SPEC 11
Investing: The Real Deal, Not a Game--Theory and Real World Practice with Real World Money Winter 2022

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

As we explore the world of investing, we’ll focus on how to think about valuation, including both public and private firms/investments. Along the way, we’ll touch on a host of topics: basic financial accounting, investment instruments, corporate capital structure, portfolio theory, equity and fixed income markets, derivatives, securities analysis, portfolio management, market efficiency, the role of benchmarks, non-financial drivers (ESG, etc.) and algorithmic trading versus fundamental investing. We’ll conclude with some thoughts on behavioral finance and its impact on markets. Students will present their investment ideas weekly and will be assigned to lead short discussions of defined/abbreviated concepts culminating in investment pitches for real investment opportunities. Students will invest actual funds and hold each other accountable for investment performance. Students will continue to work as a group to actively manage a live brokerage account for one year through January 2022. The initial value of the fund will be up to $100,000, dependent on alumni contributions). During winter study, will meet three times each week (likely T/Th/F) for two hours each time.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 30
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: class participation and final project or presentation
Prerequisites: open to first-years, sophomores, and juniors; a sincere interest in investing of all sorts, very basic knowledge of Excel, comfort with basic algebra
Enrollment Preferences: email Robin Meyer in the '68 Center ([email protected]) with a short paragraph discussing your investing knowledge/history and your interest in participating in an investment student group by 11:59 PM ET, Sunday, Oct 31, 2021.
Unit Notes: David '90 P'20 is a Founding Partner of Triangle Peak Partners, LP, a Texas/California venture capital firm. After graduating from Williams with a degree in Mathematics with Honors (Thesis Advisor: Colin Adams), David worked for Bain & Co. in Boston, got his MBA from Stanford, managed a range of investments for Fayez Sarofim & Co. in Houston over 14 years before founding TPP. David is a longtime Williams volunteer serving as head agent, 25th reunion chair, and Co-Chair of the Alumni Fund.
Materials/Lab Fee: $20

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