Study Session 6: Pensions, Employee Stock Options, and Multinational Operations

I’m done with Study Session 5. It took me roughly a week. I’m not yet very comfortable with the different methods of accounting for Mergers and Acquisition, but there is lots of time and I’m sure that I’ll come back to it later. I have started Study Session 6, Reading 24. I have already studied Retirement Benefit Accounting, so this reading should be a breeze. In my accounting class, all that they were focusing on was filling out the Workbook and math calculations, whereas CFA is more about analyzing instead of calculating. Though I have no problems doing math, I think it’s more important for me to learn how to analyze. Anybody can do math, but not every one can analyze data. That is what sets apart a CFA Charterholder from a non-Charterholder. Accounting is great, but it’s very straight forward. Some rules here, some rules there. Learn it up and then just do the math. It’s much simpler compared to Finance.

Enough of ranting.

This week’s schedule:

1. Complete Study Session 6 by next friday. Reading 24 should be done by Monday. (Already know this stuff; those who don’t know about Pension accounting might take as long as 3-4 days. It was quite confusing for me the first time around)
2. Reading 25 is pretty short. I’m pretty sure it will take only a day.
3. Reading 26 is LONG and I don’t know much about Mutinational Operations. So, it will take 3 days probably.

I’ll be back again later to write more about my studies. Happy Studying!