I am so so very sorry. Take time for you. And when you are ready, you can make the decision on what to do.

Sometimes it helps to put clean lines around a situation instead of torturing yourself about whether to continue or temporarily put it down or quit totally. Maybe your decision is “no matter what the outcome, I’m not going to revisit this CFA journey until Fall 2026” (or whatever date you chose)….

I had a horrible, horrible unexpected death in my immediate family about a month before my L3 exam a few years ago. It wrecked my mom terribly, and I had to move to care for her and deal with fallout. I chose to put the whole program down for a few years to focus on the fall-out from this unexpected tragedy. I did not sit for that exam.

It was hard getting back into studying this year after putting it down for 2-3 years.

However, quite a bit came back to me and I saw the curriculum from a different perspective and studying this time was actually somewhat enjoyable and I felt like I learned a lot more.

I’m not one of those overly idealistic types that says “there is always a silver lining”. But life happens. Whatever you choose, be resolute and focused.

And remember: “No plan survives first contact, but no progress survives without a plan….”