When I was preparing for the CFA exams, I constantly wondered what my actual day would look like once I started working as a CFA-certified analyst. The curriculum teaches you how to value bonds and analyze financial statements, but it tells you nothing about the rhythm of a real workday. Let me fill that gap.
I will walk you through a typical day as experienced by CFA charterholders in different roles — equity research, portfolio management, and wealth advisory. These are composites drawn from my own experience and that of dozens of colleagues across the industry.
The Equity Research Analyst: A Typical Day
6:30 AM — Pre-Market Preparation
The day starts before the market opens. You scan overnight developments — US market close, Asian market movements, global macro news, and sector-specific events. If a company you cover reported earnings after market close yesterday, you have already read the press release and are preparing your initial take.
A quick scan of your Bloomberg terminal (or Refinitiv Eikon, depending on your firm) reveals pre-market price movements in your coverage universe. You flag anything that needs immediate attention.
8:00 AM — Morning Meeting
Most research teams have a morning meeting where analysts present their key calls for the day. This is your 3-5 minute window to tell the sales team and portfolio managers what matters. You might say something like: “Company X reported earnings 12% above consensus. Operating margins expanded due to lower raw material costs. Maintaining our Buy rating with a revised target price of Rs. 850.”
These meetings are fast-paced. You need to distill complex analysis into crisp, actionable insights. This is where the communication skills you never studied for the CFA exam become critical.
9:15 AM — Market Opens
The Indian market opens and you monitor how your covered stocks react to any overnight news. If there is significant price movement in any of your names, you might publish a quick note — a “flash update” — to clients.
10:00 AM — 12:30 PM — Deep Analysis Work
This is the core of the job. You might be:
- Updating your financial model for a company that just reported quarterly results
- Building a DCF valuation for a new coverage initiation
- Analyzing industry data to identify trends affecting your sector
- Comparing a company’s margins and growth rates against peers
This is where your CFA training directly applies. Financial statement analysis, valuation techniques, industry analysis frameworks — you use these skills every single day. Our article on the essential skills the CFA teaches for key financial roles maps these competencies to specific job functions in detail.
12:30 PM — Management Interaction
Many analysts schedule calls with company management teams or attend investor presentations during lunch hours. You are asking pointed questions about revenue guidance, margin outlook, capital allocation plans, and competitive dynamics. The better your questions, the better your research.
2:00 PM — Writing and Publishing
Research is only valuable if it is communicated effectively. You spend the afternoon writing research notes — these can range from 2-page flash updates to 40-page initiation reports. Each note needs a clear investment thesis, supporting data, risk factors, and a valuation summary.
Good research writing is a craft. It took me at least a year to develop a style that was both analytically rigorous and readable. The CFA curriculum tests your analytical thinking; the job tests your ability to convey that thinking persuasively.
4:00 PM — Client Interactions
You take calls from institutional investors — mutual fund managers, hedge fund analysts, insurance company investment teams — who want your view on specific stocks or sectors. These conversations are intellectually stimulating. Experienced investors ask sharp questions that force you to defend your thesis or acknowledge weaknesses in your analysis.
5:30 PM — Wrap-Up
Market closes at 3:30 PM, but the analyst’s day continues. You review the day’s price action, note any after-hours corporate announcements, and prioritize tasks for tomorrow. On a normal day, you might leave by 6:30 PM. During earnings season, expect to be at your desk until 9 or 10 PM.
The Portfolio Manager: A Different Rhythm
A portfolio manager’s day feels different from an analyst’s, even though both use CFA skills extensively.
7:00 AM — Portfolio Review
You start by reviewing your portfolio’s overnight performance and any significant market movements. You check your exposure levels — sector weights, geographic allocation, cash position, and tracking error versus your benchmark.
8:30 AM — Investment Committee
Weekly or bi-weekly, you present your portfolio positioning and rationale to the investment committee. This is where your CFA-trained ability to construct coherent investment arguments matters most. You need to justify not just what you own, but what you chose not to own.
10:00 AM — Meeting with Analysts
You meet with your research team (in-house analysts or sell-side researchers) to discuss specific investment ideas. As a PM, you are the decision-maker — you listen to the analysis, ask probing questions, and decide whether to act.
11:30 AM — Trade Execution
Based on your analysis and the team’s research, you work with traders to execute portfolio changes. You need to think about market impact — a large order in an illiquid stock can move the price against you. Position sizing and timing decisions happen here.
1:00 PM — Client Meeting
Institutional clients expect regular updates on portfolio performance and strategy. You present your quarterly review, explain performance attribution (what contributed to returns and what detracted), and discuss your outlook.
3:00 PM — Market Monitoring and Strategy
The afternoon is spent monitoring positions, reading research, and refining your investment thesis. You might also spend time on macro analysis — central bank policy, currency movements, geopolitical risks — that could affect your portfolio.
5:00 PM — Performance Attribution and Risk Review
Before leaving, you review the day’s performance attribution and ensure all risk limits are within bounds. A good PM is obsessive about risk management — this is where the CFA curriculum’s risk management content directly applies.
The Wealth Advisor: Client-Centric Days
CFA charterholders in wealth management have the most client-facing role.
9:00 AM — Client Portfolio Reviews
You review client portfolios ahead of scheduled meetings. Has the asset allocation drifted from the target? Are any holdings underperforming their benchmarks? Are there tax-loss harvesting opportunities?
10:30 AM — Client Meeting
You sit with a client — perhaps a business owner who recently had a liquidity event — and discuss their financial plan. The conversation covers investment strategy, but also estate planning, insurance, tax optimization, and philanthropic goals.
This is where the CFA’s breadth shines. You need to understand equities, bonds, real estate, private equity, and how these fit into an individual’s overall financial picture.
1:00 PM — Investment Research
You evaluate new product offerings — a new PMS strategy, an AIF opportunity, a structured product from a bank. Your CFA training helps you see past the marketing material and evaluate the actual risk-return profile.
3:00 PM — Financial Plan Preparation
For new clients, you build comprehensive financial plans. This involves projecting future expenses, estimating investment returns under different scenarios, and recommending an asset allocation that balances growth with risk tolerance.
5:00 PM — Business Development
Wealth management has a strong business development component. You attend networking events, follow up with referrals, and build relationships that bring new clients to the firm.
What the CFA Does Not Prepare You For
I will be honest about the gaps. The CFA curriculum teaches you the technical foundation, but the actual job requires several skills that are not tested on the exam:
Communication. The ability to explain complex ideas simply — in writing and verbally — is arguably more important than the analysis itself.
Relationship management. Whether you are dealing with company management, clients, or colleagues, interpersonal skills matter enormously.
Time management under pressure. Earnings season, market volatility, client emergencies — you need to prioritize ruthlessly when everything feels urgent.
Technology proficiency. Bloomberg, Excel (advanced modeling), Python, SQL — tools matter more each year.
The Common Thread
Across all these roles, one thing is consistent: the CFA curriculum provides the analytical framework that you use every day. Valuation, financial statement analysis, portfolio theory, ethics — these are not abstract exam topics. They are the tools of your trade. For a wider look at where these daily routines can take your career, explore our guide to CFA career paths in India and the full range of career opportunities the CFA unlocks.
The candidates who thrive are the ones who internalize the curriculum deeply enough that it becomes intuition, not just knowledge they recall under exam conditions.
Want to understand what a CFA career would actually look like for your specific background and interests? I offer free mentorship sessions where we can discuss real career paths in detail. Schedule a conversation here.