Benjamin Fink - Log

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

First day at the new place. New badge, new systems, new faces. Different building, same tails.

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Two weeks off between jobs. Kids home the whole time. Not the rest I pictured.

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Last day. The six months I mentioned in January went fast. Cleared the desk, said the goodbyes, onto something new.

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Handover season. Going through the whole stack session after session. Most of it never made it into the docs.

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Final project topic locked. Portfolio construction with Black-Litterman and factors. Views, priors, covariance. Plenty to chew on.

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Third CQF exam passed with 90.2%. Only the final project left.

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Second CQF exam passed with 85%. Two down, two to go.

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Pool’s open, grill’s out. Kids in the water all afternoon. Good weekend.

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Third exam coming up. Head down again. Not as brutal as the first one though.

Sat, 16 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Rust is still installed. Haven’t touched it in weeks, the exams ate everything. Hoping the new job gives it a reason.

Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Notice period is real now. Work slowing down, handover starting. Odd feeling after three years.

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Second CQF exam submitted. Halfway through the program now.

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Internal RAG finally live at work. Retrieval over our docs, pipeline, embeddings, the whole thing.

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

First CQF exam passed with 93.6%. Onto the second one.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Spring holidays, finally. Heading to the south of France with the family. Sun, beach, and nothing on the agenda.

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Spring is here. Sun’s out, garden is waking up, and it’s officially barbecue season. Hard to stay inside.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CQF exam submitted. Feels good to have that one behind me. Now I can breathe a little.

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Almost finished the first CQF exam. Long stretch of late nights but it’s coming together.

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Bought the early access of Slay the Spire 2. Really fun. Great way to unwind after long days.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Rust still going. Added Databricks training to the mix. CQF Module 2 is deep into risk. VaR, GARCH, stylized facts. The stack keeps growing. Late nights after the kids are down, same as always.

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Last ski days of the season. The mountains are done, no more snow. Kids loved it. Made every run count.

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

I produce nothing. Figures, models, scripts to tie it all together, but nothing you can hold. I love the work though. Still sitting with that one.

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Module 1 exam done. Back in the gym after a break. Already signed up for ARPM after CQF wraps up. Rainy weekend with the kids, the best kind.

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Last lecture of module 1. Martingales, fair games and the idea that the best prediction of tomorrow is today. The Omnissiah reveals truth through expected value.

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Vue dashboard lives. Components render, data flows. The machine spirit is pleased.

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Still at it with Rust on the side, and picking up JavaScript and Vue. The CQF has its hooks in me though. Late nights after the kids are down, learning on all fronts.

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CQF week two. Random walks again but deeper, probability density functions, and stochastic calculus. Getting back into serious math after years away from studies is humbling. The pieces are starting to connect though.

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Closed a door, opened another. Signed for a new role, handed in my notice. Six months to go. Sometimes the timing just aligns.

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

First CQF lecture. Random walks and the binomial model. Recalls my studies. It’s a commitment that my wife carries too, more time with the kids so I can study. Feels like we’re both doing this one.

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Started learning Rust. The compiler fights you until you learn to think its way.

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Snow outside. Personal projects, kids, CQF math primer, back day at the gym. The kind of Sunday that recharges.

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Dygma Defy sits on my desk. I try it, give up, try again. Muscle memory is a stubborn thing. Frustration is a habit. Ergonomics won over aesthetics though.

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Currently surrounded by unquantified risk but it’s not in the portfolios.