Southwestern College Investment Club - Spring 2024

Thursdays from noon to 1 pm, Pacific time
We live stream our meetings using Zoom at the Zoom Meeting Room.
Lord willin' and the tech don't crash, sessions will be recorded and posted to this website by that evening.
The direct link is: https://wonderprofessor.com/zoom

Come join us!



Welcome to the Southwestern College Investment Club!

Each week, we invite someone from the financial and investment services industry to come and discuss their segment of the industry and their position. We also ask them to relate their experiences and how they got their start in the industry. Alternatively, we choose and discuss an investment topic from one of our professors.

Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings onlines. Membership is limited to current Southwestern College students.
However, we want to emphasize that everyone is welcome!
If you have a specific topic or position within the industry you are interested in, please feel free to ask about it.
We hope to see you at our next meeting!

Questions? More information? Contact:
Professor Frank Paiano: fpaiano@swccd.edu


 


Investment Chat Group based on BUS-123, Introduction to Investments
GroupMe Investment Group

BUS-123, Introduction to Investments, free textbook!
Introduction to Investments: A Free Manual for Building Wealth
PDF version (laptop/desktop) - Mobile-friendly version

Archive:
SWC Investment Club, Fall 2023
SWC Investment Club, Spring 2023
SWC Investment Club, Spring 2022
SWC Investment Club, Fall 2021
SWC Investment Club, Spring 2021

 



Spring 2024 Meetings

1 Feb 2024:
In our first meeting, we discussed the purpose of the group and we chose our 10 stocks that we will follow throughout the semester. We only had 5 participants. We need at least 10 members along with a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the ICC Representative to make a club. If in the next two weeks, we don't get 10 members and a slate of officers, we will be an unoffical club. If we become an official club, it means we can get money for pizza. Very cool! If we don't become an official club, then no pizza. Oh, well. But everything else is exactly the same. No biggie. See on the next Thursday, February 8th!
Zoom Recording
Students from BUS-123, Introduction to Investments, who missed the noon meeting can still watch the meeting above and send me an email saying that you watched the meeting and give one or two sentences about what you thought and you can still get the 2 extra credit bonus points.

8 Feb 2024:
Well, it appears that we may be an unofficial club this semester. No matter. Nothing really changes except we won't get money for pizza. Oh, well. If we can rustle up 10 enrolled students next week and cajole some to be officers, we still might get some pizza at the end of the semester. Tell your friends! Today, we reviewed our portfolio. Hey! Disney had a big pop! We also had our Overview of Investments presentation.
Zoom Recording
Next week, we hope to have more students come. We will have a presentation on Introduction to Mutual Funds: Investments for the Masses. Very important for the vast majority of us!

15 Feb 2024:
It appears that we will be an unofficial club this semester. No matter. Nothing really changes except we won't get money for pizza. Oh, well. If we can rustle up 10 enrolled students next week and cajole some to be officers, we still might get some pizza at the end of the semester. Tell your friends!
Zoom Recording
Presentation: Introduction to Mutual Funds
We reviewed our portfolio. Doing great! (Well, if we only hadn't chosen Aurora. Oh, well.) We covered our Introduction to Mutual Funds. Next week? Introduction to Stocks! Exciting Stocks! Sexy Stocks! Risky Stocks!

22 Feb 2024:
Aye! I apologize! I was on a tour and the itinerary changed. We were supposed to arrive with plenty of time for me to set up for the meeting. Instead, we arrived just at 1 pm. I fired up Zoom but everyone was already gone. My apologies! I won't let you down next week!

29 Feb 2024:
We started our discussion of stocks. Exciting stocks! Sexy stocks! Risky stocks! Our portfolio is holding its own. (We would have done a whole lot better without Aurora Innovations.) Check the portfolio's progress below.
Zoom Recording
Here is the presentation file that we used in today's session. Next week, we will jump headfirst into the deep end and start looking at valuation techniques. Get ready for a Sip from the Firehose!

7 Mar 2024:
We reviewed our Spring 2024 portfolio. Not bad! Up over 5 1/2%! Well done!

For our discussion of the day, we introduced the Discounted Cash Flow Model using dividends and data from The Value Line.
 The two spreadsheets that we used are from chapter 4 section of BUS-123, Introduction to Investments. Here they are:
  Pretzels Unlimited
  Johnson and Johnson using data from The Value Line
  (Note: If you are unfamiliar with how to use Google Docs, check out this Chapter 1 Study Guide presentation.)
Here is the presentation file: Discounted Cash Flow Model and The Value Line
Here is the Zoom Recording of the day's club meeting.

