Upgrading your financial knowledge

By now, everyone in the business community should be preparing for the business environment of the future, with the advent of more disruptive technology and A.I. (artificial intelligence).

And although there are still debates on what new skills would be needed, there is consensus on the importance of specialized skills instead of just general management expertise.

For financial services skills, the Chartered Institute for Securities & investment (CISI) is a globally recognized qualification that gives those who pursue it a good chance of achieving success.

Major banks and financial organizations worldwide use CISI qualifications to benchmark the knowledge of their staff.

Some of CISI’s worldwide corporate supporters include the following: HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citi, UBS, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse.

We asked Mark Valino, who passed the CISI exam on International Introduction to Securities and Investments and will conduct review classes on it, why he decided to take on the CISI qualification.

Why did you aim for CISI, when you already have other certifications?

I got interested to take the CISI because I find the program and membership framework welcoming rather than intimidating. The exams are ladderized but focused and leading to a specialization.

After the exam, I realized that the questions are meant to test application/analysis more than just simply mastery of concepts.

The review tools were really helpful as they are easy to comprehend.

What makes CISI different?

The flexibility. Most other certifications are needs-based. A person who seeks one takes it according to his/her personal career or corporate succession planning goals. Furthermore, most certifications offer a predetermined, linear track or straight path to the title. With CISI, interested takers can secure the certification through different paths according to their preferred skills and/or fields.

Were the exams hard?

CISI wants to reassure interested takers that this is not necessarily so. Most other certifications highlight how hard the exam is. CISI takes a different approach by focusing on the learning outcome and helping students to pass the certification successfully through review classes.

Inquirer Academy is an accredited training provider of CISI. The Academy will conduct a review class for those who wish to take the International Introduction to Securities & Investment Exam (which is a requirement for the Investment Operations Certificate) on Sept. 8 and 15, 2018.

To know more about CISI, you may visit www.cisi.org.

The Inquirer Academy is at 4168 Don Chino Roces Ave. corner Ponte St., Makati City. For more information about the workshops or if you would like to add your input on the article, you may e-mail [email protected], call (632) 834-1557 or 771-2715 and look for Jerald Miguel or Judy Bondoc.