| Study Tip #47: Don’t Overlook the Balance Multiplier |
| This calculation, which is a spin-off
calculation of Collected Balances Required (CBR), is an important bank
relationship management tool that can be used where you are compensating your
banks for services with balances rather than with fees.
Read more...
|
5/9/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #46: How's Business? |
A common question that comes up in the daily
banter between business professionals is “How’s Business?”. One of the ways
this question can be answered in a more sophisticated manner is to use
financial ratio analysis to develop a more informed judgment as to the
financial performance of your company.
Read more...
|
5/2/2012
|
Comments (2)
| Study Tip # 45: Some Thoughts about Profit Margins |
| I thought it might be useful to discuss each of
the four profit margin ratios to help prepare you to answer potential exam
questions that are designed to test your understanding of their definitions and
more importantly, how each is differentiated from the others.
Read more...
|
4/25/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #44: Some Tips for Studying Yield Equations |
| I’ll be suggesting some study tips to help
you prepare for exam questions where you will be required to recall and solve
yield equations.
Read more...
|
4/18/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #43: The Ins and Outs of Options Pricing |
| You will most likely be faced with having to answer exam
questions that require an understanding of both "option-eze” (e.g. In-the-Money, Out-of-the-Money,
etc.) and the factors that determine the
value of an option.
Read more...
|
4/11/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip # 42: Doing the Seller's Discount Two Step |
| A short cut procedure for calculating, in two steps, the benefit to a seller for offering a cash discount to its customers
for making early payment.
Read more...
|
4/4/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Final exam review After working my way through all 17
chapters, I’ve amassed an impressive collection of flashcards.
Read more...
|
6/29/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I found the exam questions slightly more direct and
easier to follow than the online post-test questions
Read more...
|
7/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
| So it was down to crunch time. With one week to go, I
fit in as much review as possible. I mapped out how I planned to use my last
week, and decided to focus on the chapters I was scoring poorly on.
Read more...
|
7/13/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Now I’ve finished reading all the textbook material.
Completing this so quickly has given me a temporary sense of relief: I’ve still
got five full weeks for review.
Read more...
|
6/15/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I’ve only entirely read each chapter once and then
gave them a quick skim before taking the test. I plan to invest more time in
review for module 5 before taking the test to see if it helps my score and
confidence in the materials.
Read more...
|
6/1/2012
|
Comments (0)
| As I’ve mentioned, my wife’s been going through a lot
of my flashcards, and it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. She’s actually
started memorizing some of the cards – not just the answers, but also the
questions.
Read more...
|
5/18/2012
|
Comments (0)
It’s
amazing how a week can slip by so quickly, but I think if I added up my total
hours of studying for this week, they would total less than five. I guess I
should look on it as a mini-break and really throw myself into things next
week.
Read more...
|
5/4/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I’m
studying every morning, four nights a week, and at least a full day on the
weekends, so I feel like the time I’m putting in will pay off at the end. Right
now, a lot of that time is going toward my initial reading of each chapter.
Read more...
|
4/20/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I bought a box of 500 lined index cards, and I’ve
already taken a large chunk out of it.
Read more...
|
4/6/2012
|
Comments (0)
| One of my first goals was to determine the most
productive times for me to study. I’m able to get up in the mornings and study
for nearly an hour before I leave for work. I find at this time I’m most alert
and energetic.
Read more...
|
3/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| As most of my experience is with one company, I hope
the CTP will fill in the areas I have not yet experienced, giving me the
technical skills to fully develop my treasury abilities.
Read more...
|
3/9/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The online format of the test is extremely helpful
from a strategic and timing perspective.
The remaining time is in the top right corner of the screen and you can
skip and “flag” or mark questions that you want to go back and review later. I would recommend highly utilizing this
functionality as this prevents you from spending too much time on certain question
Read more...
|
7/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
With the last few hours tonight and
tomorrow morning I’m planning on reviewing my typed notes – looking for key
definitions, lists, terms, laws, agencies, etc to refresh my memory. In addition, I plan on going through about 10
final review questions from the Learning System in the morning prior to leaving
for the exam just to get myself into the test tasking mode. Wish me luck!
