It's always nice to get something for free. Especially CFA preps

CFA is not for the people with empty pockets. Program enrollment and exam registration fees will cost from $990 to $1395, depending on the timing of application. Plus, it really helps to have some unofficial preps, like Schweser Study Notes, if you don't have time to go through the multi-hundred-pages official curriculum.

So, it's really nice to learn that some of that material is now available for free. Investopedia.com now hosts CFA Level 1 prep, along with Series 6, 7 and 63.

Even after spending 5 or so minutes browsing the site it became obvious to me that this is way too little to pass the exam, but it is still a very useful resource to gain an understanding of the topics covered and occasionally find one of the not-so-complicated formulas online whenever you need them. Not so bad for the times when salaries are not expected to increase for a while.

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Investment Banking Series: Pitch Books

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US fund set to invest in Russian tech hub

The following link to an FT article is an interesting piece of reading. I follow with some comments in Russian. Даже не будучи специалистом в российском законодательстве, и зная об особенностях национального бизнеса только из комментариев бывших одноклассников и знакомых бизнесменов, сразу вижу в этом проекте легко узнаваемый шаблон: президент сказал "надо!", и все бросились поднимать "наш ответ Силиконовой Долине". Начинание похвальное, но оно игнорирует принципиальное отличие Калифорнии от Подмосковья: отлаженную правовую базу. Какие бы там не создавались "зоны" и "технопарки", до тех пор пока регистрация нового предприятия исчисляется не в днях, а в месяцах, никакой "Силиконовой Долины" в России не будет. И как говорится, как бы я хотел, чтобы я был не прав! US fund set to invest in Russian tech hub : "Siguler Guff, the private equity group, will invest $250m in a high-technology hub outside Moscow" ■

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