker. Like a financial advisor, you need to determine whether their motivations are dictated by their commission structure or helping you build wealth.

Insurance Agent

Insurance agents are generally the first point of contact between an individual, family or business and an insurance company. They specialize in one or several types of insurance, including life insurance, health insurance and property or home insurance. Insurance agents search for new clients and assist them in selecting an insurance policy. Captive agents work on the behalf of a single company while insurance brokers match the best policy with their client among several insurance companies they represent.

Credentials: The most important aspect of being an insurance agent is sales. Some insurance agents only have a high school education with a proven ability in sales while others obtain a college degree in business, economics or finance. A few schools offer specific Bachelors degrees in the field of insurance. Insurance agents learn most of their skills by shadowing other agents, however. Additionally, most states mandate licensure and ongoing education every two years.

Skills:

• Sales expertise
• Specialized knowledge of particular insurance type
• Aptitude for explaining highly technical concepts
• Ability and desire to stay up-to-date on constantly changing industry and coverage policies

What to Look For: All agents are required to be licensed to sell insurance in whatever state(s) they work. Separate licenses are needed for every type of insurance policy being sold. Most states require that an agent complete coursework and pass an examination before receiving a license. Be sure that any insurance agent you work with holds a license in their particular field, whether it be life, health, auto, property insurance, etc. Agents may also receive additional certification or professional designations by organizations such as The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

You can cut down on a lot of confusion and wasted time by going straight to the professional who meets your financial needs. By above guide to match the appropriate person with what you’re looking for, you should have a good start in finding a qualified industry professional.

http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/your-cheat-sheet-financial-professionals/

CFA Level I Portfolio Management An Overview Video Lecture

Uploaded on 26 Sep 2011
This CFA Level I video covers concepts related to:

• Portfolio Perspective
• Portfolio Definition
• Diversification
• Investment's Contribution to Risk and Return
• Markowitz Framework: Standard Deviation as a measure of Risk
• Diversification Ratio

For more updated CFA videos, Please visit www.arifirfanullah.com.

How To Land A Finance Job With A Bachelor's Degree

Finance is an extremely competitive profession, especially at the entry level. The desks of investment professionals' are piled high with the resumes of students who have dreams of big money, nice cars and getting on the path to being Masters of the Universe by the time they are 30. Finance is also a cyclical job market: when the stock market is booming, finance jobs boom as well, but when returns dwindle, so do the job listings. And even when the market is flush with jobs, finding a good job is key. Follow these five tips to dramatically increase your chance of landing a finance job even before hitting graduation.

Tip No.1 - Land An Internship

For entry-level positions, interviewers do not expect candidates to know much. Many companies have orientation and training programs that teach new recruits the specifics of what they need to know, but having background knowledge is still expected. An internship can help to fill in for the lack of full-time experience and is not as difficult to get as a real job. Internships do not generally require much, if any, prior knowledge. They will likely be based around grunt work, performing tasks that anyone can do, such as making copies. But they provide learning experiences, references, networking opportunities and something tangible to talk about in an interview. Doing several internships also provides a great display of work ethic, which is a sought-after quality in the finance industry. 

Tip No.2 - Start Early

If you start in the summer before your first year in college, you can have a total of four summer internships before senior year. Is it necessary to do that many? No, but why not? Many finance internships are paid, so there are no excuses. If you are going to get a summer job anyway, it is better to do something that will further your career instead of just flipping burgers. The same holds true when attending college in a metropolitan area. Instead of working part-time at the local clothing store during the school year, file papers for a local investment advisor.

Tip No.3 - Diversify Your Experiences

Don't do five internships for equity traders unless you're 100% sure you want to trade for a living. Try to switch it up a little and land internships around the industry. This will help you gain a better perspective in different areas and help you figure out what you really want to do. If you want to research bonds, an interviewer is likely to ask why. If you had an internship in fixed income and another in equities, you can give a more eloquent answer than, "I just like bonds." Also, the different branches of finance are generally interconnected somehow. Portfolio management makes use of trading and research, for example. Knowing a little about how the different sectors of finance work can give you an edge in the job market.

