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This is a Finance-Focused MBA for someone with a minimal finance background. It is enough to teach you everything that top-tier Business schools including Harvard and Wharton can.

# Prompt

```
From now you will act as an MBA professor. Your job is to mentor and guide students who are engineers now looking to get a Finance focused MBA. They are looking to break into Private Equity and Investment Banking. Assume their knowledge of finance is minimum. Now you are responsible for making them finance experts.

You have to create a full-fledged Finance Focused MBA syllabus. You must include assignments, readings, course materials, and other stuff for everyday lectures. You can include anything open-source, including YouTube videos or MOOCs. Make them Finance Wizards so they can get all the finance knowledge needed. You have to make a 40-week syllabus. 
```

## Conversation

**ASSISTANT**: Week 1-2: Introduction to Finance

- Introduction to financial statements and their analysis

- Time value of money

- Importance of cash flows

- Risk and return

- Capital budgeting



Reading: "Financial Statement Analysis" by John J. Wild



Week 3-4: Financial Markets and Instruments

- Introduction to different financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and derivatives

- Understanding the functioning of financial markets

- Analysis of different investment strategies



Reading: "Security Analysis" by Benjamin Graham



Week 5-6: Corporate Finance

- Introduction to cost of capital and capital structure

- Understanding dividend policy

- Analysis of mergers and acquisitions



Reading: "Corporate Finance" by Ross, Westerfield, Jaffe



Week 7-8: Financial Modeling

- Introduction to financial modeling

- Forecasting financial statements

- Understanding financial ratios and their usage

- Building Proforma Financial Statements



Reading: "Financial Modeling" by Simon Benninga



Week 9-10: Valuation Techniques

- Understanding various valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow, multiples, and comparables

- Building valuation models



Reading: "Valuation Techniques" by Aswath Damodaran



Week 11-12: Private Equity

- Introduction to Private Equity

- Understanding Private Equity firms and their role

- Analysis of Private Equity deals



Reading: "The LBO Handbook" by George T. Friedlob



Week 13-14: Hedge Funds

- Introduction to Hedge Funds

- Understanding different Hedge Fund strategies

- Analysis of Hedge Fund performance



Reading: "Hedge Funds: An Analytic Perspective" by Andrew W. Lo



Week 15-16: Venture Capital

- Overview of Venture Capital

- Role of Venture Capitalists

- Challenges in Venture Capital investing



Reading: "Venture Capital and Private Equity: A Casebook" by Josh Lerner



Week 17-18: Investment Banking

- Introduction to Investment Banking

- Understanding the role of Investment Bankers

- Analysis of Investment Bank deals



Reading: "Investment Banking Explained" by Michel Fleuriet



Week 19-20: IPOs

- Introduction to Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)

- Understanding the IPO process

- Analysis of recent IPOs



Reading: "The IPO Process" by J. William Petty



Week 21-22: Mergers and Acquisitions

- Introduction to M&A

- Understanding the M&A process

- Analysis of recent M&A deals



Reading: "The Art of M&A: A Merger, Acquisition, and Buyout Guide" by Stanley Foster Reed



Week 23-24: Financial Strategy

- Formulating financial strategy

- Understanding the role of finance in decision making

- Analysis of financial strategy of companies



Reading: "Financial Strategy for Public Managers" by Sharon Kioko and Justin Marlowe



Week 25-26: International Finance

- Introduction to International Finance

- Understanding currency exchange rates

- Analysis of global financial markets



Reading: "International Financial Management" by Cheol S. Eun and Bruce G. Resnick



Week 27-28: Risk Management

- Understanding different risks such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk

- Building risk management strategies



Reading: "The Essentials of Risk Management" by Michel Crouhy, Dan Galai and Robert Mark



Week 29-30: Behavioral Finance

- Introduction to Behavioral Finance

- Understanding irrational behavior in financial decisions

- Analysis of Behavioral Finance theories



Reading: "Behavioral Finance: Psychology, Decision-Making, and Markets" by Lucy Ackert and Richard Deaves



Week 31-32: Ethical Issues in Finance

- Overview of ethical issues in finance

- Understanding ethical theories

- Analysis of major ethical scandals in finance



Reading: "Ethics in Finance" by John R. Boatright



Week 33-34: Quantitative Methods in Finance

- Introduction to quantitative methods in finance

- Understanding econometrics and statistical tools for finance

- Analysis of quantitative models in finance



Reading: "Quantitative Investment Analysis" by Richard A. DeFusco, Dennis W. McLeavey, Jerald E. Pinto and David E. Runkle



Week 35-36: Financial Regulations

- Introduction to financial regulations

- Understanding the role of SEC and other regulatory bodies

- Analysis of recent financial regulations



Reading: "Understanding Financial Regulations: A Global Perspective on Banking, Securities, and Insurance" by H. Kent Baker



Week 37-38: Financial Technology (Fintech)

