MythosHF

I felt that using Schweser only for level I can get the average candidate a pass score. I just read Schweser once without doing any EOC problems and felt that I did decent on the exam, though, I would still wonder a bit if I could have learned ethics and FRA better by using the CFAI books. I majored in finance & statistics in college, and read 8000+ pages of advance finance material while studying for actuarial exams, but I didn't have as easy a time with the accounting stuff. Maybe for level II I would consider reading the accounting stuff from CFAI books. Still, many thanks to Schweser for these concise study guides.

studyn

pennyless, so you're not going to be an actuary anymore? i'm asking because i thought the people who choose that are usually quite certain about their career path

spartanag07

I used Schweser to study ethics but I at least did the EOC questions for ethics from the CFAI texts...I absolutely destroyed those EOC questions because they were easier than both the actual exam, but also the Schweser exam. Sure, the texts go into more detail about the concepts, but they sure don't test you well on what you read...and that can give some people a false sense of confidence.

Benjiko

hueler, I am still going to remain on the actuarial career path, given that I spent a good number of hours to complete the actuarial exams. I have been doing non-traditional actuarial work, such as risk-based capital work for banks and some financial engineering. I think having the charter would a very helpful complement to my current skills and knowledge. At the age of 24, I do want to maximize my learning curve.

Micholien

pennyless, I'm kind of in the same boat. I just took MLC, C, and CFA I this sitting. I don't know how many people can appreciate what that means so I thought I would share it with someone who might appreciate it.

I wish more people in the investment industry recognized the value of the actuarial program with respect to finance and investments. Part of the reason some of us pursue CFA is so that people will know what your damn initials mean.

PEACE!!

btcapital

hawgdriver, that's a lot of exams in the short two months. I definitely know how much stress it could mean to be studying for all of those at once.

The material on the upper level actuarial exams I took, financial economic theory (FETE) and advanced portfolio management (APMV) are definitely monstrous and difficult, but they add much financial economics and investment knowledge to the exam takers. Those two exams and the CFA exams would be good complements for setting a career in either actuarial or investments.

Some people in the investment industry do understand the value of the actuarial credential. There's one actuary I know that got a position in investment strategies with a large investment bank, and competing with him were people with top 5 MBAs and phDs. The position asked for "actuarial experience, CFA, or MBA", and the guy has both the actuarial credential and the CFA and got the job at the end. The actuarial credential will gain more recognition in the future as more of us move out of the traditional actuarial role and work on investment type projects on the Street.

It's definitely not easy to get all the exams on both paths completed but I am sure it will pay off at the end. Good luck!