Read more...
|
7/9/2012
|
Comments (1)
| Since my last blog, I have finished the three last
modules (4, 5, & 6). In order to
break up the monotony of just taking practice question after practice question
I also reviewed all of the flashcards and definitions.
Read more...
|
5/25/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I have also found the AFP Learning System extremely
useful. I took the Pre-Test for the
second time and my score has increased, but not significantly from when I took
the exam about a year ago before I opened a booked to study.
Read more...
|
6/11/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Tonight I will take the first mock exam on the online
AFP Learning System in order to gauge where I am at in my studies and in
particular the chapters that I will need to review the most. I have three weekends left before the exam
and I believe during the weekends is when I can really get a large amount of
studying accomplished.
Read more...
|
5/28/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Most of the concepts except for
cash forecasting do not relate directly to what I do on a day to day basis, but
certain concepts like issuing commercial paper, long term debt, issuing equity,
MMF investments, fixed income portfolio, FX hedging and management are specific
of my greater Treasury department. The
text has expanded my knowledge and understanding in these areas.
Read more...
|
5/14/2012
|
Comments (0)
| At this point I believe I encountered my hardest
chapter yet, Chapter 10, Payment Systems, Collections and Disbursements. This chapter is extremely dense with
definitions and will require patience.
From my memory recollection I believe it is also the longest chapter as
well – the page count seems to be double, triple, and quadruple some of the
other chapters.
Read more...
|
4/30/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Although I have been previously studying in sequential
order and am only currently on Chapter 8, it was my turn to present to my study
group and therefore I had to skip ahead to Chapter 13 – Financial Decisions and
Management and focus on the details of that specific chapter.
Read more...
|
4/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Specifically,
the Excel document will serve as a formula reference guide which I hope to use
either directly to memorize formulas or can be turned into flashcards. The Word document can also be used later to
create flashcards for definitions of any unknown content.
Read more...
|
4/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| This time around I am still readingthrough all of the chapters and decided to start from the beginning again onChapter 1, but the difference is that I am outlining/ taking notes in MicrosoftWord.
Read more...
|
3/19/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
heard about the SFMTA study group for this December/January testing session via
an email I received and I decided to join the study group for various
reasons. Mostly I was hoping it would
keep me focused and help me track my studying.
Read more...
|
3/5/2012
|
Comments (0)
| While studying the calculations I reverted back
to grade school. When I found myself
struggling with one I actually wrote it at least three times then practiced
solving it with numbers
Read more...
|
6/22/2012
|
Comments (0)
| My first piece of advice
to anyone reading this would be to start earlier than I have on gaining an
understanding of the calculations. I’ve
known about the exam for almost a year now and at this point I feel there is no
reason that I shouldn’t have been looking at the calculations before now.
Read more...
|
6/8/2012
|
Comments (0)
| One positive point is that the when I have
practiced the calculations they are coming to me easier than I thought they
would. I still remember many of them
from college classes so the practice has been more of a refresher for me.
Read more...
|
5/25/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
understand the basic definition of puts, calls, options, and forwards. However, when it comes to answering questions
about the details involved with each of those I get confused.
Read more...
|
5/11/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Currently, my struggles and concerns are mainly
the calculations. I’ve seen just about
all of the calculations in the book before in school but there are just so many
Read more...
|
4/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
As those of you who work in retail
know, December and January are very busy.
We are getting ready to close the year in January and all the
preparation begins in December. Luckily,
I have still made the time on Friday afternoon to study.
Read more...
|
4/13/2012
|
Comments (0)
Just over a month before the exam and time to
step up the studying. I made it through
final exams at school and am now ready to dedicate much more time to the CTP
exam.
Read more...
|
3/30/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The
hardest obstacle I’ve had to overcome over the past couple of weeks has been
work/life balance.