14 Mar 2024:
We continued with the Discounted Cash Flow Model and looked at Waste Management and Republic Services, two of the largest trash collection and other refuse collection companies. Both have seen their prices rise substantially lately. Our models were not too excited about their prospects and The Value Line was too excited, either. We then turned our attention to Packaging Corporation of America, a company that has been making cardboard boxes since the 1860's. This prospect seemed more attractive. Of course, we have to investigate their comptetitors. We then turned our attention to another Discounted Cash Flow Model problem from worksheet #2 from chapter 4. These questions will be on exam #2, Dear Students! Study and work *every* day! We want you to be AWESOME!
Here is the Zoom Recording of the day's club meeting.

21 Mar 2024:
Ismael asked if we could show how to research a company paying dividends and one that is not paying dividends. We used The Value Line to gather the data to input into the spreadsheet that calculates the Gordon Growth Model, the Discounted Cash Flow Model, and the Internal Rate of Return. We looked at Packaging Corporation of America again. We then discussed the upcoming Financial Statements and Ratio Analysis calculations in chapter 5. Regarding stocks, we quickly discussed some of the silliness in chapter 6 (Efficient Market Theory) and the extreme silliness of chapter 7 (Techical Analysis).
Here is the Zoom Recording of the day's club meeting.

4 Apr 2024:
Well, it was a quiet day. No members came. Did I mess up something? I was sure that I was logged into the correct Zoom meeting room? My apologies if some of you were waiting and waiting and waiting ...

11 Apr 2024:
We used The Value Line and BetterInvesting's Stock Seletion Guide to research several companies. The bottom line? Many stocks are very expensive. Maybe it would be a great time to just sit in our hands and wait for companies like Visa and Tecnoglas to become more reasonably priced. We also saw some companies that pay very high dividends such as AT&T, Verizon, Altria, and British American Tobacco. Sadly, they either had not very good growth prospects or sold products that kill their consumers! What do you think? Would you buy a tobacco company?
Here is the Zoom recording of today's meeting

18 Apr 2024:
Well, I am sad to report that we didn't have anyone come to our meeting. I think maybe we might want to pack it in for the semester.

25 Apr 2024:
Yet again, I am sad to report that we didn't have anyone come to our meeting. I will show up for next week but I think we won't be having any more meetings this semester. Thank you all for coming this semester.

2 May 2024:
Well, the attendance has been non-existent. And today, my 49-year-old Marantz 2245 stereo receiver has become very sick. There are only a few people in the world who can fix these things anymore. One of them lives here in San Diego, thankfully. He told me that I can bring it over at noon. Therefore, we will not have the Investment Club today. My apologies.

9 May 2024:
Luis stopped by and we discussed several companies including one that is very interesting, Xpel. They make aftermarket paint protection and other products for cars. Check 'em out!





Spring 2024 Portfolio -- 10 stocks starting with $10,000 each

We will start with 10 stocks and follow their progress throughout the semester.

 2 February 2024: We're off! Hmmm. Not such a great start but not bad.

 9 February 2024: Aha! We are up over 3%. A great bounce!

 16 February 2024: Whoa! We are up almost 4%! You folks are AWESOME! (Now, if we only hadn't chosen Aurora ...)

 26 February 2024: Back down to below 2%. Hmmm. Maybe we should have gotten on the bandwagon and bought Nvidia, huh?

 1 March 2024: Whoa! Up Almost 6% even with the Aurora debacle. Look at Sweetgreen and Texas Roadhouse!

 8 March 2024: Not much change from last week. If only we had not bought Aurora ...

 15 March 2024: You are up 9%! That is very good news indeed.

 25 March 2024: Whoa! You are now up over 14%! What a group! Whose idea was Sweetgreen?

 29 March 2024: Almost 18%! Aurora is coming back and Sweetgreen is exploding!

 4 April 2024: What a great group! Now if we only had not purchased Tesla or Aurora Innovation ...

 12 April 2024: Bit of a drop but we are still very strong. 12.9% ain't bad!

 19 April 2024: Our old nemeses, Aurora and Tesla, have come back to bite us again. Pooh.

 26 April 2024: Whoa, again! We are up almost 17%. Look at the Sweetgreen, will ya'?!

 3 May 2024: Interesting. Aurora has bounced back and is now in the green. Sweetgreen fell some.

 10 May 2024: Whoa! Take a look at Sweetgreen, will ya'! We are up almost 25%!

 17 May 2024: What a group! Up over 24% for the semester. Well done!


 


