Innovision Spring 2021

10 | INNOVISION MAGAZ INE SPRING 2021 | 11 To sayDavidNassar (’86) is busy is an understatement. David founded and was CEO of Marketwise Securities, Inc., a pioneering electronic trading firm, which was sold in 2006. He has been seen on CNBC, NBC Nightly News, CNN and published and interviewed in numerous national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Barron’s and Forbes. Nassar is also a New York Times bestselling author and has written five books. Since 2006, David founded Flying Lady Winery in Napa Valley and he continues to actively trade the market and develop real estate projects in Colorado, among other endeavors. And now, he can add “Expert in Residence” for Kutztown University’s Applied Investment Management (AIM) Association to his list of accomplishments. DAVID NASSAR “We are tremendously excited to have David, one of the most renowned day traders in the field of finance, share his wisdom with our AIM Association students,” said Dr. Anne Carroll, dean of the College of Business. “So many investors have looked to his books, trading courses, and his company, MarketWise, for investment insights. I’m thrilled that our students have a front-row seat for this master investor and the opportunity to directly interact with him through the seminars he delivers to the class. It will be an incredible learning experience.” A self-described “late bloomer,” Nassar credits Kutztown University with helping him to discover his passions and talents. “I am thrilled to be able to come back and offer something to today’s students,” said Nassar. “The aperture of my lens opened at Kutztown, and the early pinpoints of light brought focus. By graduation, I left with an insatiable curiosity of the markets, a pilot’s license, woodworking skills, and a college degree. I am very excited to contribute to the AIM Association!” In 2005, Dr. Jonathan Kramer and the Kutztown University Foundation (KUF) conceptualized the epitome of experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates interested in a career in the field of finance - the Applied Investment Management (AIM) program. The intent was to provide students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world environment, molding them into better professional candidates upon graduation. Since then, the AIM program has experienced rapid growth and has evolved into two entities – the AIM course and the AIM Association. The AIM course is a student-led investment committee that manages an endowment from the KU Foundation valued over $850,000. The investment committee is comprised of a group of students, handpicked by faculty based on a track record of excellence in the classroom and campus community, who act as analysts during the semester. As analysts, students get the chance to conduct research on securities of their choice, hone their critical thinking, presentation and communication skills, and utilize cutting-edge market intelligence software such as FactSet. Because of the success of the AIM course, the KUF urged the finance faculty to create another avenue for students to develop their interest and skills in portfolio management. The AIMAssociation, a student-organization that is used as a platform to engage and educate students in investment management, was then created. The AIM Association’s primary objective is to give all undergraduate students the opportunity to manage money, along with the insight and information necessary to be successful. The AIM Association hosts a number of activity-based workshops and events during the course of the semester where KU alumni come to share their wisdom and knowledge with students. By doing so, the AIM Association acts as an important catalyst in the development of an investment culture at KU’s College of Business. Additionally, the AIM Association helps prepare interested underclassmen to become ideal candidates of the AIM course. The world-renowned English naturalist, geologist, and botanist Charles Darwin’s argued that the survival of an organism is predicated on its ability to adapt to its environment. Much like a living organism, the AIM program has adapted to the ever-changing environment of higher education and the world of finance to stay relevant. This last semester, the AIM program has taken some major strides towards remaining relevant – both in an educational and financial setting. In the past, the AIM portfolio solely consisted out of equities, but the faculty advisors and investment committee of the KUF stressed the importance of adding fixed-income securities to enhance the experiential learning opportunity of the course. The investment policy statement has been revised to accommodate fixed-income securities and will be implemented during the Fall 2021 semester. In addition, the AIM program launched a massive alumni outreach campaign with the help of the KU Foundation’s Engagement Center, in an attempt to reconnect with its illustrious alumni base. AIM ASSOCIATION To learn more about the AIM Program, visit our website and follow us on social media! Website: https://www.kuf.org/orgs/aim-association/aim-association-landing-page Instagram: https://instagram.com/kuaimas sociat ion?igshid=1p1wp9yk9qdge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kutztown-university-applied-invesment-management-association-a-i-m/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/applied_m