January 12, 2025

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CFA Vs Masters in Finance #Finance

CFA Vs Masters in Finance #Finance


ryan here and today i’m going to be talking about the differences between the chartered financial analyst designation the cfa and a master’s in Finance

typically referred to as an msf a little bit about me and why you might want to listen to me on this topic back in 2017 i graduated from texas a m with a master’s in science of none;">Finance and in 2020 i was awarded the cfa charter so here is my opinion on which one of these two you should be pursuing first let’s talk cost the cfa program is a clear winner here as on a per test basis between the exam enrollment fees and the prep provider costs that

you spend it will typically be around a thousand dollars per test there’s only three tests so you can really get through this entire program with spending uh less than five thousand dollars usd and also while you’re doing the cfa you’re typically working at the same time so

you’re not taking a year or two off to do this program you’re actually earning a salary and then you’re going home from work and studying when you get home so from a cost perspective uh the cfa is a huge winner for the msf depending on the school you go to it can cost between

thirty thousand dollars and a hundred thousand dollars and typically with the msf this is a full-time program so you have to think about the opportunity cost of the salary that you’re foregoing by spending a year doing an msf um so in this category definitely cfa for the second category

let’s talk about networking opportunities i’m ranking the msf for the masters in Finance as the winner in this category the cfa is generally a solo mission you

basically are doing all of this by yourself you’re not interacting with people you’re in isolation in your apartment or your house or the library studying alone with the msf you’ll go in with a cohort of maybe 50 people that you’ll see basically every day for the course of

around a year and so you really get to know these people and you’re going to have these people as connections later in your career when you’re looking for jobs or potentially they’re looking for jobs they can reach out to you and so it’s it’s just a great way to form

basically professional relationships where as the cfa yes there are cfa societies but i think of it more as an isolated experience for the third category i’d like to talk about prestige now the cfa i’m declaring as the winner here because outside for maybe a few schools the cfa is going

to be viewed as far more prestigious than almost any masters in Finance that you could get and part of why this is is because um the cfa is something you really have to earn

the pass rates are around 45 percent for each test the number of people that will get through all three tests that started the program is estimated to be around 10 percent now that’s not an official number but that’s what i’ve heard estimated whereas the msf is really more of

something that you pay for i mean you have to earn your spot in the program to even get into a prestigious msf program in the first place but once you’re there generally they’re not going to flunk anyone and i mean people in the

style="font-weight: bold; color: #1a73e8; text-decoration: none;">Finance industry they understand this that the msf is very uh difficult to achieve whereas the cfa or i mean that cfa is very difficult to achieve whereas msf it might be difficult to get enrolled but once you’re

there you’re probably going to graduate unless you’re like the worst person in your entire cohort and for the fourth category i’d like to talk about enjoyment and i’m ranking the masters in #1a73e8; text-decoration: none;">Finance the clear winner here so the cfa like i said before is an isolated solo mission it is extremely stressful because most people end up failing it’s very difficult to achieve so it’s and generally it is not fun you’re just

stressed out by yourself studying all the time after you’re done from work it’s not fun uh the msf you’re kind of taking a year off you’re with a bunch of people typically around your age you’re all studying the same things hanging out and it’s not um too

difficult you know it’s challenging and you learn a lot but it’s not quite as stressful so overall just from an enjoyment perspective i definitely enjoyed my time in the masters of none;">Finance program a lot more than i enjoyed my time pursuing the cfa designation for the fifth category i’d like to talk about salary and earnings expectations and i’m marking the cfa designation as the winner here like i said earlier it’s more difficult to

achieve there’s a lot less people that have the cfa so it’s a more exclusive club and it gears itself towards careers and areas of investing financial services work in financial institutions Hedge Funds and so it’s really geared towards these higher more exclusive

career opportunities the masters in science of Finance is not nearly as hard to achieve or prestigious and depending on the school it might not be valued as highly so from a

sheerly a salary perspective i would go towards the cfa if that is what you’re solely motivated by and lastly i’m including the category of variety here i’m marking the masters of text-decoration: none;">Finance the winner because it is very broad it can lead its way towards a lot of different careers whereas the cfa is very niche if you’re getting the cfa it’s only really going to matter to companies or institutions that work in the space of

Capital Markets or investing or financial Risk Management and these types of things for an msf you could you could actually get like a master’s in