- Overview of Fintech

- Understanding blockchain technology

- Analysis of Fintech startups



Reading: "Fintech" by Nir Vulkan and David Shrier



Week 39-40: Investment Management

- Introduction to Investment Management

- Understanding asset allocation and portfolio management

- Analysis of different investment products



Reading: "Investment Management" by Peter L. Bernstein



Assignments:

- Build a financial model for a company of your choice

- Conduct a valuation of a public company and make a recommendation to buy or sell

- Analyze an IPO and evaluate its performance post-listing

- Build a portfolio and evaluate its performance over a period of time

- Present a case study of a recent M&A deal and evaluate its impact on the companies involved

- Build a risk management strategy for a company of your choice

- Analyze a recent ethical scandal in finance and present an ethical frameworkWeek 1-2: Introduction to Finance

- Overview of finance

- Time value of money

- Risk and return

- Financial statements

- Financial ratios



Readings:

- Principles of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, and Franklin Allen

- Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman and Joe Knight



Assignments:

- Analyze the financial statements of a company of your choice and calculate key financial ratios

- Discuss the concept of time value of money and its importance in finance



Week 3-4: Financial Analysis and Valuation

- Cash flow analysis

- Cost of capital

- Capital budgeting

- Valuation techniques

- Sensitivity and scenario analysis



Readings:

- Financial Statement Analysis and Security Valuation by Stephen Penman

- Investment Valuation by Aswath Damodaran



Assignments:

- Perform a capital budgeting analysis for a proposed project

- Value a publicly-traded company using various valuation techniques and perform sensitivity analysis on the key assumptions



Week 5-6: Corporate Finance

- Capital structure and financing decisions

- Dividends and share repurchases

- Mergers and acquisitions

- Corporate governance

- Financial risk management



Readings:

- Corporate Finance by Jonathan Berk and Peter DeMarzo

- The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett



Assignments:

- Evaluate the optimal capital structure for a company and recommend financing options

- Analyze a real-life merger or acquisition and assess the financial implications



Week 7-8: Investments

- Stocks and bonds

- Portfolio theory and diversification

- Asset allocation

- Security analysis

- Behavioral finance



Readings:

- Security Analysis and Portfolio Management by Donald Fischer and Ronald Jordan

- A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel



Assignments:

- Create a diversified portfolio based on specific investment goals and risk tolerance of a client

- Conduct a fundamental analysis of a stock and compare it to the market consensus



Week 9-10: Derivatives and Risk Management

- Options and futures

- Hedging strategies

- Swaps

- Credit risk

- Liquidity risk



Readings:

- Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull

- Principles of Risk Management and Insurance by George Rejda



Assignments:

- Use options and futures to hedge against a specific risk scenario

- Analyze a credit risk scenario and recommend appropriate risk management techniques



Week 11-12: International Finance

- Exchange rates and their determination

- Currency exposure and hedging

- Political risk and country risk

- International capital budgeting

- Global financial markets



Readings:

- International Financial Management by Jeff Madura

- The Global Financial System: A Functional Perspective by Edwin Truman



Assignments:

- Calculate the exposure of a multinational corporation to currency risk and suggest appropriate hedging strategies

- Analyze the political and country risk associated with a foreign investment opportunity and make a recommendation



Week 13-14: Financial Modeling

- Financial modeling techniques

- Monte Carlo simulation

- Regression analysis

- Time series analysis

- Forecasting



Readings:

- Financial Modeling by Simon Benninga

- Principles of Econometrics by R. Carter Hill, William E. Griffiths, and Guay C. Lim



Assignments:

- Develop a financial model for a specific business scenario and perform Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis

- Conduct a regression analysis on historical financial data to make a financial forecast



Week 15-16: Behavioral Finance and Investor Psychology

- Decision-making biases

- Prospect theory

- Heuristics

- Framing effects

- Overconfidence and the illusion of control



Readings:

- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

- The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making by Scott Plous



Assignments:

- Discuss the impact of behavioral finance on investment decision-making

- Analyze a decision-making scenario using prospect theory and framing effects



Week 17-18: Ethics in Finance

- Corporate social responsibility

- Insider trading and securities fraud

- Conflicts of interest

- Financial regulation

- Whistleblowing



Readings:

- Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases by Ferrell and Fraedrich

- Introduction to Financial Ethics: Values, Principles and Solutions by John Hendry



Assignments:

- Analyze a corporate social responsibility issue faced by a company and recommend a course of action

- Evaluate a scenario involving a potential conflict of interest and discuss ethical considerations



Week 19-20: Private Equity and Venture Capital

- Private equity overview

- Fundraising and deal sourcing

- Leveraged buyouts

- Venture capital and startup financing

- Exits and returns



Readings:

- Principles of Private Equity by Adveq and CFA Institute

- Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation by Andrew Metrick



Assignments:

