Assaad El Turk

FRI transformed me into a finance professional ready to take on high work responsibilities.

Having followed the comprehensive tutoring sessions, my career switch from the Navy to Investment Banking could not be smoother; soon after I joined my new job as an analyst, the analytical eye that FRI’s professors have enhanced in me quickly came into play, helped me grasp the work technicalities and enabled me to actively contribute to the work process sooner than anticipated.

FRI’s trademark commitment to its students is by far the strongest asset that any CFA candidate aspires to have during his preparations. FRI’s professors strive during the preparatory courses to make  he students’ experience not only abundant in knowledge, but also optimal in time and effort, and importantly pleasurable. Besides teaching the curriculum, FRI’s classroom often becomes a small think-tank with live discussions on market matters and hot financial news covering the national and international markets. This rich addition provides the candidates with a strong edge very often employed at the workplace and even in social discussions.

FRI currently attracts many ambitious candidates from Lebanon and from abroad to help them take the extra mile in earning the CFA charter. FRI’s classroom is not only an intellectual trigger, but is equally a great place to meet candidates from across the nation and share with them the preparations experience. Attending the classroom is also a great opportunity to meet professionals working in various organizations in Lebanon and abroad. In fact, one of my classmates at FRI has kindly assisted in my job search, and soon before the CFA season ended, I also became her work colleague.

Like other candidates, one of my major challenges during the CFA seasons was to efficiently manage my time and energy between preparing well for my exams while working full-time; I remember those nights when I was reading my CFA book on the bridge of a patrol vessel while simultaneously supervising the bridge crew and keeping an eye on foreign warships standing off our national water borders. Succeeding the CFA exams while working in an alien environment was made much easier to me thanks to FRI’s thorough teaching sessions and close follow-up from its professors.

Equally to those who already work in finance or those who are contemplating a career in finance, FRI’s courses lend you a load of passion and motivation for what you do or envision to do. FRI also helps you materialize the theories written in the books by delivering rich illustrative examples drawn from recent events occurring in the industry.

This being said, I hardly see FRI’s courses as only a means to pass your CFA exams; I see them as a valuable tool that is well-designed to provide finance professionals and career switchers alike with an abundance of skills and knowledge needed to succeed anywhere in finance or in banking.


Associate Banker at EBRD

CFA Levels Passed with FRI: Levels II and III