Spencer Li Awarded the CFTe (Certified Financial Technician) by IFTA in 2014
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After passing level 1 of the Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) exams a few months back with a whooping score of 86 (passing score is 74), I went on to take level 2 of the exam, and was recently notified that I have passed! Yay! 😀
Table of Contents
What is this Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) exam all about?
Basically, it is something like the CFA exams, but for technical analysts and traders.
Source: http://www.ifta.org/certifications/financial/
What is tested during these exams?
The syllabus is very comprehensive, and not for the faint-hearted. 😀
It took me 2 whole weeks of serious studying/revising to cover all the topics.
Exam Syllabus
How recognised is this certification?
Well, for starters, it is recognised internationally in 26 countries, and it is not easy to achieve, hence it is much more “rare” than the more common CFA.
Source: http://www.ifta.org/about/
Going forward, I think that it is important for SGX or MAS to “force” all trainers to take more accreditation exams or certifications, to ensure their competency and raise the standards of all trainings in the industry.
With the proliferation of blogging and social media, it is now easy for anyone to become an instant market Guru overnight, and start conducting classes for software/training, etc. Having such certifications will help the public discern the real traders/trainers from the lemons in the market, who give the industry a bad name.
Even though I have achieved financial freedom 2 years back, I have never stopped learning – spending over $10k on courses and trainings just last year alone.
Even with my double degrees, I still continue to pursue more lifelong skills, which include certifications, courses, and most importantly I still read at least 1 book a week.
And as I strive to keep improving and continually invest in myself, I hope that through this blog, I am able to help others master the right skills and achieve early financial freedom too!
Cheers! 😀
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Hi spencer, not sure if you received my earlier question. i would like to know in dollar sense your track record while you are with prop trading/private equity firm? i am looking for a trading teacher who has made good money before. Would appreciate if you can share how would you differentiate yourself from other trainers in singapore?
Hi Damian, sorry for the late reply, I was on holiday last week in Boracay. 😀
Percentage-wise, my trading results were about the same as my current trading results, as I was using the same strategies, albeit on a shorter timeframe. Upon leaving, I am not supposed to share specifics of trading profits of the firms, which is why I started my own portfolio and replicated the strategies.
I don’t want to compare myself with other trainers, as I believe every trainer is different, but here is my track record:
– Traded professionally and clocked over 10k hours of trading
– Read over 200 books on trading and investing
– Worked with ShareInvestor, SGX, and many brokerage firms
– Featured numerous times in the media
– Double degrees in Accounting and Finance
– Certified Financial Technician (CFTe) by the IFTA
– Practiced what I preached and achieved financial freedom at 27
– Collection of testimonials (https://synapsetrading.com/testimonials/)
Many trainers simply claim fantastic track records and high returns with selective screenshots, but those are not verifiable.
thank you spencer. and welcome back.That is impressive. Will you be able to share the income you received while with prop firm? i am also interested to know how do you define financial freedom?
As mentioned above, the remuneration and payout arrangement with the funds is confidential.
With regards to financial freedom, during my last seminar, I introduced 2 formulas to calculate it. The simplest way is to make sure your monthly passive income covers your average monthly expenses by 2-3 times, and you have a surplus of 30-50 years of monthly expenses in your net worth.
Hi Spencer, can you help me about CFTe. How hard should i thrive to complete the certification??
i guess it depends on how badly you want it? haha
Hi Spencer, this is Avyay Kapoor from India. I am a Chartered Accountant and currently working with KPMG in Mergers and Acquisition – Taxation department. I am quite intrested to pursue this course but i am confused between CFT and CMT. Which one will you recommend?
Generally the content is about the same, but CMT is more recognised than CFTe. However, CMT has a annual fee you need to pay while CFTe does not. For free daily market analysis, please join our new Telegram channel: https://t.me/synapsetrading
Hi, spencer,
Really impressed with your work. I have done MBA in pharmaceutical management. I wanted to pursue my career in trading only so could you please guide which course would be better for me?
Shall I Go for CFTe or CMT?
Appreciate your help in advance.
Thank you
Regards,
Chintan shah
Hi Chintan, thanks for your question.
In terms of knowledge, both are pretty theoretical, I feel that they are both of little use in terms of actual trading.
In terms of cost, CFTe is cheaper and does not have a recurring cost like CMT which charges annual fees to use the accreditation.
I think CMT also requires a few years of relevant working experience (in finance) to be able to get the accreditation.
So it depends on what you want.
If you are looking for a recognised certification and willing to pay a lot for it, then you can go for the CMT.
If you are looking to get an overview of technical analysis, then CFTe is a cheaper option.
If you are looking to learn how to make money from trading, then I would suggest neither.
Hope this helps.