Investment Research Challenge, FINALS, Jan 23, 2009.

Snapshots from the Finals.

WACC slide. Shown to the public.


Recomm slide.


Cases, optimistic / pessimistic.


PEER analysis.


Contestants.




Ernie Francisco, CFA.


April Lee, CFA.

Intro to CFA Program at De La Salle Univ, Dasmarinas, CAVITE, Jan 17, 2009

De La Salle University, Dasmarinas, CAVITE, Jan 17, 2009. Alumni Center Auditorium.
Organizers: Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants, Junior Philippine Institute of Management Accountants, Junior Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX), led by Donna Caimic and Jean Marie Villondo.

The hardworking secretariat. Phoebe is seated.


10am to 12. Intro to CFA Program was delivered by Marc Bautista, CFA and Alexander Gilles, CFA.




2 - 4pm. Intro to financial markets, careers in finance, and latest trends in stock markets, was delivered by Alexander Gilles, CFA.


Participants from various degree programs.


Fourth-year students of financial management. Roselyn is second from right, front row.


Volunteers of the Secretariat.


Karen Muralla, organization officer, is in front row, at right.


From left, Professor Eva Aquino and Prof May E., and Sandy Gilles, CFA.


Faculty members of a college in Batangas province, and Sandy Gilles, CFA.

Cheering up candidates for December 2008 exams

I make it a point to "Meet and Greet" the CFA exam candidates in the MORNING, say 7am to 830am as they stream into the TESTING CENTER..... . And i join the candidates (those that i had assisted in the review courses) for lunch. My goal: confidence booster for the examinees. I've done this "meet and greet" routine twice before and it cheers them up, especially the gloomy ones, those making last-ditch efforts to master a chapter in the morning of the exam. . . . . I'm saying to them, "you can do it. Close that Book. Go in there and Ace the Exam."


She's nervous. I say, you Go in there and just Write the Answers.


Natalie Niu, graduated from London School of Economics.


Drei Andres


Mr Jerry Garcia accompanied his son, Raffy, to the Testing Center. He is also the father of Mike Garcia, CFA.


Beth Legaspi and friend, Level One. My students at the review course.


Sandra Araullo. BS Physics summa cum laude.


Martin Nograles and Glo of Manila Water (note: topic of the Investment Research Challenge is Manila Water: a Buy, Sell, or Hold?) My students at the review course.


The Dreaded Sign.


Register, sil vous plait.


Keep your bags in this area.


Raffy Garcia, Level ONE. My former student in the review course. (whose Dad very kindly drove him to the testing center.)


Anne Dee, my former student at University of Asia & the Pacific. (I had no idea, she was a candidate. All i knew was, she works in CitiGroup... Good to encounter familiar faces. That's why there is a FaceBook.)


Abby Kho, a good student at the review course.

Abby, in the middle, hard at work in the classroom for the prep course, level one.


Comrades in Arms:
Ave Caesar Imperator... Morituri te Salutant.


Go in there, and Ace the Exam. Let's see if the cheerleading, had any effect on the Pass Rates.

Junior CFA of the Philippines. 29 Nov 2008.

About 600 students gathered on 29 Nov 2008 to hear about the financial crisis, prospects and outlook.... career choices, and why the CFA program still is the best investment they can make in themselves. Venue, De La Salle University, Taft Avenue, Manila. Yuchengco auditorium, three-levels.


Sandy G, CFA. Kathleen Soriano. Samar Khan. Marc Bautista, CFA.

Finance majors at several universities banded together and called themselves the Junior Chamber of Financial (Management Students) Associations of the Philippines. They wanted their organization's name to have the letters "CFA" in there, somewhere... to remind them, what designation they are striving after.

Below: Noni Mauricio, adviser of the JCFAP. Marc Bautista, CFA. Sandy Gilles, CFA.

Marc Bautista, CFA spoke on the origins of the US financial crisis.
I spoke about the likely eventual outcomes for the next twenty years. I uploaded my talk to www.slideshare.net/sandygilles.

Intro to CFA Program at University of Santo Tomas

University of Santo Tomas (Saint Thomas Aquinas), business and financial management students, organized an Orientation to the CFA program on 21 August 2008. I spoke for two hours, and answered questions. The students in the photos wear a white uniform simply because the different student bodies are "color-coded." Management students wear brown, Fine Arts students wear red, Engineering students wear gray, Finance students wear white.



They are not medical students but financial management majors.

Mentoring the UA&P Team for Investment Research Challenge, CFA Society

October 11, 2008. As part of my mentoring duties, i conduct a class on Equity Valuation for my favorite Team (in the investment research challenge). Ms Jerivic Angeles is the team leader.



These three gentlemen and the lady are an IRC team from the University of Asia & the Pacific, my alma mater for an economics masteral course.

Venue: La Salle campus at RcBC plaza, Makati.

November 18, 2008: i mentor my team of UA&P students: two are economics majors, three are management majors. Venue: UA&P at Pasig.








Venue: management faculty, conference room.
University of Asia & the Pacific, Pearl Drive, Pasig. The Philippines.
www.uap.edu.ph