Private Wealth Pathway: Best suited for those who enjoy advising individual clients and holistic financial planning. You likely excel at building client relationships and tailoring solutions to personal goals. Candidates inclined toward this path often have backgrounds or aspirations in wealth management, financial planning, or relationship management. This pathway’s content focuses on serving high-net-worth individuals, including topics like family wealth dynamics, tax and estate planning, and managing portfolios with an emphasis on client-specific goals. A candidate for Private Wealth finds fulfillment in helping clients achieve life milestones and preserving wealth across generations.
Private Markets Pathway: Best suited for those who are deal-oriented and interested in private investments and corporate finance.You likely enjoy the process of sourcing opportunities, performing due diligence, and structuring deals. This pathway is ideal if you are targeting roles in private equity, venture capital, investment banking, Mergers and Aquisitions , or corporate development. The curriculum is centered on the General Partner perspective in private markets – covering private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, and infrastructure investments. A candidate for Private Markets tends to thrive on negotiating transactions, working on long-term investment projects, and is comfortable with illiquid investments and the associated risks and rewards.
Portfolio Management Pathway: Best suited for those passionate about public markets and the art/science of managing investment portfolios. You likely enjoy analyzing market trends, selecting securities, and constructing diversified portfolios. This is the traditional CFA path, fitting candidates aiming for investment-focused jobs such as portfolio manager, equity research analyst, or hedge fund manager. The pathway emphasizes portfolio construction, optimization, and performance measurement for assets like equities, fixed income, and derivatives. A candidate for Portfolio Management is often quantitatively inclined, interested in macroeconomic factors, and motivated by achieving risk-adjusted outperformance and managing funds for institutions or large client bases.