week 1: Where to keep your money & How interest rates are decided
Week 2: Deciphering your retirement accounts
Week 3: Lies, Damn Lies and Ratios.
Week 3 Supplemental Resources
Homework Assignment:
Download the Stock Comparison Worksheet (PDF)
Investment Research Tutorials:
Expand your technical analysis of financial products using the platforms discussed in class (Morningstar, ETF.com, and Yahoo Finance):
Week 4: The Insiders Toolkit – See Where Smart Money is Trading
Week 4 Homework & Resources
The LTCM Collapse & Market Mechanics:
- Black Swan Event: The Swedish Investor (18 mins)
- Trillion Dollar Bet (PBS NOVA, 2000): The gold standard documentary detailing the Black-Scholes model and the rise and fall of LTCM. Watch Here or search YouTube.
- Patrick Boyle's LTCM Breakdown: Search YouTube for this excellent, no-nonsense breakdown by a former hedge fund manager.
- Bloomberg's 25th Anniversary Segment: Search YouTube for "Bloomberg LTCM Haghani 2023" to hear directly from an LTCM founder.
- Book Recommendation: When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein.
Squeezes & Margin Calls:
- Video: How Margin Calls Work (The Plain Bagel via YouTube)
- Video: The GameStop Squeeze: How It Actually Happened (Wall Street Millennial via YouTube) — Perfect "pre-game" to understand Gamma Squeezes and Short Interest.
- Video: Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga (Netflix Documentary Series)
- Video: Heated exchange as CEO of investment bank testifies (Search YouTube, 2:59 mins)
Final Checklist & Viewing Note:
While watching Dumb Money and The Big Short (specifically the "Synthetic CDO" scene), look for the exact moment the characters realize the "Maintenance Requirement" is being hit. That is the sound of the trap snapping shut.
While watching Dumb Money and The Big Short (specifically the "Synthetic CDO" scene), look for the exact moment the characters realize the "Maintenance Requirement" is being hit. That is the sound of the trap snapping shut.