Read more...
|
3/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
My first thoughts as I begin to study for the exam
are “how am I ever going to get through this entire book and retain anything to
take this test?”
Read more...
|
3/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| In
retrospect, I am glad that I took the test when I did, but that is only because
it is over and I passed. I know I did not give myself enough time to
study.
Read more...
|
7/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
managed to answer all of the questions in a bit over 2 ½ hours. I quickly
looked to see what I had flagged for review.
Read more...
|
7/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| After
test four, I took a break. I went to yoga and took a quick run, something I had
been denying myself but I desperately needed for my sanity.
Read more...
|
6/18/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
am continuing to take the tests at the end of the chapters. I am hopeful I am
not just memorizing the answers, however, as the numbers and questions don’t
change.
Read more...
|
6/4/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I am starting again at the beginning, so today I went back
through modules 1 and 2. These modules are a bit like the first few chapters in
a textbook you had in high school; easy as can be but the foundation of
everything that is going to come down the line, so you better have a good
understanding of what they mean.
Read more...
|
5/21/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The
good news is that everything is read now and I can begin studying by review,
which I find much more enjoyable.
Read more...
|
5/7/2012
|
Comments (0)
| But
the bright side is that most of the questions I got wrong are from modules 4
and 5. Furthermore, it shows that the AFP Learning System is posing questions
that test the person’s knowledge who is studying for the test. They are not
“gimme” questions at all.
Read more...
|
4/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Policy
and procedure feel intuitive to me, as does most of risk management, so the
hurdle I have in module 6 will be the learning of the technology standards.
Read more...
|
4/9/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
shifted gears and began to study the later chapters. One thing that I am having
trouble with in the later chapters is trying to make flashcards. For example,
Chapter 16’s “Policies and Procedures” section seems so intuitive it made for
easy reading, but hard to put onto flashcards
Read more...
|
3/26/2012
|
Comments (0)
| What
is my solution to the winter darkness? Stay home longer and study!
Read more...
|
3/12/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
am two and a half weeks into my study schedule. As usual, things have not gone
as planned.
Read more...
|
2/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip # 41: Currency Futures: What's the Value of My Margin Account? |
| The following three calculation steps can
enable you to calculate the value of a margin account at the end of any day.
Read more...
|
3/28/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #40: FX Swap Re-Visited: Cash Flows Perspective |
| An approach you could use to learn how currency swaps
work is to identify the various cash flows that take place over the life of the
swap.
Read more...
|
3/21/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #39: Non-Cash Charge Enigma |
A better understanding of the "non-cash charge" accounting concept and, more
importantly, how it is connected to other accounting subjects in the BOK that
you might find in the form of CTP exam questions.
Read more...
|
3/14/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #38: Add This to Your CTP Exam Toolbox |
| Here's some hints on using the on-screen calculator at the testing site.
Read more...
|
3/7/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I decided to take the CTP exam shortly after
starting my current position. When I was hired for the position the CTP
credential was mentioned as something that management in the department would
like me to obtain
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Ten years into my finance career, I decided to study for the Certified Treasury
Professional designation to ensure I have the technical skills to give me a
professional edge in an international job market.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I decided to sign up for the CTP about a year ago and initially signed up for the last exam window. The
study tool I used was the AFP Learning System: Treasury, 3rd Edition. I
took the online Pre-Test to understand where I needed improvement and then
began studying.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I will be using the AFP Learning System to study; there are six modules. I intend
to work through each module in two weeks, reading, utilizing homemade flashcards
and using the online tools provided. I will carve out 1 hour in the morning
each day to study
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| CTP Exam Prep Blogs: Introduction |
| Welcome to the CTP Exam Preparation Blog. We will be
featuring four guest bloggers who, like you, are CTP candidates. Read about
their journey as they prepare for the CTP exam.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip# 36: Time for a brain dump |
| If you choose to practice the "brain dump", do so only after you've officially started the exam or you risk being locked out of the exam and forfeiting your appointment and testing fee.
