First Crown Research

This is a post directed towards opening up a bank account (in CAD) at CIBC. CIBC is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.  It is the fifth largest bank in Canada based on deposits, and in May 2012, Bloomberg ranked it the strongest bank in North America and the third strongest bank in the world. Before you go to the bank, schedule an appointment.  In order to open up an account as an United States citizen, you need a passport and a driver's license.  The process should take about 30 minutes including filling out the paperwork and setting up your account.  If you're driving there, expect to be at customs longer than you will be in Canada. (Reminder: take customs into account while setting up your appointment time) Open a simple checking account.  This account is in CAD and whenever money is taken out it is converted to the USD. Keep a minimum balance of $1,000 in your account, otherwise you will be charged a #3.90 fee. With this checking account you'll receive

Last Thursday I passed the Series 65 exam.  This is the exam required to start up a hedge fund in the state of Connecticut.  You're allowed three hours to take the test and it is composed of 140 questions with 10 practice questions thrown in there (you don't know which ones are the practice ones).  A passing score is 72% or higher.  It costs $135 and anyone can take it; you don't need to be sponsored like other exams.  Here's a quick run through of what you need to do in order to sign up for it, and pass it: Signing Up for It: This can be done by going to  Finra.org  and filling out the Form U10.  Create an account, fill out some simple information, and pay the $135 fee.  Then, you'll get a couple of email confirmations, saying that the application has been received and that soon you'll be able to make an appointment at a testing center.  A day or two later you'll receive another email saying that you can schedule you're appointment. Choose your app