FTIP study plan

Map the full product taxonomy (equities, fixed income, derivatives, pooled vehicles, structured products) and write a one-line cash-flow and payoff description for each category

Distinguish primary versus secondary market mechanics, order types, and settlement conventions well enough to explain how a trade clears end to end

Compute price-yield relationships for a plain vanilla bond, including duration and convexity estimates, and interpret what each figure implies for an investor

Identify the market participants, intermediaries, and liquidity providers in each major market segment and state their economic role

Apply discounted cash flow valuation to an equity and a bond, documenting each assumption and sensitivity

Compare relative valuation multiples across a peer set and justify which multiple is most defensible for the sector

Explain how macro variables such as inflation, policy rates, and credit spreads transmit into asset prices

Distinguish money market, bond, equity, and derivative pricing conventions so that quoted yields and prices are read correctly

Derive and interpret the main return and risk statistics: holding period return, arithmetic versus geometric mean, variance, standard deviation, covariance, and correlation

Build a regression-based estimate of beta and alpha and explain what each coefficient captures and what it omits

Contrast fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis approaches and state when each is appropriate

Evaluate a company's profitability, leverage, and cash flow quality from its financial statements using at least six ratios

Compute expected return and risk for a two-asset and a multi-asset portfolio and show the effect of correlation on the efficient frontier

Explain the capital asset pricing model, the security market line, and the assumptions that limit its practical use

Compare strategic versus tactical asset allocation and match allocation approaches to stated client objectives and constraints

Justify a rebalancing policy by comparing calendar, threshold, and hybrid approaches on cost and risk control

Measure portfolio performance using time-weighted and money-weighted returns and explain when each is the correct measure

Decompose returns into allocation, selection, and interaction effects and interpret each contribution

Quantify the main risk types (market, credit, liquidity, operational, concentration) and select an appropriate measure for each

Apply value at risk, stress testing, and scenario analysis to a sample portfolio and state the limitations of each method

Explain how duration, convexity, and credit spread changes drive fixed income risk and construct a hedging response

Distinguish hedging, diversification, and insurance as risk transfer mechanisms and identify when each is suitable

Interpret derivative Greeks and describe how options and futures are used to modify portfolio exposure

Assess liquidity risk in normal and stressed markets and describe how redemption terms and leverage amplify it

Outline the regulatory architecture governing advice, disclosure, suitability, and market conduct and identify which obligations attach at each client interaction

Apply a fiduciary standard to three short scenarios and justify the recommended action using a stated ethical decision framework

Detect conflicts of interest, soft dollar arrangements, and compensation incentives and describe required mitigation and disclosure

Distinguish permitted and prohibited personal trading and information handling under a typical code of ethics

Construct an investment policy statement from a client profile covering objectives, risk tolerance, constraints, and review cadence

Build a client risk tolerance assessment that separates willingness from ability to bear risk and reconcile conflicts between them

Integrate tax treatment, liquidity needs, time horizon, and estate considerations into a recommended allocation

Review all six domains against the exam outline, rank remaining weak areas by expected score impact, and schedule targeted remediation