Read more...
|
12/5/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip# 35: Ready for some alphabet soup? |
| It is a truism that every group or organization of people with a common
interest will create their own verbal “shorthand” with regard to ideas,
concepts, and practices considered typical in that common interest
Read more...
|
11/28/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip# 34: Another study tip: Focus! |
| Regardless of your experience, there are going to be topics and subjects that are unfamiliar, or less familiar, to you.
Read more...
|
11/14/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #33: There’s soooooo much material, and so little time left, what can I do? |
| Was your study plan realistic, or were you ‘optimistic’ about yourself, your time, and your study habits, when you put it together?
Read more...
|
11/7/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip#32: What are all these questions? |
| Just in case you haven’t noticed, there are lots of questions, not only
in the BOK, but in the study stuff, the online study stuff, the
pre-test, the post test, the chapter tests, and even into your
nightmares and daydreams.
Read more...
|
11/7/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #31: Where am I? |
| When you get somewhere early, you can always use the extra time to
relax, review your note cards one more time, or practice your yoga.
Read more...
|
10/31/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #30: 2 plus 2 equals 476,817.03 |
| When you have a calculation question, hopefully the formula will appear
in the air in front of you and show you the answer. If that doesn’t
happen, take your best estimate at it.
Read more...
|
10/24/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #29: Who’s your buddy? |
| One thing I recommend to everyone studying for the exam is to find a ‘study buddy’ to work with.
Read more...
|
10/11/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #28: Don’t sweat the small stuff |
| There are lots of calculations in Treasury and they're all different,
depending on what part of Treasury you find yourself working in.
Read more...
|
9/30/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #27: Meet Your New Blogger |
| It is my intention to use this blog to share with you as much of what I
have learned as a CTP teacher, and as a practitioner in Treasury, as I
can squeeze into these postings
Read more...
|
9/21/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #26: Going the Distance |
| If there is any lesson to be learned here, it might be “when you think
you’ve gone as far as you possibly can, go a little farther”.
Read more...
|
4/25/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #25: Some Tips for Studying Financial Ratios |
| Hhere’s a couple of tips on how to prepare to answer financial ratio questions.
Read more...
|
4/19/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip#24: Keeping it Simple, Again. |
| So, in keeping with this practice of reducing equations, where possible, to their simplest terms, here is a similar discussion of the Exponential Smoothing equation.
Read more...
|
4/11/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #23: Keeping it Simple |
| Today, I’m going to give you an equation from the BOK that I’ve restated in less complicated terms.
Read more...
|
4/5/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #22: The Budgeting Process Endgame |
| The ritual of the annual budgeting process, as those of you who have
managerial responsibilities can attest, is a sometimes burdensome
activity that can go through several iterations before it’s “blessed” by
senior management.
Read more...
|
3/28/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #21: Foreign Exchange Conversions: An Alternative Method |
| So, some years ago I introduced an alternative method for solving $/FX conversion questions that utilizes a little bit of “off-the-shelf” math that is based on the concept of “proportional relationships”.
Read more...
|
3/22/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #20: Some Tips for Studying Short-Term Investing and Borrowing Equations |
| ...whether you’re calculating the interest earned on a short-term investment or the interest expense of a short-term borrowing arrangement, these equations are all a variation of the same underlying theme...
Read more...
|
3/14/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #19: Capital Budgeting Redux |
| ....using triage as a metaphor for capital budgeting helps build a better understanding of why senior management must employ a triage-like process when allocating the company’s, sometimes limited, resources to fund capital investment proposals....
Read more...
|
3/8/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #18: Capital Budgeting: A Study in Triage |
| ...the subject of capital budgeting can be unfamiliar territory because of their limited exposure to this activity.
Read more...
|
2/28/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #17: No Calculation Left Behind |
| ...I’d like suggest a strategy that might increase your chances of answering this type of calculation correctly
Read more...
|
2/23/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip# 16: The Peggy Sue Conjecture |
| An understanding of a couple of basic algebraic “tricks” can help you to prepare for CTP exam calculations in two ways.
