Newsletter for January 2019

We hope you had a great Christmas and New Year, and that 2019 is already proving productive for you. We’re certainly starting the year with the treadmill on super-speedy as we develop some brand new resources (top secret at the moment!).

Many of you have probably already set your goals for 2019, which may well include passing an exam or two. We certainly look forward to helping you on that journey and getting you through them as painlessly as possible.

Best Wishes,

The Team at Brand Financial Training

The following discusses what the balance of payments of a country is, and what the current account and capital accounts are. This article will be of interest to those studying any of CII R02, J10, J12 or AF4 investments-related exams.

Questions on economics often come up in the Diploma and Advanced Diploma investment exams, and the CII manuals don’t always seem to go deep enough into a subject.

Balance of Payments

The balance of payments of a country is the record of all its economic transactions with the rest of the world. These are transactions made by us as individuals, as well as companies and the Government. This flow of money between us and the rest of the world is measured in the capital account and in the current account.

Capital Account

The capital account is a record of the net change in ownership of financial assets such as shares, bonds and loans and physical assets such as land and buildings. If the capital account is in surplus, this means that foreign investors are bringing more money into the country than we are sending overseas. This effectively means that foreign investors are increasing their ownership of national assets. If the UK has a capital account deficit, it means that investors are sending more money overseas than is coming into the UK, which means that we are increasing ownership of foreign assets.

When you’re seriously up against the clock, with coursework deadlines or exams lurking menacingly on the not-too-distant horizon, it’s essential to use every moment of revision time wisely. Read on to learn a technique that helps you to maintain focus.

So how should you maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the precious hours of revision that you manage to carve out for yourself? Well, one way is to maintain absolute focus while you are studying, to ensure you absorb and retain as much information as possible. Not quite as easy as it sounds though, is it?

Don’t get in a stew over revision

That’s where the humble tomato might just come to your rescue – or, to be more precise, the humble tomato timer. Back in the early 1990s, when author and developer Francesco Cirillo was a student struggling to maintain his focus while revising for exams, he came up with an innovative way of stopping his mind from wandering.

He experimented with a tomato timer, and discovered by trial and error that if he reduced the length of time he attempted to revise to a period of 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute break, then did another 25 minutes, his concentration during the 25-minute periods improved.

He called the technique he had devised the Pomodoro technique, naming it after the Italian word for tomato.

Examinable Year Commencing 1 January 2019

The CII’s new examinable year for all IF exams started on 1 January 2019. We have updated all our IF1,2,3,4,5 mock papers.

Own the previous 2018 versions?

If you purchased IF mock papers for the previous examinable year (examined until 31 December 2018) and find that you will be sitting the exam after 1 January 2019, the good news is that you are entitled to the updated Brand Financial Training mock papers free of charge.

How to obtain the updated versions

If you own Brand Financial Training IF1, IF2, IF3, IF4 or IF5 mock papers for the examinable year up to 31 December 2018 and would like the versions examinable from 1 January 2019, simply email us and let us know a) the email address that you used to place the original order, b) the IF exam your order relates to. If you are entitled to the updated versions free of charge, we will email them to you. Note that this relates to Brand Financial Training mock papers only.

Don’t have your mock papers yet?

To purchase our updated IF mock papers, click on a link below:

IF1

IF2

IF3

IF4

IF5

The next R06 exam is Monday 21 January

...“The R06 case study analysis was fantastic! There was nothing in the exam that wasn’t covered. Brand was recommended to me by a colleague who said “you don’t need anything else” and they were correct. I would happily recommend your services.”...

Edward Barstow, Wealth Account Manager, Aviva, Sheffield

Passing R06 isn’t only about having the necessary knowledge and understanding, it’s about being able to apply that knowledge exactly as needed and in a timely manner.

If you go into the exam unprepared, you will lose vital time and marks. It is essential that you have fully prepared for the exam and are ready to answer questions relating to the case studies. With the help of our resources, you can prepare to pass R06.

