This assessment validates knowledge of financial analysis and controls, including analysis, reporting, controls, and professional judgment. It is intended for candidates preparing for regulated or specialist finance roles.
Which of the following AIMR Standards states that referral fees must be disclosed in writing to clients or customers?
Omega Prime Securities is a sizable investment bank that undertakes security issuances on behalf of small and medium-size businesses. Treffil Ellis is the senior vice president of corporate finance at Omega. Treffil, on one of his golf junkets, made acquaintance with Tralth Trevor, owner of a growing chain of resort hotels.
Tralth invites Treffil to his estate mansion the next day and over drinks, asks him how fast Omega could issue equity-linked callable notes to finance the $200 million construction of new hotel businesses in Cairo and Bali. He forthrightly tells him that Omega could receive as much as 150 basis points above the normal fee if the issuance could be completed within the month. Treffil knows that this is not enough time to complete a research on Tralth's business and determine the issue price. However, he does know that his research wing could quickly do a comparison with one of the other hotel chains and determine an approximate issue price. He instructs his department to do so. In a month, the public offering is ready for issuance and Omega ends up making almost $15 million more than on other similar business deals. Treffil receives commendation from the CEO for "going beyond the call of duty for his employer." Treffil has
I. violated Standard IV (B.3) - Fair Dealing.
II. not violated any code of ethics.
III. violated Standard IV (A.1) - Reasonable Basis & Representations.
IV. violated Standard IV (B.1) - Fiduciary Duties.
Which of the following statements clearly conflicts with the recommended procedures for compliance presented in AIMR's Standards of Practice Handbook?
Trust Fund is a reasonably successful investment management firm that has as its clients a few pension plans. Trust Fund executes all of its trades with Prime
Brokerage, an average brokerage firm. Prime Brokerage charges higher commissions than comparable players in the market but in return, provides investment research on the stocks which are part of the pension plan assets under Trust Fund's management. Portfolio managers at Trust Fund know about the close relationship on the golf links between Prime Brokerage's chief broker, Ralph Fiennes, and Trust Fund's CEO, Armis Arvanitis. They also believe that the research provided by Prime Brokerage, while not superlative, is quite useful and justifies the excess expense in brokerage. This "soft-dollars" practice is disclosed in Trust
Fund's official documents and contracts but Sisko, a freshly minted CFA charterholder, thinks that Trust Fund managers are in violation of the AIMR code of
Ethics. Which of the following is true?
A financial analyst should conduct himself with ________, competence and dignity and act in an ethical manner in his dealings with the public, clients, customers, employers, employees and fellow analysts.