YEP WE ARE NOW IN EPISODE #15 (HOW TIME FLIES!).

MY NEXT GUEST IS A BRIGHT YOUNG FINANCE HOTSHOT WHO’S ALSO A REALLY NICE GUY AND REMARKABLY CLEAR SIGHTED AND MATURE.

So this podcast is about the lessons and skills, both personal and professional, learnt by a CFA charter holder in a fascinating journey from engineering graduate through passive/index investing to behavioural science and applied statistics in a global financial services firm. It’s loaded with tips and perspectives that will be of interest to anyone starting a career and not just in finance.

Wow RFM has now reached its 10th episode! So, I decided to make this special. Because you’ve to make an exception for exceptional people. Alan Mathew and Priyanka Awatramani are fresh graduates who have zero work experience. So why on the RFM? Because they recently nailed something noteworthy. Remarkably mature and resilient for their young age, they were part of the amazing Middlesex Uni Dubai team that won the UAE version of the 2020 CFA Investment Research Challenge, a project that Yours Truly managed. They even made to the EMEA finals, the first EVER team from the UAE to do so and one of the 8 teams (out of 45 from all of Europe, Middle East and Africa) to make it…. read the full transcript at www.therealfinancementor.com

One of the coolest things about my role as a Podcast Host is that I often end up having a brilliant chat with extraordinarily successful people who are also fellow CFA charter holders and good friends. I also learn a lot about people, companies, and industries.

On this episode I corner Fadi Al Said CFA who is a big boy with Lazard Asset

Management, and we chat about a raft of topics.

How does one decide early on a career in asset management? Also, incredibly, how do you stay (and rise in that sector) for two decades? How did the charter help? Why the MBA after the CFA? What does Lazard look for when hiring analysts? What traits and skills do you need to break into asset management/research? Is Fadi really related to

celebrity singer Nancy Ajram (!!)? Etc. etc.

Listen, learn, grow.

Yes! Finally, we have an episode dedicated to the big questions. No, not in life but in education.

I tackle some common, important questions that many students don’t know the correct answer to, resulting in them signing up for courses without knowing the HOW or WHAT. Like what careers are CFA meant for? Equally importantly, what careers CFA does NOT prepare you for? What are the pros and cons of CFA vs MBA? How do you get into investment banking? How to pick a career? Etc.

This episode is dedicated to anyone curious about certain finance careers and courses. It is a short, frank, and unbiased analysis that will be of most value before you start your journey.

Realtalk. From the Real Finance Mentor.

Learn more & get the full transcript at www.therealfinancementor.com

Interviews in comfy five-star hotel rooms can make the toughest guest open up! Like this one which is probably my longest yet.

Is it better to be a specialist or a generalist? What are the three skills that many youngsters in finance don’t have yet are essential? Why is it essential that a CFA charter holder or CA should have at least a basic idea of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning? How is AI/ML transforming private banking? How does one get over the fear of public speaking? Why is that one skill that can save you in tough times in any company?

All these and more are answered in my sit down with Vaibhav Jain CFA. From analyst to investment banker to private banker, he’s learnt a lot (and is still learning!) and is full of insights.

Listen, learn, and grow. Learn more www.therealfinancementor.com

From humble beginnings in a small town to massive steel stockyards to banking IT project management to the heart of Investment Banking in London and now back home making an impact in education with CFA Institute, our next guest has gone through a LOT.

How does being an engineer change your way of thinking? What can a MBA from a top global school teach you? How do you jump from IT to IB? How IS it working in investment banking in the City? How do you survive an onslaught of layoffs? Why quit corporate life when you are doing so well? What are the issues holding back youngsters in finance, particularly women? Why should you learn to spiral bind (!!) documents?

All this and more on this episode with Amit Chakrabarty.

I pick my guests because they have a unique story to tell. And this is yet another saga. Listen. Learn. Grow.

At The Real Finance Mentor, we will continue bringing you interesting stories and insights from some of the most experienced people in thE CFA SPACE.

In episode #4 of our podcast, we have Femina Huddani.

I have huge respect for working women who succeed despite multiple challenges. And this lady has reached where most CFA students aspire to be; a portfolio manager! 

Femina left India for the US when she was a teenager. She competed her degree, fought biases, got into research, transplanted to the UAE, struggled her way to the top and oh yes raised a family and nailed the CFA charter along the way. Classic narrative of sheer ambition and persistence, a story I’ve seen at close range for a decade. 

Listen and be inspired.

Head to www.TheRealFinanceMentor.com to learn more.