My CFA ("Chartered Financial Analyst") membership fee came due last month. It is pretty depressing to see US$300 whisked away in an instant. They could have liven up the transaction with a grand display of flying dollars. Heck, even a prerecorded "Thank you for your support" would have sounded uplifting. Fortunately, my company reimburses the fee. So I do not burn a hole in my pocket carrying the three expensive alphabets on my namecard. Unless you are a hardcore FA fanatic or for work reasons, I wouldn't recommend anyone to join the CFA Program. This is because of the rigour of the curriculum, and the sheer amount of time and effort required. (The CFA Institute recommends 300 hours of study.) I am puzzled why people would sign up for the CFA examinations every year, but do not make a serious stab at beating them. 250,000 candidates enrolled for the three levels of exams in 2019...