CAS Exam 2Financial Mathematics (FM)
Syllabus learning objectives
Paraphrased from the CAS syllabus so the study-plan builder and practice sets track the topics you will actually be examined on. Weights are the official topic ranges.
Time value of money
- Compute present and accumulated values under simple, compound, and nominal/effective interest and discount rates.
- Convert among nominal, effective and force-of-interest rates over varying compounding frequencies.
- Solve for unknown time, rate or amount in single-payment time-value equations.
- Apply inflation-adjusted (real) interest rates to cash flow valuation.
Annuities
- Compute present and accumulated values of annuities-immediate, annuities-due, and continuous annuities, including deferred and perpetuity cases.
- Value annuities with varying (arithmetically or geometrically increasing/decreasing) payments.
- Compute values of annuities payable more/less frequently than interest is convertible.
- Solve for unknown payment, term or rate given an annuity's present or accumulated value.
Loans
- Construct an amortization schedule showing interest and principal components of each loan payment.
- Compute outstanding loan balance using the prospective and retrospective methods.
- Apply the sinking fund method to loan repayment and compare it with amortization.
- Compute the effect of a lump-sum extra payment or refinancing on remaining loan cash flows.
Bonds
- Compute bond price given yield rate, coupon rate, and redemption value, including premium/discount amortization.
- Construct a bond amortization schedule using the effective-interest method and determine book value at any time.
- Compute the yield rate of a bond given its price, including callable bond scenarios.
- Apply Makeham's formula and other shortcuts for pricing bonds.
General cash flows & portfolios
- Compute the internal rate of return (yield rate) of a general cash flow stream and assess its uniqueness.
- Compute dollar-weighted and time-weighted rates of return for an investment portfolio.
- Apply the portfolio and investment-year (new money) methods of crediting interest.
- Compute the duration, convexity and volatility of a set of cash flows.
Immunization
- Compute Macaulay and modified duration and convexity for assets, liabilities, and portfolios.
- Apply Redington immunization conditions to construct an asset portfolio immunized against small interest-rate shifts.
- Apply full immunization (cash-flow matching) techniques and compare with Redington immunization.
- Assess the impact of a non-parallel yield curve shift on an immunized portfolio.
Interest-rate swaps
- Describe the mechanics and cash flows of a plain-vanilla interest-rate swap.
- Compute the swap rate that equates the present values of fixed and floating legs.
- Value a swap position at a point in time given the current forward rate structure.
- Explain the use of swaps to manage interest-rate exposure of an asset/liability portfolio.
Determinants of interest rates
- Describe the components of a market interest rate (real rate, inflation premium, risk premiums).
- Interpret the term structure of interest rates and forward rate relationships implied by spot rates.
- Describe theories of the yield curve (expectations, liquidity preference, market segmentation).
- Assess how central bank policy and macroeconomic conditions influence short- and long-term rates.
Lecture videos for this exam
Open the full video library โThe Time Value of Money (Actuarial Exam FM โ Financial Mathematics โ Module 1, Section 1, Part 1)
AnalystPrep ยท Financial Mathematics (Exam FM)
Basic Annuity Formulas (Actuarial Exam FM โ Financial Mathematics โ Module 2, Section 2)
AnalystPrep ยท Financial Mathematics (Exam FM)
Modified Duration (SOA Exam FM โ Financial Mathematics โ Module 4, Section 3, Part 2)
AnalystPrep ยท Financial Mathematics (Exam FM)
Callable Bonds | Exam FM | Financial Mathematics Lesson 24
JK Math ยท Financial Mathematics (Exam FM)
MIT 15.401 Finance Theory I, Fall 2008
MIT OpenCourseWare ยท Finance & Interest Theory ยท playlist
Overview
Exam FM/2 covers interest theory: accumulation functions, nominal and effective rates, annuities, loan amortization and sinking funds, bond pricing and amortization, yield curves and spot/forward rates, duration, convexity, and immunization. Derivatives were removed from the FM syllabus in 2022; the emphasis is now firmly on cash-flow valuation.
- Duration
- 2.5 hours
- Questions
- 30 multiple-choice
- Style
- Computer-based testing
- Passing
- Scaled score 6 of 10
Syllabus map
Key formulas
Annuity-immediate and due
Nominal to effective
Bond price (face , coupon , redemption , yield ):
Outstanding balance (prospective) after payments of :
Macaulay and modified duration
Redington immunization: , , .
Study strategy
Become fast with the BA-II Plus TVM keys and cash-flow worksheet; half the exam is calculator fluency.
Draw a timeline for every question โ the majority of wrong answers are off-by-one-period errors.
Master the relationships between , , , and so conversions are instant.
Practice full-length timed sets; FM is a speed exam.
Common traps
Annuity-due vs annuity-immediate (payments at start vs end).
Semiannual coupon bonds quoted with annual nominal yields.
Duration of a portfolio is the PV-weighted average, not a simple average.
Forward rates: โ not additive.