FM Cheat Sheet 2026
The 30 highest-yield FM facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here โ free, no sign-up.
- What continuing education requirement supports financial planning competence? โ Ongoing education in regulatory changes, market developments, and best practices
- Which formula correctly represents the accumulated value (future value) of an ordinary annuity of 1 per period for n periods at interest rate i? โ s(n,i) = ((1+i)^n - 1) / i
- What fiduciary duty applies to risk assessment? โ Act in the client's best interest with loyalty, care, and full disclosure
- What is the present value of $8,000 to be received 6 years from now, with a discount rate of 7% annually? โ $5,394.94
- What continuing education requirement supports estate planning competence? โ Ongoing education in regulatory changes, market developments, and best practices
- For a continuously varying interest rate, the present value factor v(t) is: โ exp(โโซโแต ฮด(s) ds)
- What regulatory compliance requirement applies to investment analysis? โ Full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and industry regulations
- How should risk be assessed in tax strategies? โ Evaluate risk tolerance, capacity, time horizon, and investment objectives systematically
- If an annuity pays $500 at the end of each month for 5 years at a nominal rate of 6% compounded monthly, the present value is calculated using i_monthly = โ 0.06 / 12 = 0.005
- The accumulated value at the end of n periods of a level immediate annuity of 1 per period is: โ s_{n|} = ((1+i)^n โ 1) / i
- How should risk be assessed in financial planning? โ Evaluate risk tolerance, capacity, time horizon, and investment objectives systematically
- For the following cash flows, calculate the approximate IRR: Year 0: -$10,000 Year 1: $4,000 Year 2: $4,000 Year 3: $5,000 โ 10%
- If a perpetuity pays $1,000 annually and the discount rate is 5%, what is the value of the perpetuity? โ $20,000.00
- What is the present value of receiving $500 annually for 10 years if the discount rate is 8%? โ $3,577.10
- A call option gives the holder the right to: โ Buy the underlying asset at the strike price before or at expiration
- If the force of interest is ฮด = 0.05, what is the accumulation factor over 3 years under continuous compounding? โ e^(0.15)
- How should conflicts of interest be managed in investment analysis? โ Identify, disclose, and mitigate all actual and potential conflicts of interest
- What continuing education requirement supports risk assessment competence? โ Ongoing education in regulatory changes, market developments, and best practices
- The force of interest ฮด is related to the effective annual rate i by which formula? โ ฮด = ln(1 + i)
- How should conflicts of interest be managed in portfolio management? โ Identify, disclose, and mitigate all actual and potential conflicts of interest
- If you receive $200 annually forever, and the discount rate is 5%, what is the present value? โ $4,000
- Which statement about the amortization method for a level-payment loan is CORRECT? โ Early payments consist mostly of interest
- If the sinking fund interest rate equals the loan interest rate, how do total periodic payments compare between the sinking fund and amortization methods? โ Total periodic payments are identical under both methods
- Under simple interest, the accumulation function a(t) is: โ a(t) = 1 + it
- How should portfolio management performance be reported to clients? โ Provide accurate, complete, and timely performance reporting with appropriate benchmarks
- How should risk be assessed in portfolio management? โ Evaluate risk tolerance, capacity, time horizon, and investment objectives systematically
- What continuing education requirement supports tax strategies competence? โ Ongoing education in regulatory changes, market developments, and best practices
- A forward contract on the FM exam obligates the buyer to: โ Purchase an asset at a predetermined price on a specified future date
- The delta of a long call option is always: โ Between 0 and 1
- The swap rate in a plain vanilla interest rate swap is the fixed rate that makes the swap's initial value: โ Equal to zero (fair swap)
Turn these facts into recall: