thats good news. there aren't any credibility issues with the designation, as people involved with it are very respected individuals. there is certainly lack of familiarity with what CAIA stands for, and what it is, in the non, hf and fof world, but that will change very soon.
good description of the program .... What is the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Program? The Chartered Alternative Investment AnalystSM Program is a new professional designation designed to promote and maintain professional standards for those employed or engaged in the alternative investments industry. The CAIASM Program facilitates both personal and professional development through education and certification. A goal of the CAIASM Program is to become the standard professional credential in the field of alternative investments and to have the CAIASM designation serve as an independent and external validation of competence for all participants in alternative investment markets. The CAIASM designation appeals broadly to hedge fund managers, managed futures advisors, real estate, private equity and venture capital managers, institutional investors, and other professionals in the area of alternative investments. Like many charter programs in finance and accounting, the CAIASM designation is structured as long-distance education and requires candidates to accumulate a level of knowledge necessary to implement various aspects of alternative investment decision-making, both from the buy side and from the sell side. This level of knowledge includes, but is not limited to, asset allocation among traditional and alternative investments, benchmarking, manager, strategy and asset selection, and legal and qualitative differences between different alternative investment strategies and structures.
hot designation for private equity and FOF right now, know several people taking it right now, supposed to be good with networking too. few grads here got great paying jobs in europe-geneva, caia helped them make the contacts.
very glad to hear that! SEC is taking notice of CAIA as well, perhaps the biggest sign the designation is going places quickly. "SEC Outlines Hedge Fund Training Initiative for Staff By Susan L. Barreto, Senior Financial Correspondent 5:11:24 PM ET NEW YORK (HedgeWorld.com)âAddressing attendees at the SIA-Hedge Fund Conference, Securities and Exchange Commissioner Roel C. Campos highlighted what the commission hopes to accomplish with registration of hedge fund managers and how the commission staff is training for it. His Sept. 14 comments released by officials this week illustrate how SEC staff people hope to prepare themselves for uncovering fraud in the hedge fund industry come February. The Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations has developed a rigorous training program for the commission's examination staff, Mr. Campos said. At the center of the effort are bimonthly training sessions that will be coupled with a certificate program sponsored by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, which has offered its certification to the hedge fund professionals since late 2002. The bimonthly training sessions will continue over the next eight months and cover the product (structure, objectives, strategies and style, investment tools and financial instruments); the business (portfolio management, risk management and controls concerning credit, leverage and operations, tax-driven behavior, and use of administrators and outside auditors); and trading practices, valuation techniques, distribution activities and communications with investors. The CAIA program itself is a two-level exam system that focuses on five core areas: hedge funds, managed futures, private equity, commodities and real estate. CAIA officials said a thorough review of traditional finance fundaments and professional standards is included in the certification courses. To date, 2,500 candidates from 46 countries have registered for the certification program, with more than 700 organizations sending participants through the CAIA courses."
for anyone attempting level two, make sure you spend a lot of time on the essay part, reading and re-reading isnt enough, they ask specifics not general questions. As a member, fee for Alternative Investments Journal is discounted to $225 ($540 regular price) and you get 10-20% off on almost all Hedge Fund conferences/seminars throughout the world. There are internal meetings/events as well. Looking through the member directory, its mostly fund of funds, i-bank, and hedge fund personnel.