What Interests You About How Investment Management Works?

1. Discuss the nature of stock as an investment. Do most stockholders play large roles in the management of the firms in which they invest? Why or Why not?

Up until recently, I was like many of my peers, uncertain about what the future would hold for me. I did not know where exactly I wanted to attend school, what I wanted to study, or what I wanted to do career-wise. But, after taking high school classes like Business Information Management, Human Resources, Banking and Financial Services, and Accounting I, I found my long awaited answer, a fascination in the business and financial world. I loved attending these classes and learning new and exciting

Many professionals, young and old, are looking at investing their money in different areas. Some would choose investing on a start-up or banking it all on mutual funds. But there is one way people can invest their money for the “Betterment.”

Portfolio management is a tactic used by not only those in the financial sector of the business world, but also by individual’s managing their own personal finances. Therefore, it important to develop and implement investment strategies in order to gain the most on a portfolio – be it as a mutual fund manager or an individual planning for retirement. Tools such as Stock-Trak, an online portfolio simulation, allow students to gain hands on experience testing different investment strategies in a risk-free, yet realistic environment. From February 1 to April 30, 2010 I took part in one such simulation by managing an online Stock-Trak portfolio. After being given $1,000,000 with which to invest, all monetary

Coming into college, I was very eager to take advantage of the opportunities presented to me. I remember in high school thinking how wonderful it would be to pick my own classes, join organizations that aren’t just existent to put on one’s resume, and learn from instructors who have more knowledge of and experience in the area I’m studying. The idea of being able to study economics particularly economic development/policy, gave me goosebumps each night. By studying economics more in depth, I will be able to apply my learnings to the real world and work in the public and private sector to improve the quality of lives for individuals and families in the world’s poorest communities.

Management and investors often are more interested in the return earned on the funds invested

I gained a better understanding of the financial system while working at Morgan Stanley, but more importantly, I discovered that I enjoyed working with companies and thinking about the business issues they face. I started in the Equity Capital Markets Group in New York, where I helped corporate clients navigate the equity issuance process. It was a high-volume desk, and I was quickly exposed to a wide variety of companies and business models—perfect for a newly minted liberal arts graduate. However, I soon found myself wanting to work with these companies on more than just equity

Our goal at Donnelly Advisors is simple - find and seed a diversified group of managers who can achieve strong risk-adjusted returns through a scalable strategy. We have built out a lengthy due diligence process to filter down hundreds of prospective managers to those ripe for growth. We also believe that by investing alongside our partners proves our commitment to our thesis.

I had the opportunity of listening to a lecture by one of the hosts of “Freakonomics”, a podcast that analyzes the irregularities present in the economy. In Steven Levitt’s lecture, I was given advice to start pursuing my interests early, which led me to apply for a seminar with Morningstar- a company which specializes in fund investing. Like my microeconomics class, this seminar gave me the opportunity of expanding my knowledge in the basic principles. Furthermore, I was also taught the basics of the stock market. Towards the end of the course, my peers and I took a trip to the Morningstar tower, and I was intrigued by the goals that every worker pursued, which was to provide accurate data of which stocks would prove to be good investments.

I’ve decided to major in the Business industry, more specifically marketing. I figured that the Business industry provides all the things I enjoy doing. Not to mention the versatility the area provides. To choose to work in the Business industry requires a lot of determination and discipline. I know I have the potential to have those strong characteristics, but being able to pursue my career in college will allow me to reinforce them. The connections that come with college will also aid me in meeting the right people in the industry. Attending college with people that have the same goal as myself will allow me to keep my eye on the goal and not deter me from my dream. College is no longer unreachable, I’ve been accepted and I’ve set my mind to succeed in it. Now all I have left is to worry about is how will I be able to afford my chosen career and the things that come along with it. The thing is though, when I attend college the chances of me getting a financially stable job are very likely. When I am able to get the kind of career I pursue, I’ll be able to take care of almost any challenge that gets in my way. College is going to aid me into becoming a successful business woman, that’s going to work hard to make a difference in people’s

* Carl, a portfolio manager for the Alpine Trust Company, has been responsible since 2010 for the City of Alpine’s Employee Retirement Plan, a municipal pension fund. The plan board of trustees directed Karl 5 years ago to invest for total return over the long term. However, as trustees of this

I’m Double majoring in Economics and Finance at this moment. I first decided to take my Econ classes, so I would have more knowledge about the economic systems at the moment that I take my finance classes. My goal after graduation is work with investments, or in a bank managing money. One of the two reasons that I’m studying this areas is because I really like managing money, and watch investments growing, I already have a little bit of experience in this area because my family always were in the area. The second reason and probably the most decisive is because after a long time in this area you can manager your own money, and live out of your investments, and doing that you don’t need to work anymore. One problem in my dream is the competition,

Management and investors are often more interested in the return earned on the funds invested than in the

My experience at Villanova, both as a research fellow and a student was formative of my fascination with investments, hedge funds, and mutual funds. My original interest sparked while working with Dr. Velthuis and performing literature reviews on effects of corporate activism on stock prices, and size effects on hedge fund returns. Since then, classes in Portfolio Theory and

The important implication of this is that investors cannot consistently outperform the market, and if they do it is purely through luck. With competition for information reaching new heights, professional managers face greater difficulties in attempting to outperform each other. If these professionals are unable to consistently beat the market, there remains little hope for the average investor.