Did you pay the $1,000 yourself or did a company help you? I'm actually studying for the CFA Level I too. I know exactly what you mean by having ton of useless text throughout those six books. At the same time, there are a lot of interesting things. Obviously being an analyst is irrelevant when it comes to short-term trading, but I feel I got a lot of knowledge out of it. I only plan to do my Level I... I could care less about the other two levels and obtaining a CFA title. I would recommend it to guys that want something to add onto their resumes. I am sure that having that Level I will increase one's chances at getting hired somewhere. Maybe not at a trading specific firm, but surely at most investment companies. But yes, the CFA is not for some people. It is a tough test, with only a 33% pass rate. But there is knowledge gained from parts of the texts.