Finally, work hard at any internship you land. The references can be valuable no matter what, but more importantly, impressing your bosses during an internship can be a great way to open doors for a future full-time job with that company. Many of the summer analyst/internship programs at big banks are created to look for entry-level hires for the next year.

Tip No.4 - Learn to Talk the Talk

To get a job in finance, you should ideally pick a business-oriented major like finance or economics. Many companies say that this does not matter, and it is very common to hear, "We hire all majors - we even have art history majors working at XYZ Company." All is not lost for the art history majors, but it is still certainly better to apply for finance jobs with a finance degree.

Another great way to learn is to make reading the financial news part of your regular routine. Pick up a subscription to The Wall Street Journal and/or the Financial Times and read it every day. As a student, you can normally get discounted subscriptions for these publications. Picking up a weekly magazine like The Economist orBarron’s will help expand your knowledge as well.

Immersing yourself in financial reading will help you get used to the terms and jargon of Wall Street, which is one of the biggest hurdles to cross. Do you know what MBS, CDS, BPS, EBITDA and federal discount rate mean? Regularly reading the financial news throughout college will help you pick up all the basics in due time. Even if you are studying this vocabulary in your courses, reading more about finance will help you to solidify that knowledge and feel more comfortable discussing it. Other ways of picking up financial knowledge are reading investing books, from basic to advanced topics, and reading tutorials and guides from financial websites (looks like you're already on the right track there). Treat learning the financial language the same as learning a foreign language. Instead of ignoring words that you don't understand, look those terms up to help broaden your knowledge.

Tip No.5 - Start Your CFA

As stated earlier, the job market in finance is always very competitive. Many applicants will have high GPAs and degrees from good schools and will have done the things listed above. It is always good to go above and beyond to differentiate yourself from the pack. One way of doing this is to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)Level 1 exam. The CFA designation is well respected in the financial industry. You'll need to pass three exams and have four years of eligible work experience to obtain the designation, but the first exam can be taken in the final year of a bachelor's program, either in December or June.

Financial professionals know the amount of time and dedication that the program entails (a minimum of 250 hours of study is recommended per exam), so coming out of an undergraduate program having passed the first exam will certainly make you stand out among other job candidates. The commitment to the program will display your work ethic and dedication to finance.

The Bottom Line

In both good and bad times, it is difficult for undergraduates to land a good entry-level position. Your resume is going to get lumped in with hundreds of others from candidates with strong credentials. The competitive nature of the finance job market means that focusing early, gaining experience with internships and gaining knowledge from following the news and reading will help you stay at the front of the pack. Finally, doing something to break off from the pack, like entering the CFA program in your final year of college, can better your chances of landing a good job. Work hard and good luck!

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financialcareers/08/five-undergrad-tips.asp#ixzz28JbtpWhc

Is A Career In Financial Planning In Your Future?

The job goes by a lot of names, including financial planner, financial advisor and personal financial consultant, but it's rarely called what it typically is: financial products sales. Financial planners earn a living by helping people sort through and choose investments, insurance and other financial products. They do retirement planning, college funding, estate planning and general investment analysis. (To learn more, see What Is A Registered Investment Advisor?)

Obtaining New Business
Finding clients who need those services and building a customer base is crucial to experiencing success as a financial planner, because referrals from satisfied clients are an important source of new business. Whether you find new clients by giving seminars or lectures, through social or business contacts or simply by cold calling, find them you must.

Having a broad social network is one reason that many successful financial planners enter the field after working in a related occupation such as accountant, auditor, insurance sales agent, lawyer or securities, commodities and financial services sales agent. (For more insight, read Financial Advisors: How To Target Ideal Customers, Cold Call Without Getting The Cold Shoulder and Alternatives To The Cold Call.)