Read more...
|
2/14/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #15: Preparing for a CTP Exam Review Course |
| This fast-paced course is designed to help you prepare for the exam by
strategically focusing on key terms, concepts and calculations found in
each chapter of the BOK and as such is not a page-by-page review of the
text.
Read more...
|
2/8/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #14: Ready, Get Set, Go! |
| If you’re planning to take the CTP Exam in the June-July 2011 testing window, you might want to consider starting to study for the exam on Feb. 1st. At a minimum you should setup a three month study schedule, which in this case would be March – May.
Read more...
|
1/31/2011
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #13: How Do You Eat An Elephant? |
| I suspect that when some CTP candidates are confronted with the amount
of subject matter in the BOK that needs to be studied in order to pass
the CTP exam, they procrastinate and don’t start studying until just
before their exam date. If this is the case, they adopt a” cramming”
preparation strategy and for most people this is not a recipe for
successfully passing the exam.
Read more...
|
12/8/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #12: Preparation Strategies for Basic Content Questions |
| Roughly 35% or 60 questions out of the 170 questions on the CTP exam test your knowledge of basic facts and terms.
Read more...
|
11/30/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #11: When in Doubt, Guess! |
| You will not be penalized for guessing on the CTP exam which means that
you should not leave any question unanswered. So here are some tips
about guessing.
Read more...
|
11/15/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #10: The Dark Side of Data Surfing |
| Data surfing helps us in this daily information screening effort by
quickly reducing information to a manageable number of “data bites”.
Read more...
|
10/25/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip# 9: Working with FX Dealers |
| Test your understanding of the Bid-Offer Spread concept and how it is used when working with FX dealers
Read more...
|
10/12/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #8: When “Crunching the Numbers” is not Required |
| You could be asked a conceptual question about a
given calculation rather than being asked to just do the calculation
Read more...
|
10/5/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip#7: An Options-ese Primer |
| Here’s a little Options-ese/English translation and some ideas for
remembering what Financial Risk Management terms mean in case you get an exam question that
uses this specialized language.
Read more...
|
9/27/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #6: Lockbox Cost-Benefit Template |
| The ETM devotes a fair amount of time to lockbox processing systems in
general and specifically to determining the cost or benefit of moving
remittance processing from a company in-house processing center to a
bank lockbox
Read more...
|
9/14/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #5: Clarifying Operating Cash Flow |
| Operating Cash Flow is, for many people, the most difficult to
understand and especially confusing is the section that shows sources
and uses of cash generated by changes in Current Assets and Liabilities
Read more...
|
9/8/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #4: Connecting the Dots |
| Connecting the dots between higher order concepts and their associated topics can help you prepare for the CTP exam.
Read more...
|
8/30/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #3: Doing a Financial Statements Walkabout |
| An understanding of how financial statements are structured and how to read them is critical to successfully answering potential exam questions ....
Read more...
|
8/24/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #2: Quickly Determining Funds Availability |
| Understanding how to determine when a check becomes available (ie: collected or “ usable funds”) is necessary to answer exam questions that test your knowledge of the US payments system.
Read more...
|
8/17/2010
|
Comments (0)
| Study Tip #1: The Search for the Operational Context |
| Over the years of training CTP candidates to take the certification examination, I’ve found that there’s a lot of anxiety regarding the calculations. One technique I’ve used to help reduce “calculation anxiety” is to present the calculations in their operational context. This approach answers the two questions regarding any calculation which are; “So what?” and “Who cares?” In other words, why is it important and how does it support day-to-day decision making. I believe that this preparation technique can help you learn how to “crunch” the numbers as well as answer conceptual questions concerning a given calculation.
Read more...
|
7/28/2010
|
Comments (0)
| About the CTP Exam Prep Blog |
| Welcome to the new CTP Preparation Blog! Here’s another resource to help you prepare for the CTP exam.
Read more...
|
2/15/2013
|
Comments (0)
|