Earning the CFA Charter: Beyond Passing

The CFA Program is a long, often solitary journey. When passive prep and random tactics stop working, I help you build a disciplined, tailored study strategy focused on mastery—not memorization. Whether you’ve failed before or are just starting out, a retainer partnership gives you steady guidance, rapid feedback, and course-corrections in real time.

I also work with professionals whose careers have outpaced their exam progress—leaders, client managers, and rising stars who want the charter as the last trophy in an otherwise accomplished path. Together, we finish the Program well without derailing work or family.

Launching Your Career with the CFA as Catalyst

Earning the charter is the start, not the finish. Under a retainer, we navigate job moves, secure high-impact roles, and build a reputation that opens doors. We focus on visibility in competitive firms, influential communication, and momentum without burnout.

Mid- to Late-Career: Managing, Leading, Reinventing

For seasoned professionals, the questions change. You’re leading teams, navigating politics, or considering what’s next. Through our retainer engagement, we refine leadership presence, reconnect with purpose, and make strategic decisions that protect both ambition and longevity.

Why a Retainer

A monthly retainer is my primary way of working with a select number of clients. It provides:

• Priority access for high-stakes decisions when timing matters

• Reserved time each month for deep, uninterrupted work on your goals

• Confidential counsel from someone who understands both the CFA journey and the investment profession

• Outcome focus, not hourly billing—we don’t meter minutes

For organizations: Many sponsors retain me for key talent as part of leadership development or succession planning. Corporate invoicing available; coaching content remains confidential to the individual, with optional high-level progress alignment.

Study Support That Builds Careers

Traditional prep is commoditized and passive—fine for tests, weak for buy-side careers where learning never ends. In a retainer partnership, we rebuild confidence after setbacks, design sustainable systems, and integrate learning into your role.

Two methods anchor our approach:

• Feynman Technique — explain concepts in plain English to reveal and close gaps

• Zettelkasten — build a connected personal knowledge base that compounds over time

This isn’t cramming. It’s developing a mind others trust.

Turning Knowledge into Career Results

Already working in the field? We connect CFA knowledge directly to your daily decisions—improving impact, visibility, and the return on your charter. For experienced charterholders, we keep you sharp with new curriculum themes, emerging topics, and continuous development.

Beyond the Technical

Don’t become the expert others avoid. We strengthen communication and influence, sharpen presentations, and position you for high-profile projects. We also tackle the habits that quietly stall careers—perfectionism, overthinking, decision paralysis, and poor boundaries.

Why Strategy Matters Now

Tactics are reactive. Strategy endures. In a noisy, uncertain world reshaped by AI and constant distraction, a retainer partnership gives you a trusted sounding board to filter noise, see patterns, and act decisively. It’s not a program or a course—it’s an ongoing relationship built on judgment, discretion, and results.

About Daren Miller, CFA

I’ve spent nearly 30 years in the profession—as a candidate, charterholder, global investment professional, and long-time advisor. I earned the charter in 1999 after three consecutive years, taught CFA candidates for over two decades, and worked in institutional asset management in Canada and the UK.

I was once known for large-scale CFA prep. Today, I work exclusively one-on-one on retainer with a limited number of clients—because higher-stakes decisions deserve tailored, continuous guidance.

Let’s Talk Strategy

If you’re ready to think long-term, cut through noise, and move with clarity, send a message to start the conversation.

Toronto and Calgary in person; private online meetings worldwide. I’ll follow up personally.