FIN 4410
Investments
Introduces the theory and practice of investments from the point of view of an investment/portfolio manager. We will begin with the financial environment, asset classes, types of financial assets, investment history, and risk preferences. Next, we will have a brief review of statistics and, if time permits, matrix algebra. We will then apply these tools to examine the trade-off between risk and return and to develop and implement Modern Portfolio Theory. The major topics covered include Markowitz optimization, Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT)/factor models, market efficiency, performance evaluation, and, if time permits, behavioral finance. The last portion of the course will be devoted to fixed income securities, including interest rates, bond valuation, and bond immunization.
Instructors
Andreas Neuhierl, Charles Cuny, Ilias Filippou, Jeongmin Lee, Jian Cai, Lorenzo Naranjo, Michaela Pagel, Mina Lee, Nishant Vats, Sakya Sarkar
Reviews
You need to take him for this course. I don't know whether you will do well, but you won't forget this guy even if you go to one class. I needed to drink 10 espresso shots just to match his energy. Lowkey, being in front of a shark or a hungry bear is less scary than attending his class, but you would remember everything he teaches for life
9/3/2026
Best professor I have had at WashU. You can tell he really wants to be there, no matter the time of day. Always responds to emails in a timely manner. Also, just an interesting guy, loves to talk about his coding passions and honestly inspired me to learn how to code and to take more math classes. Best prof I have had at WashU. Fair exams and HW.
5/4/2026
Really smart guy. Sometimes seems nice but evil inside. Sometimes seems evil but actually nice inside. You may survive from cold call if he can't pronounce you name. I understood nothing for first 2 weeks bc his accent, but I found that's the whole reason why I enjoyed his lectures.
4/7/2026
I still hear Vats in my head sometimes. There is no way to fully warn you. Very difficult class, but I learned a ton. BEWARE: constant harsh cold-calling. Nobody is safe, ALL are humbled. Sometimes he's really nice/funny, other times not... Be prepared - he might kick you out of class. This course was a bonding experience to say the least!
3/24/2026
Sakya has been one of my favorite professors at WashU. Genuinely caring, fair grading, and great sense of humor. He still recognizes me to this day despite having one class with him a year ago. A true class act.
11/6/2025
I had Prof. Sarkar this semester. Hands down, he's the best professor by far. His lecture style is engaging and he is clearly passionate. He is also reasonable with grading and his exams are fair.
1/9/2025
This class is pretty easy (midterm and final are online, assignments can be done in groups, etc.) However, the professor himself is very rude toward students when they have questions, lectures are extremely monotonous, and always cancels classes last minute for dumb reasons. This class is an easy A but beware of his attitude/annoyance at students.
12/19/2024
For those interested in Investments, this is a must-take class.
10/24/2024
2 or less hrs/week
I didn’t go to class but I watched the recorded lectures because sometimes he would go a little fast and I would rather just play it back. Explains concepts very well he’s awesome and really nice! Grades are straightforward.
5/20/2024
Professor Filippou is a great professor and an even better person. If you take a class with him, make sure to visit him during office hours as he is always available and willing to help out.
12/31/2023
Prof Filippou is very caring and accessible for help outside of class. He's not a professor who would try to trick students with unnecessarily complicated questions on exams and homework. Nice guys.
4/11/2023
Mina is really nice and sweet but a pretty bad professor. Lectures were dry, and she basically read off the slides. Solutions for problem sets/exams were frequently incorrect/incomplete.
12/30/2022
She comes off super hard-core on the first day of class but honestly warms up and turns into the cutest little nugget. Her class isn't hard if you look over all the materials and practice exams (the final was almost a copy of it). She looks for effort and will do her best do make sure you excel.
8/3/2016
Horrible professor. Unclear lecture slides full of discrepancies. Exams are only half related to the material covered in class.
5/6/2016
I took Fin 340 and FIN 441 with him but I never understood his notes/class. I had to borrow notes from other professor's section to study for the exams.He is a great guy though and very knowledgeable of the subject he is teaching
5/6/2010