First Financial Coach

Article by Kavita Singh

If you have looked into pursuing an MSc in Finance, you may have come across other degrees that sound similar such as a Masters in Mathematics of Finance, a Masters of Financial Engineering or a Masters in Computational Finance. Several aspects of these courses overlap. So what’s the difference?

The MSc in Finance is intended to prepare students for a wide range of careers both inside and outside the financial industry. It aims to produce finance generalists, whereas these other programs aim to train “quants” – namely specialists in derivatives, fixed income, alternative financial instruments and risk analysis.

Many MSc in Finance programs have no work requirement at all and enabling younger students to apply for MS programs. However, as this is not true for all programs – London Business School and Cambridge University requires that MS applicants have relevant work experience in the finance industry – make sure you understand the requirements in advance.

Some people are confused as to whether they should pursue a MSc in Finance or an MBA with a specialization in Finance. Both degrees can lead you to positions in investment banking and corporate finance. MBA programs have a broader management focus with an emphasis on leadership, while an MS degree enhances your knowledge and skills in specific area which then, which in turn enhances your career and job potential in that specific area. Talk to people in the industry to understand the difference in these job functions, to help you assess what career path you want to pursue. And start planning early in college, so that you have time to explore which career and degree most suited for you. The MSc is generally a 1 year degree and so it is approximately half the cost – a significant advantage.

Even if you decide to pursue a more ‘quant’ degree, you could still end up with a more generalist finance career. Amit Sanghani, who holds a Masters in Mathematics of Finance from Columbia University, says he leveraged the program as a “springboard to get into the finance industry”, joining Bank of America after graduating to work in structured finance. However, if you do want a ‘quant’ job, then an MSc in Finance will not get you there. If you have a computer science background, are strong in mathematics and are interested in finance, a more ‘quant’ based career may well be right for you. If the rest of this article makes your head spin or puts you to sleep, a career as a quant is probably not the right one for you.

So what exactly is a Quantitative Finance’? It is broadly about the Mathematical aspects of Finance. It is a study of the mathematical theories that are used to price and structure the various sophisticated financial instruments used by banks and hedge funds. Although the original ‘quants’ were concerned with risk management and derivatives pricing, the meaning of the term has expanded over time to include those individuals involved in almost any application of mathematics in finance for example statistical arbitrage, algorithmic trading, and electronic market making.

An advanced degree is necessary for most entry level positions in this field. After a Masters in Quantitative Finance you could pursue a career in the following areas:

* A front office or desk ‘quant’ interacts with traders directly, and give trading books an edge through different methods such as time-series analysis, and discovery of predictors/indicators. The objective is to determine prices, manage risk, and identify profitable opportunities. * An algorithmic traders or structure in the Sales and Trading divisions of banks. As an algorithmic trader you would develop trading strategies that exploit the inefficiencies in the market to create wealth. While an algorithmic structurer typically builds the computational tools to model these trades. * In portfolio analytics and risk management you would design the mathematical tools to construct optimal portfolios and manage their risks. Risk management has grown in importance in recent years, as the credit crisis exposed holes in the mechanisms used to ensure that positions were correctly hedged * A quantitative developer. You would develop robust and scalable implementations for the quantitative models that are created by the research guys. * A model validation quant independently implements pricing models in order to check that models are correct.

If you want to get into developing new quantitative models, then you will need a PHD to break in.

And the best Universities to study at if you want a career as a ‘quant’? Having looked at employer surveys, blogs and forums the consensus seems to be the following (not listed in any particular order): University of California Berkley, New York University, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Cornell, University of Chicago, Princeton and University of Michigan. While the degrees are slightly different at each university, ‘quant’ programs typically run one to two years long, are heavily focused on math and have a programming element. Students usually enter these programs either right out of college or after a year or two in the workplace.

Article by Madison Finance

It is quite normal for the people to buy the cars on finance. The cars price is not paid upfront in full in the normal practice. People take recourse to the financing options available to them so that they are not troubled to take the so much money out from their pockets in one go. Rather, they opt for taking a car loan and paying monthly instalments to the finance companies. This car finance arrangement is beneficial for the car makers, car users and even the finance companies. Car makers have more sales, car users fulfil their aspirations and the finance companies act as a crucial bridge between the supplier and end-consumer earning commissions.

If you are looking to have a car of your own choice, you can fulfil your wish without hurting your pocket or making out-of-turn expenses. The car finance companies have different models of working. You can select the one which suits you the best-for personal use cars or for business cars. Here are some of the common models of engagement:

1. Car Lease: In this model, the financer will purchase the car and hold the title to it. It will give the car to the customer for a monthly lease. When the residual life of the car is over, it can be sold at an auction. If the price received at auction is less than the one determined by the official regulator, then the customer shall make good the loss to the finance company. The rationale behind this is simple, that the financer did not want the car for his own use and was a way to facilitate the customer to drive in his sown car. So, there is no reason for him to sustain losses.

2. Hire Purchase arrangement: In hire purchase arrangement, the title of the car is drawn in customer’s name only after he has paid the full amount of instalments and all the instalments. The car finance company holds the ownership or title in this case as well but the open of auction is not open.

3. Chattel Mortgage: In this model of car loan arrangement, the financer does not hold the title to the car. Rather, it is the customer who has the ownership of the car with him from the very beginning. The finance companies do, however, have a charge on the asset because they have provided the loan to the customer for purchasing the car.

4. Packaging the car with the salary of the employee: Many companies have this arrangement called the Novated Car lease arrangement. In this, the employee chooses the car and the employer pays for the car instalment from the salary account of the employee. If the employee leaves, the car and its obligations go with the employee and are passed on the next employer, if he or she so desires. Due to the different natures of these arrangements, it is important that the customer inquires about the incidence of taxation (sales tax, income tax, etc) and the quantum of the same before opting for any one of these car finance options.