The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program is a globally recognized standard for measuring the competence and integrity of financial analysts. Its curriculum develops and reinforces a fundamental knowledge of investment principles. Three levels of examination measure a candidate's ability to apply these principles at a professional level. The CFA exam is administered annually (bi-annually, in the case of Level I) in more than 70 nations worldwide. Please see the CFA Institute web site for more information on the CFA designation. FAQ about the program can be found here.

As an individual investor, you may be wondering Why you should select a CFA Charterholder. The CFA Institute's Individual Investors Home Page offers a series of documents on What Investors Should Know, assorted Investor Resources including a Web Forum highlighting reform issues facing the industry, The Financial Journalist Newsletter to gain insight into the investment industry, Investor Web Links, and the Alliance for Investor Education to facilitate a greater understanding of investing and the financial markets to investors. There is also information about the CFA Institute and the CFA Designation.

As a Member Society of the CFA Institute, the CFA Society of South Florida supports investor education with our regular Society Events. We also offer CFA Candidates a growing number of courses to help prepare you for the CFA exam.

The CFA Society of South Florida (CFA South Florida), the local society of CFA Institute, would like to help you meet the challenge of the December 2009 and/or June 2010 Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) exams. CFA South Florida sponsors several education programs including the only live CFA Review program in South Florida. We help our local candidates by helping to organize Study Groups for Levels II and III, we have negotiated special pricing on study materials, we are offering a scholarship program and we host complimentary practice exams in November and May. Please click below for additional details:

• Level I and Level II Review Program
• Level II and III Study Groups
• Discounts on Study Materials
• Scholarship Program
• Practice Exam
• Annual CFA Charter Award Dinner

The Level I and Level II Review Programs:

CFA South Florida has partnered with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to offer the only live CFA Level I and Level II Review program in South Florida. The Review program features:

• Top-notch instructors. Our classes are taught primarily by senior executives, portfolio managers, and analysts from the South Florida investment community. We also use selected academics in those areas where we believe an academic perspective is important.
• A practical orientation. The majority of our instructors are CFA charter holders. They know from first hand experience how to pass the exam.
• A disciplined approach. Weeknight programs begin in January and run through April, providing structure for a disciplined pace of preparation.
• Comprehensive study materials, including instructor-written study aids, and a set of study notes at no extra cost.

Participants in our CFA Review program have the opportunity to:

• Attend Society programs with portfolio managers, analysts, and executives to hear world-class speakers present their views on important investment topics.
• Receive invitations to social gatherings such as the society Summer Networking Events.
• Network with other top professionals. Develop professional contacts and friendships.

The classes meet weekly on consecutive Tuesday nights, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The program is held at the Office Depot Center for Executive Education at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Campus. The spring Level I and Level II classes begin in mid January and end in late April. The fall Level I class begins in August and ends in November.

We will use the Schweser Study Notes as a guide for the class. Those who register and paybefore the start of the first class will receive a complete set of the Schweser Study Notes, the Schweser QuickSheet and SchweserPro QBank at no extra charge (approximately $600 in retail value). We also encourage you to follow the CFA study guide produced by CFA Institute and strongly suggest you read the specified readings.

REVIEW CLASS REGISTRATION:

Register directly through Florida Atlantic University by visiting www.FAUExecutivePrograms.com/CFA. For questions about the program content, contact Education@CFASouthFlorida.org.

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Level II and Level III CFA Study Groups:

The CFA Society of South Florida would be happy to help you organize study groups with your peers to share knowledge, resources and a study program as you prepare for the Level II or Level III exam. Please send an email to Education@CFASouthFlorida.org if you are interested in connecting with other candidates at your level to form a study group.

A Level III Study Group as been formed. The group is being managed by Neeta Buxani through Google Groups. If you are interested in joining, email Neeta or visit the Google Group.

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Discounted Study Materials for South Florida candidates:

The CFA Society of South Florida is working with Schweser to offer South Florida candidates special CFA® exam product pricing that provides substantial savings compared to retail or even other package pricing. Please send an email to Education@CFASouthFlorida.org for details.

Receive a 15% discount on Schweser study materials by using a special discount code. Use the code when you visit http://www.schweser.com/portal/ to make your purchase. Local candidates can email Education@CFASouthFlorida.org to receive the code.

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CFA® Scholarship Program:

The CFA Society of South Florida and CFA Institute are offering scholarships for the December and June Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) Program for candidates in the South Florida area who have a demonstrated desire and ability to excel in the financial services profession. The CFA Society of South Florida will award an annual maximum of ten (10) scholarships (3 for December and 7 for June). Society scholars must fulfill all CFA candidate requirements to register. If society scholars are students, they must be in the final year of their bachelor's degree program, and attend a college or university within 200 miles of the society.

This scholarship will waive the Enrollment fee and all but US $220.00 of the Registration fee. The scholarship recipient will be responsible for this portion of the Registration fee. If the candidate has already registered and enrolled for the CFA exam and is awarded the scholarship, CFA Institute will refund his/her money less $220.00. Society scholarships are valid only for the specific CFA exam for which the scholarship was awarded. The scholarships can not be used to pay for the CFASFL Level I Review Program.

Click here to download the application and submit to Education@CFASouthFlorida.org by the appropriate deadline. Please Note: The submission deadline is August 7, 2009 for the December 2009 exam January 8, 2010 for the June 2010 exam.

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Practice Exams:

As a service to all CFA candidates (Levels I, II and III) in South Florida, the CFA Society of South Florida offers a complimentary practice exam to help you assess your preparedness for your exam. The practice exam is administered in test-like conditions and will be self-graded. Candidates should use the results of their practice exam to determine which areas of the Body of Knowledge need the most attention during the critical final weeks of study prior to their actual test date.

Practice exams are scheduled for early November and early May each year (approximately four weeks prior to the December and June actual exam dates). Registration for a practice exam is handled through the Events section of the CFASFL website. Registration opens 30 days before the exam - be prepared to respond quickly if you are interested as space may be limited.

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Annual CFA Charter Award Dinner:

The Annual CFA Charter Award Dinner is an ideal event for prospective and current CFA candidates to learn more about the CFA Program, celebrate the accomplishments of our local CFA Charter recipients and interact directly with CFA South Florida members. For more information, see the Events section of the CFASFL website.

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