- Evaluate a potential private equity investment opportunity and calculate expected returns

- Create a venture capital fund and perform deal sourcing and valuation analysis



Week 21-22: Investment Banking

- Investment banking overview

- Mergers and acquisitions

- Equity and debt underwriting

- IPOs

- Investment banking careers



Readings:

- Investment Banking by Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl

- The Art of M&A by Stanley Foster Reed and Alexandra Lajoux



Assignments:

- Create a pitchbook for a potential merger or acquisition deal and present it to a hypothetical client

- Make a recommendation for a company's optimal financing strategy based on the current market conditions



Week 23-24: Real Estate Finance

- Real estate investment and valuation

- Capital markets

- Debt and equity financing

- REITs

- Real estate fund management



Readings:

- Real Estate Finance and Investments by William Brueggeman and Jeffrey Fisher

- Handbook of Real Estate Portfolio Management by Joe Pagliari, Jr.



Assignments:

- Analyze a potential real estate investment opportunity and calculate expected returns based on various financing scenarios

- Provide a financing strategy for a hypothetical REIT and evaluate the impact on investment performance



Week 25-26: Advanced Financial Topics

- Financial engineering

- Empirical finance

- Computational finance

- High-frequency trading

- Big data and fintech



Readings:

- Financial Engineering: A Handbook for Managing Financial Risk by Charles Tapiero

- Advances in Financial Machine Learning by Marcos Lopez De Prado



Assignments:

- Develop a financial engineering strategy to manage market risk

- Analyze a high-frequency trading scenario and discuss the potential benefits and risks



Week 27-28: Financial Strategy

- Corporate strategy and financial strategy alignment

- Capital allocation

- Divestitures and spin-offs

- Risk management

- Globalization and financial strategy



Readings:

- Applied Corporate Finance by Aswath Damodaran

- Strategic Financial Management by Dale Coetzer



Assignments:

- Analyze a company's capital allocation decisions and provide recommendations for improvement

- Create a financial strategy for a multinational corporation operating in a fast-changing technological landscape



Week 29-30: Fixed Income Securities and Debt Markets

- Bond valuation and pricing

- Yield curves and term structure

- Credit analysis and ratings

- Mortgage-backed securities

- Debt market liquidity



Readings:

- Fixed Income Securities by Bruce Tuckman

- Credit Analysis and Lending Management by Milind Sathye



Assignments:

- Value a bond and analyze its price sensitivity to changes in interest rates

- Analyze the creditworthiness of a company and its bond issuance



Week 31-32: Financial Reporting and Analysis

- Financial statement analysis

- Accounting standards

- GAAP and IFRS

- Financial information and decision-making

- Forensic accounting



Readings:

- Financial Reporting and Analysis: Using Financial Accounting Information by Charles Gibson

- Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks and Fraud in Financial Reports by Howard Schilit



Assignments:

- Evaluate the financial reporting of a company and assess its compliance with GAAP and IFRS

- Analyze a financial fraud case and discuss the role of forensic accounting in detecting and preventing financial fraud



Week 33-34: Entrepreneurial Finance

- Introduction to entrepreneurial finance

- Building a startup

- Funding a startup

- Venture capital investing

- Exit strategies



Readings:

- Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson

- Startup: An Insider's Guide to Launching and Running a Business by Kevin Ready



Assignments:

- Design a business plan for a startup and pitch it to a panel of investors

- Develop a funding strategy for a hypothetical startup and evaluate its viability over a 5-year horizon



Week 35-36: Financial Institutions and Markets

- The role of financial institutions

- Money markets and capital markets

- Central banks and monetary policy

- Bank regulation and supervision

- Financial crises and systemic risk



Readings:

- Financial Institutions and Markets by Meir G. Kohn

- Principles of Banking by Moorad Choudhry



Assignments:

- Analyze the role of financial institutions in the global economy and discuss the benefits and risks they provide

- Evaluate the regulatory framework for a hypothetical bank and assess its compliance with the latest regulatory requirements



Week 37-38: Quantitative Methods in Finance

- Statistics and probability

- Time series analysis

- Stochastic calculus

- Monte Carlo simulation

- Optimization



Readings:

- An Introduction to Mathematical Finance with Applications by Arlie Oswald

- Option Pricing and Estimation of Financial Models with R by Stefano M. Iacus



Assignments:

- Use R or Python to perform time series analysis on historical financial data

- Develop a Monte Carlo simulation model for a hypothetical investment scenario



Week 39-40: Financial Leadership and Management

- Leadership styles and techniques

- Effective communication in finance

- Financial management and teams

- Ethics and morals in business

- The future of finance



Readings:

- Leadership in Organizations by Gary Yukl

- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni



Assignments:

- Develop a leadership style and management approach for a hypothetical team of finance professionals

- Discuss the ethical responsibilities of finance professionals and recommend best practices for maintaining a high level of integrity and morality in business.


