Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst^SM

Welcome to the Schweser CAIA® Public Blog. The most recent articles are posted below. Click each article's title (or "View the full article") to see candidate comments or to post your own feedback. You can also view the most recent comments. Previous articles are listed at the bottom of this page. Please view our Blog Guidelines for additional information:

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  The Blog is dedicated to a single overriding purpose, to help candidates study and learn more effectively and to pass the upcoming exam. With that in mind we invite postings and comments that further this goal. Study tips, motivational items, ideas on how to remember formulas, ideas about how to better or more easily understand concepts, and tips on how you use specific Schweser materials to learn the material are all encouraged. This is certainly not an all inclusive list.

  Personal, even humorous, accounts of obstacles to reaching your study goals (pregnancy, job change, mean boss, neglected spouse, etc.) that you face (and hopefully overcome) would certainly be in the spirit of this Blog and potentially helpful to other candidates. Questions about curriculum topics or real world applications of the curriculum are welcome as well. Given the number and varied backgrounds of Kaplan Schweser customers you may get very helpful answers and comments.

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The mission of this Blog is to facilitate communication among CAIA candidates throughout the year.

Most Recent Articles

By Derek Burkett, CFA, FRM, CAIA

Candidates frequently ask us which topic is best to begin their CAIA study program. The answer will vary depending on each candidate’s circumstances, but here is some general advice to help get you started. I’ve summarized the advice based on a few types of candidates (note this list isn’t all inclusive). 

Out of Practice Candidates 

If it’s been a while since you were in school or studied for a high-stakes exam,...

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By Derek Burkett, CFA, FRM, CAIA

We frequently hear from investment professionals who are considering the CAIA program, but are unsure of their readiness to become a Level I candidate. To help candidates assess their preparedness, the CAIA Association created the Foundations of the CAIA Curriculum (http://caia.org/caia-program/curriculum/foundations). This curriculum covers fundamental concepts in finance and serves as the base level of knowledge for candidates...

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By Derek Burkett, CFA, FRM, CAIA

An article by Richard Stolz in the Journal of Financial Planning (titled: Investigating Alternative Investments) highlighted the relevance of alternative investments in wealth management and spent considerable time discussing the CAIA designation as a method to obtain specialized knowledge in alternative investments. If you have access to the article, give it a read; it’s quite interesting. 

Stolz cited Keith Black, associate curriculum director at CAIA Association,...

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Archived Articles