SPEC 11
Investing in a Real Fund Winter 2024

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

We will use financial fraud as an entryway into the world of investing. Through the lens of how bad actors have tricked markets, we will learn how to analyze firms and stocks with a bit of a cautious eye. The focus of the course is to learn how to analyze and value a company. Along the way, we’ll touch on a host of topics: basic financial accounting, investment instruments, corporate capital structure, equity and fixed income markets, derivatives, market efficiency, behavioral finance, and non-financial drivers (ESG, etc.) to arrive at a sound base of securities analysis. We’ll conclude with student pitches for stocks we will buy (or not) in the fund we manage. And while we will employ a classic textbook, we’ll also read about true financial frauds that are just jaw-dropping. (This course is designed for students with anywhere from no experience in investing to a moderate amount.) Interested students should submit a resume and brief paragraph about their interest in this course through Handshake by October 17, 2023, https://app.joinhandshake.com/edu/jobs/8319121
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 20
Expected: NA
Class#: 1301
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: Performance(s); Other: The final presentations are team-based exercises, but I expect students to come to class prepared and to talk and think and debate. One of the things we're teaching here is the ability to engage in discussion in a civil, genteel manner.
Prerequisites: None.
Enrollment Preferences: Preference given to First Years and Sophomores. Students are asked to submit a short answer (50-100 words) to a question: Why do you want to take this course and what do you hope to get out of it?
Unit Notes: David '90 P'20, a Founding Partner of Triangle Peak Partners, a venture capital firm, graduated from Williams with Honors in Mathematics. He worked for Bain & Co., MAC Group, and Fayez Sarofim & Co. He also holds an MBA from Stanford University.
Attributes: EXPE Experiential Education Courses
STUX Winter Study Student Exploration

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