A skilled leader in the finance industry, Daniel Zimmerman of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, served until recently as a managing director and portfolio manager at Goldman Sachs & Co. He first joined the company as a financial analyst in 2003, and steadily worked his way up at the firm. In addition to his practical experience and bachelor’s degrees in finance and accounting, Daniel Zimmerman of Monmouth Beach holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute.
As part of its efforts to promote the highest standards of education, ethics, and professional excellence in the investment management sector, the CFA Institute maintains several programs that award different designations to professors. Of these, the CFA designation is the highest distinction granted to any professional working in investment management, and has been awarded to only around 167,000 individuals around the world.
To become a CFA charterholder, professionals must complete three levels of curriculum, followed by three exams that pertain to each level. On average, this takes professionals about 4 years to complete and over 300 hours of study per exam level.
The first level of the CFA program focuses on knowledge and comprehension. At this level, professionals learn about different investment tools and are tested on their professional standards and ethical standards. Asset valuation is the primary focus in level II, where individuals must complete a test that examines how they apply their ethical and professional standards to different situations. Finally, level III addresses portfolio management and tests a professional’s ability to apply various standards to a portfolio management context.
Each exam features multiple-choice questions. However, while the level I exam consists solely of these types of questions, the level II and III exams combine this question format with vignettes. Individuals must earn at least 43, 45, and 56 percent on their level I, II, and III exams, respectively, to pass.
About Daniel Zimmerman 