P.S. This forum is created to serve unique needs of existing and emerging business & financial professionals based on the feedback received from two general business forums (check out those forums!): 1. http://www.meetup.com/Entrepreneurship-Creative-Business-MBA/ 2. http://www.meetup.com/NYC-Practical-MBA-Forum/

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Greetings!

Welcome to this member-driven effort to create investment savvy professionals for this new and global economy! Check below to see if this forum can benefit you and make you a well-rounded business & investment savvy professional (a million dollar skill to have !).

Are you a mid-career alternative investment professional? wondering …where to go from here? …got stuck in doing one small role for way too long? …wondering what your career options are? …how other organizational functions “fit in”…or how to start your own venture, may be?

Are you a new finance professional? wondering …what to know to get into the alternative investment sector?...want to learn industry fundamentals and practical skills?

Are you a driven non-finance/entrepreneurial profesional? wondering …wondering what is finance and investment all about?...want to improve finance & investment fundamentals?

Are you a recent graduate (MBA, CPA, CFA, BBA, etc.) wondering …how to put the "knowledge" all together through some practical hands-on?...looking to find a practical platform for preparing for interviews?

Are you a curious investor? who is looking to learn about various investment choices and their pros and cons? ...got tired of solely relying on your banker and financial advisors? ...or tired of learning in a biased class offered by these big banks (who pretend to educate you!)?

Whoever you are, you most likely would enjoy this forum if you like finance and believe in winning through continuous learning and growth. You simply can not afford to "ignore" practical financial & invesment acumen in the wake of this emerging new economy!

There is hardly any substitute for “free-form” knowledge sharing and learning by doing. I have had over a decade of Wall Street experience in the hedge fund sector and realized that there is so much to learn to stay competitive. It is simply beyond the scope of schools, universities, and even the cookie-cutter HR training all of which seem to leave many of us hanging without knowing the big picture about managing an investment business. Not to mention, who has time to read 20 books, collect 2 degrees, only to get outdated by the time we complete!

This forum is intended to fill such critical gaps for mid-career alternative investment sector professionals, new finance professionals who want to enter into the sector, as well as for those who are curious about learning and making better investment decisions.

Most importantly, the uniqueness of this forum lies in our collective mindset which is to share & learn by doing with the support from each other! And in a non-corporate “no fear” ambience!

Like the philosophy? Then, join the forum today! And, kick start your finance and investment fun-filled journey of learning & growth.

Thank you.

Julie

******* FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THIS MEMBER-DRIVEN EVOLVING FORUM*******

Purpose

This forum is developed to provide a practical platform for existing and emerging investment savvy or curious professionals to build new skills, forge new career/venture paths, and drive personal & professional growth in a fun-filled “no fear” environment.

Who May Find This Useful?

- New associates trying to learn about the alternative investment sector.

- Mid-career investment sector professionals who would like to diversify their skills.

- Mid-career non-finance managers who want to "diversify" with critical finance skills.

- Seasoned investment professionals who would like to contribute to the community.

- All those who are curious about how to explore their investment options!

Top Forum Topics (From Recent Survey)

1. Learning how the money is made in the alternative investment sector
2. Building decision-making financial model (front-end focus)
3. Working with standard trading strategies (stocks, options, currencies, exchange)
4. Exploring non-standard strategies (hedge funds, private equity, etc)
5. Valuing funds and ventures (NAV)
6. Learning about industry fundamentals (private equity, hedge funds, fund of funds)
7. Tips and techniques in conducting due diligence and compliance for investments
8. Building and delivering finance-focused investor presentations
9. Becoming a pro in using MS Office tools i.e. PowerPoint, Excel, etc.
10. Launching a new startup venture in the alternative investment sector
11. Creating a small fund and driving the learning process live!

Learning Methods

Meeting roughly twice a month, picking a hot topic that is relevant to the group, and practicing under the guidance of an experienced professional or volunteer.

Other Remarks

Most of the meetings and topics will require individuals to have their computing devices and be knowledgeable about MS Office tools to an extent.

********* Note: Your suggestions for improvement are welcome!*********