Pen to Paper
In what was considered by many to be the most difficult finance class in Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, the professor had a quote displayed at the front of his classroom stating, “That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.” Before I came to know him, I thought it was his way of asserting dominance or scaring us into attending all of his classes. It was the “make or break” class for finance majors. As a young college student, I was confused as to why we were spending so much time on TVM (the Time Value of Money), a concept simply indicating that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future because of earnings potential and inflation. It caused everyone a headache and in many ways, prevented some students from pursuing a degree in finance. If it wasn’t for his passion and dedication to his students, I likely would have reverted back to the economics degree I had previously been seeking. It was the second time I felt truly challenged in a classroom. (The first was my high school physics class. I got a 54% on the final exam.)
More than 15 years after first meeting this professor, I enrolled in a study program through the University of Chicago in preparation for the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) exam. As anticipated, we arrived at the TVM material a few weeks into the course, and a vast majority of the class was struggling. At that point, it was the third time I was being tested on TVM (it is also part of the Certified Financial Planner® curriculum). I paid no attention to the lesson and took the time to email my old professor, stating: “I’m pretty sure I can do these calculations in my sleep. I remember sitting in your class wondering why the heck you made your tests so difficult, but now I am grateful. Thank you for always pushing us. Don’t ever start going easy on those kids.”
My time with that professor and his wife, the head of Virginia Tech’s Financial Planning program, was the real beginning of my commitment to lifetime learning. I don’t have the time or desire to enroll in another financial educational program, or go back to school, but I do have the capacity to write. In Writing to Learn, the author mentions that writing enables us to find out what we know, and what we don’t know, about whatever we’re trying to learn. I have the education, I have the designations, I have the experience, I have the subject-matter expertise. I have the ability to explain complex information in an easy to understand way. However, my hope is that when I’m retired and playing with my grandchildren, I’m going to reread these first blog posts and say, “wow, I really had so much more to learn.”
A dear friend, a true expert in the marketing world, suggested I start writing via blog posts on the firm’s website. After our discussion, I thought about some of my favorite financial thinkers, authors, and investors. All of them write consistently. One in particular, Vitaliy Katsenelson, says he writes 90-120 minutes every morning as a time dedicated to focused thinking, performing “a dance between the conscious and unconscious mind.” Another, Josh Brown, said he began writing his blog in November 2008 as a washed up stock broker in the middle of the global financial crisis, and is now the CEO at a massive financial planning firm.
My intention is to write about investing, the stock market, the economy, and current events, with a few personal anecdotes mixed in. The main purpose: to learn. Stay tuned.
Graduation Day
Pictured: Dr. Ruth Lytton and Prof. Derek Klock with their favorite student.