What Education Will Lead to Employment?
Financial planning employers look for candidates with a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, business, mathematics or law. Courses in investments, taxes, estate planning and risk management are also helpful. Programs in financial planning are becoming more widely available in colleges and universities.

Financial analysts may also seek the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®), the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations. To read more, see Studying For The CFP Exam.

Generally, a license is not required to work as a personal financial advisor, but advisors who sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds or insurance may need licenses such as the Series 6, 7, or 63. These exams are administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA, formerly the NASD) and in order to take most of these exams, sponsorship by a member firm or self-regulatory organization is required. (For more information, see Which popular professional certification exams do not require sponsorship?)


Where do Advisors Work?
More than half of all financial advisors work for finance and insurance companies, including securities and commodity brokers, banks, insurance carriers and financial investment firms. However, four out of 10 personal financial advisors are self-employed, operating small investment advisory firms, usually in urban areas.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of financial analysts and personal financial advisors is expected to increase faster than the average (by 27% or more) for all occupations through 2014. This is a result of the increased investment by businesses and individuals, the rising number of self-directed retirement plans and the growing number of seniors. Personal financial advisors will benefit even more than financial analysts as baby boomers save for retirement and as a better-educated and wealthier population requires investment advice. In addition, people are living longer and must plan to finance more years of retirement.


Is Financial Planning the Right Career for You?
Take this quiz to help you find out:

Quiz: Is Financial Planning Right For You?


1. How comfortable are you with making sales?
A. I could sell my grandmother a ticket to a SuperNova concert with no guarantee that she'll enjoy the performance.
B. I could sell my grandmother that SuperNova ticket, but I would feel guilty if she didn't like the show.
C. Only a bad person would sell his or her grandmother a SuperNova ticket.

2. At what stage of life are you?
A. I just graduated from college.
B. I've been out of school for a few years.
C. I've been in my line of work for several years, but I'm ready for a change.

3. How much of an extrovert are you?
A. I have been the president of nearly every club I have ever joined.
B. I have enough friends to make me happy.
C. A good book, a room to myself and no interruptions is my idea of heaven.

4. You could be described as:
A. both analytical and a good communicator.
B. analytical, but not a good communicator, or a good communicator, but not analytical.
C. neither analytical, nor a good communicator.

5. At work, I prefer to do my job:
A. completely independently
B. somewhat independently.
C. as part of a team.


6. What appeals most to me about becoming a planner is:
A. the challenge of building a client base.
B. the creation of my own business.
C. the analysis of investments.

7. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for financial planners was $64,750 in 2010 - this includes commission income. How do you feel about that?
A. I've never been average and I'll earn more than the median.
B. That would work for me.
C. Working for commissions only makes me nervous.

Results
If you answered mostly As, then financial planning could be the right career for you. You're energized, not terrified, by the idea of earning a substantial amount of your compensation through commissions. If you have the right connections and the energy level to work that network, you could succeed in this tough career.

If you answered mostly Bs, then you need a back-up plan. Financial planning might work, but you're likely to end up among the 80% of planners who, according to William F. Cole's "The Complete Financial Advisor," are in the business for less than five years. When sales don't work out, what will you do next and how will you sell yourself to your next employer?

If you answered mostly Cs, don't even think about financial planning. If you love the portfolio analysis side, consider working as a financial analyst. If math is your strong subject, go into financial engineering or quantitative analysis. You'll make more money without having to sell all day long. (For further reading, see Becoming A Financial Analyst.)


Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financialcareers/06/financialplanningquiz.asp?partner=pitm022112#ixzz1nirteAfe

CFA Level 1 Course

Table of Contents

 Section 1 to 5

  1. Ethics and Standards

  2. Quantitative Methods

  3. Microeconomics

  4. Macroeconomics

  5. Global Economic Analysis

 Section 6 to 10

 Section 11 to 15

 Section 16 to 17

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/exam-guide/cfa-level-1/portfolio-management/portfolio-management-theories.asp#ixzz1liMGuwDH