 


The Industry is Actively Recruiting Women and Minorities, Bilingual, and Ex-Military

The Financial Industry Wants Diversity - Great article from the Financial Times magazine
But Fortune asks, "When we will see some results?" The numbers of women and minorities are still very meager
The United Kingdom has their Diversity Project Anyone want to emigrate to the UK?
The Brokerage Industry is Looking for Women! The Future is Female! (And it's about time...)

Here is a list of the Career Opportunity webpages of various financial and investments services companies.
All feature photographs of women and minorities.
The industry is serious about changing. They need you!


Securities (a.k.a. Financial Investments)
Vanguard
Capital Group (a.k.a. The American Funds)
T. Rowe Price
Fidelity Investments  Woman CEO!
Charles Schwab
Dodge & Cox Funds
Wellington Management  Soon to have a Woman CEO!
Franklin Templeton  Woman CEO!

Insurance Providers
TIAA  Black Woman CEO!
Geico Insurance
Farmers Insurance
State Farm Insurance  Check out the hair-do!
Wawanesa Insurance
AIG Insurance

Banks and Credit Unions
US Bank
Wells Fargo
JP Morgan Chase
Citigroup (nee Citibank) Woman CEO!
Mission Federal Credit Union Woman CEO!
San Diego County Credit Union Woman CEO!

Real Estate Financial Services
CMG Financial
Rocket Mortgage
Guild Mortgage Company Woman CEO!
C2 Financial Corporation
First American Title Insurance
Old Republic Title Insurance
Stewart Title Insurance

There is a Future for You in the
Financial and Investment Services Industry!

Please consider pursuing a career in the industry. The financial and investment industry is enormous. The industry is always looking for new, energetic individuals. There are numerous career path opportunities. From banking to real estate finance to insurance to brokerage firms, there is a place for you. In fact, the industry is actively seeking bilingual speakers and women. Going forward, they understand that diversity is essential to the success of their businesses. They simply love ex-military folks. (The financial industry is highly regulated and who better than those who have already lived and worked in a structured, regulated environment?)

Here at Southwestern, we offer an Associate in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Finance. We also offer a Certificate of Achievement in Financial and Investment Services. Either of these will help you land a position at a bank or credit union, an insurance company, a real estate finance firm, a brokerage or other investment management company, or any of the many other finance-related and investment-related companies.

You don't believe us? You think you need a four-year degree from a prestigious university? Aha! You are wrong! The dirty little secret in our industry is that a degree from a prestigious university is not a guarantee that someone will perform well as a financial adviser with the general public. The recruiters will tell you that they have no reliable method for predicting how someone will do in the industry. Someone with a certificate from a community college might surpass a whole room full of graduates from the Ivy League universities.

We have our own predictors. Are you a positive, optimistic person with a sunny disposition? Do you like to socialize? Do you enjoy meeting new people? Do you want to help them succeed? Are you not afraid to ask someone if they need your help? If they say, "No," are you still willing to go to the next person and ask the same question ... and then go on to ask twenty-seven more people? In short, are you a go-getter who refuses to give up? Will you never give up?

If you can answer, "Yes," to all or most of these questions (especially the part about never giving up), we guarantee you will do well in the industry. You might bounce around from one position to another for a bit but you will find your place. Talk to a counselor about our programs. Or better yet, please contact either Professor Suganya Sarkaranayanan or Frank Paiano above via email.

We wish you all tremendous success in the future and we look forward to talking to you about a potential career in the finance and investment industry.

P.S. Did we mention that salaries in the financial and investment industries are well above the national norms? Hmmm? Think about it seriously, Dear Students. The investment industry needs you!

Speaking of diversity, this past year, Walgreens now has a Black Woman CEO. Ladies, Minorities, We Need You!


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