Case Study Analysis

Our full analysis covers the areas that you are likely to see in the exam. However other questions may be asked, and we strongly advise you to think around other potential areas of questioning. At least 10 days before the exam sitting for R06, we email in PDF format, a full detailed analysis of the case studies issued by the CII for the next exam sitting plus types of questions and examiner’s comments, exam technique and past paper analysis, AND it includes access to email support for 1 working day before the exam (9am-5pm).

If you are quick and pre-order our full case study analysis, you’ll get a discount, but once our analysis is released near the end of this week, the discount goes away.

Past Analyses

We offer 3 full analyses produced for past exam sittings (Jul 18, Apr 18, Oct 18) to purchase. You can find links to the case studies, question papers and our review of the question papers included for each exam (where available). Types of questions and examiner’s comments, exam technique and past paper analysis are also included.

Calculation Workbook

Focussing on the calculations within the exam syllabus, the calculation workbook provides over 50 pages of calculation questions with full step-by-step answers, detailed explanations and cross-references to the relevant CII study text.

Study Notes

Consider our study notes your condensed and more focussed take on the CII’s exam syllabus and learning outcomes. Our study notes put the exam syllabus into a sensible order, eliminate any ‘padding’ and come with self-test questions.

Why not try before you buy? Download one of our free tasters:

Analysis/Past Analyses Taster

Calculation Workbook Taster

Study Notes Taster

...“Your R06 case study analysis was great & definitely helped significantly – it was good to know that you are revising the right areas & hi-lighted some areas which I hadn’t anticipated – it covered the vast majority of the questions … I have used your resources on RO1, RO2,RO3, RO4,RO5 & RO6 & passed them all first time so would recommend them to anybody taking these exams.”...

Jonathan Woodman, Boroughbridge

Are you aware that the CII update their study texts throughout the examinable year to either incorporate new legislations, correct errors or clarify information? Many candidates aren't aware of this, which can result in candidates studying out-of-date information. To make this easier for you, we have collated the most recent CII study text updates.

7 November – 6 December 2018: AF1, R03

7 October – 6 November 2018: ER1

7 September – 6 October 2018: CF1, ER1, J03, J05, J07, R03, R04, R06, AF1, AF4 and AF7

Articles and Help for All Your Exams

You’ll find that there’s something for everyone when you check out our blog:

• specific topics and how-to articles;
• reviews of recent CII exam papers;
• our Friday Five – a weekly quiz to give you a fun break from reading the study text;
• study techniques that help you to retain your revision and keep your brain working for you, when you need it;
• information on recent updates to the CII study texts.

Here are the blog posts you might have missed since our last newsletter:

Friday Five – 4 January - Click here.

Friday Five – 28 December - Click here.

Friday Five – 21 December - Click here.

Our Post-Exam Review of the October 2018 CII AF5 Exam - Click here.

Friday Five – 14 December - Click here.

There’s such a variety of information on offer to help you as you tackle your CII exams, that you won’t want to miss a single post. We’ve made it easy for you; just click the button below and enter your email details. Be ‘in the know’ with CII-exam-related tips and info – straight to your inbox!

..." The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity. "...

"5 Questions in 5 Minutes Every Friday"

This is a bit of Friday Fun where we provide you with 5 questions (and answers) relevant to a mix of CII exams. The challenge is for you to answer the questions in 5 minutes.

Where do I find the Friday Five?

We post each week's Friday Five to our blog first thing every Friday. You can either visit our blog every Friday at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ or you can simply go there now, and click on the subscribe button in the top right-hand corner of the blog and sign up to receive notifications of our Friday Five posts.

Note that we don't email the Friday Five out to everybody every Friday, so we recommend you sign up to our blog at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ so that you receive an email notification when it is posted. It will only take you a minute to sign up.

A bit of Friday Fun, but with the added benefit of testing your exam knowledge!