CFA Level I Foundations
Syllabus map, study plan and the highest-weight topics explained.
Taught by Dipesh Koirala · CFA, Financial Analyst
What you'll learn
- Map the ten CFA Level I topic areas to their exam weights and allocate study hours accordingly
- Apply the Code of Ethics and the seven Standards of Professional Conduct to case-style scenarios
- Solve time value of money, NPV and IRR problems on a financial calculator and in Python
- Calculate and interpret liquidity, solvency and profitability ratios, including a DuPont analysis
- Price a fixed-rate bond and estimate its price change with duration and convexity
- Value a share with the Gordon growth model and cross-check it with price multiples
About this course
CFA Level I Foundations is for graduates, analysts and career-changers who want a clear map of the CFA Level I exam before committing hundreds of study hours. You will learn how the ten topic areas are weighted, build a realistic study plan, and work through the highest-weight subjects: ethics and the Standards of Professional Conduct, financial statement analysis, equity valuation and fixed income, plus the time value of money that underpins them all. Every lesson pairs plain-English explanations with worked calculations you can reproduce on a BA II Plus or in Python, plus exam-style practice questions and the pacing strategy that helps candidates finish all 180 questions with time to spare. You should be comfortable with basic algebra and have looked at a set of company accounts before; no finance degree is required. Independent study material — not affiliated with or endorsed by CFA Institute.
Course content
7 lessons- 1The CFA Level I Exam: Format, Weights and a Study PlanWhat the exam looks like, where the marks are and how to build a study plan you can keep.Preview
- 2Ethics and the Standards of Professional ConductThe Code of Ethics, the seven Standards and a repeatable method for case-style ethics questions.
- 3Quantitative Methods: Time Value of MoneyPresent value, future value, annuities, NPV and IRR on a calculator and in Python.
- 4Financial Statement Analysis: Ratios That MatterLink the three statements, calculate key ratios and decompose ROE with DuPont analysis.
- 5Equity Investments: Valuation BasicsMarket efficiency, the Gordon growth model and price multiples for valuing shares.
- 6Fixed Income: Bond Pricing, Yield and DurationPrice a bond from its cash flows, read yield measures and estimate price risk with duration.
- 7Exam Strategy and Practice QuestionsA mock exam routine, pacing rules and worked exam-style questions across key topics.