Finance and decide that you want to go towards a path in Accounting or something i mean it it wouldn’t be the ideal uh degree to get for a career path

like that but it’s just generally more broad and more people recognize what a masters in Finance is whereas the only people who really know what a cfa are or the people

that work in this specific area of Finance to wrap this up the cfa is the winners in areas of cost salary and prestige so if you’re looking to get the most bang for

your buck spend the least amount of money make the most amount of money off your time invested in these projects and get the certification that is the most prestigious it is definitely the cfa now there’s a very human side to this so the categories that i ranked the msf veteran were variety

networking and enjoyment so the cfa is not fun to get because it’s a solo mission you’re isolated by yourself studying the msf or the masters in Finance is pretty

fun to get because you’re with a group of people typically around your age who are all studying the same thing and you’re not typically working a job the same time so you have a lot of free time once you’re done studying and so i don’t know it depends on the type of person

you are the type of things that you want out of your life and the type of things you want out of the next um two years of your life if you’re going to pursue one of these things and it’s not that one choice is better or better than the other but they’re just different so if you

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40 thoughts on “CFA Vs Masters in Finance #Finance”

  2. Hello bro,
    I am right now 2nd year of my undergraduate i am planning for master in finance should i opt for CFA because i have 2 more years to complete my undergraduate degree?

  4. If interested in Markets. Take CFA. Don’t cut corners taking the fun route and going to adult daycare. You’ll learn more about yourself and develop a stronger love for finance this way.

  7. You can go to a community college and get a certificate or an AA in Finance and a University for an Executive Certificate in Finance. It’ll be much cheaper and it’ll cover exactly what you’ll be doing on a daily basis. It’s literally the best of both worlds 😅

  9. i watched your video and would like to get your opinion on a matter

    I finished my double degree in finance and economics but I don't know if I should study master's degree in economics and start with my CFA program or study master's in finance and then take the CFA. pointing out that I will probably work as a financial analyst or a financial advisor.

    thank you

  10. Can you tell me how exactly hard it is to get enrolled into a tier 1 college for an MS in Finance for someone having a 3.3 GPA and a very basic profile- just a few years of CPA?? Elaborate, please.

  11. Hi Ryan i graduated this year with a Bachelors in accounting but i wanted to shift my career to either finance(masters in finance) or a study in monitoring and evaluation.and i am really confused …any advice please.

  12. Great information Ryan thnaks a lot. i have a quick a question. i have a bachelor degree in english literature and currently pursing a master in managment in uk, can cfa help me in my future career? since i dont have a specified degree in finance?

  15. Thank you, Ryan, for breaking things down in a simple way. I cleared my CFA level 3 in August 2022 and working as a Wealth Analyst in a Private Wealth Management firm in India (complete a year in December). I understand the rigour that CFA involved might not be comparable to the Master's degree, but I am looking to diversify my profile to engage in programs internationally and having a hard time choosing one of them (Masters in Finance, MSFA ). It would be great if you could share your perspective on it and how I should proceed. Thanks!

  21. Since my Concern for CFA is Lack of Opportunities for Networking , What personally do you believe Ryan ? From your experiences, what do you see having a higher value In the Financial industry, A great Network or Exceptional skill ? Because this will highly influence choices of finance aspirants

  22. Hey I don’t know if you will still see this but I’m a senior right now in finance . I’m debating wether to pursue a masters degree in either finance or even computer science ? But I’m really not sure what to do . Do you have any advice if either of the two are worth it

  27. Thank you for your useful video. To make money, I had trouble choosing between two decisions, please help. Work in the Forex market and gain experience and income and be independent. Or continue my education in finance or cfa and get a job. Which way is more profitable. Is it possible to earn money independently by getting a cfa degree without being hired? Please make a video about earning money in Forex market. Thank you

  28. I was thinking to take cfa level 1 then apply to MS Finance in germany , ( study at university while preparing for the rest of CFA L2 / L3 ) do you think it is a good idea please Help ! Thank you so much

  29. Thank you Ryan for the video, just another doubt…For us international students doing a MSF in a top business school … do you think it holds more value than a CFA and expectly more salary?

  32. I have a MSF and am awaiting results for the Level 2 CFA exam. I’m 31 and have spent my entire career working for Registered Investment Advisors. CFA looks much better on a resume than a MSF in my opinion

  35. Hey, I'm a masters in commerce graduate from India. I got an admission in Buffalo for MSF, but I deferred it to spring and got an entry level job in a big 4 a few months ago, now it's time to leave, but I'm not sure what to choose. Either continue with the entry level job and go for an MBA Finance, or go for an MSF now. Any advice?

  38. Ryan , I want to pursue cfa further on caia . I want to go into investment side . Later after work experience I will do mba from ivy league college . What you say ? How's cfa and caia combination ?

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