Financial Calculators That Are Allowed on the CFA Exam

The CFA Calculator Policy is very strict. There are two types of calculators allowed in the exam room:

Texas Instruments BA II Plus (including the BA II Plus Professional)

HP 12C (including the HP 12C Platinum and anniversary models)

The good news is that the HP 12C is the most widely used financial calculator and will be a companion throughout your career. In fact most banks will provide this calculator to their incoming class of investment bankers.

The TI BA II Plus is also an excellent calculator. It might not be as popular as the HP 12C, but it has the same functionality.

I owned and used the BA II throughout college and would never consider changing to the HP 12C for the exam because in a timed test environment, speed is important. My familiarity with the BA II Plus provides that speed.

If you are starting out in college and wondering which one to buy, there is no wrong answer, but know that the 12C comes with a certain cachet because of its long history with the banking industry. Pick one of the two, use it through your undergrad years and then as you study for the CFA knowing that you won’t have to learn a new calculator on top of studying for arguably the most difficult of professional exams.

To buy the 12C or BA II Plus on Amazon, click on the pictures below.

All the best on your studies.

Personalcapital.com Summary of Reviews

Our personalcapital.com review sees a potentially big future for the newcomer to change the game. We like the idea and see the potential in this business model. What are others saying about the site? Below is a summary of the reviews of PersonalCapital.com.

Jeff Battersby at MacWorld says that it is the best personal financial tool that he has used.

Bloomberg tells us that most believe asset management is a face-to-face business. Personal Capital thinks there is another way.

Tom Anderson has a positive review for Forbes. Anderson says that he initially rolled his eyes, “But Harris, a former CEO of Intuit and PayPal, changed my mind during an hour-long interview this week. He has a good sense of what retiring baby boomers want from the marketplace.”

Rafe Needleman has another positive review for CNET. He says, “‘I’m not sure I’d wade into it if I wasn’t seriously considering hiring an investment adviser; but if I was, as a technological consumer I’d probably be more comfortable with this Web-mediated relationship than with a lower-tech solution.”

Tara Siegel Bernard has a more skeptical review in the NY Times Bucks Blog. Her thoughts are summarized as, “For a little more money, you can probably find a certified financial planner who will not only manage your investments, but also help you evaluate your homeowners insurance policy, for instance.” A lot of good comments from readers as well at the end of her article.

 

Let me know if you see other reviews that should be added to the list. humblebroker@gmail.com

The tone is generally optimistic. It is easy to see that this is the way forward in the financial advisory space. If you are looking for free financial planning, free investment tracking, and free expense tracking with an option to purchase additional investment management services, then join Personal Capital.

 

Do Your Federal Taxes Free – Prepare, print and e-file FREE – TaxACT®