FIN 4480
Advanced Financial Management
A comprehensive, advanced study of corporate financial management. Focuses on the internal decisions of a corporation, the valuation of a firm in the capital market, and the relationship between the two. Topics include capital budgeting systems, project and firm valuation, capital structure decisions, debt policy, payout policy, raising capital, and how a variety of market frictions, such as taxes, financial distress costs, asymmetric information, and agency conflicts, affect managers’ decisions.
Instructors
Grant Clayton, Janis Skrastins, Jian Cai, Kabir Dutta, Lubomir (lubo) Litov, Margarita Tsoutsoura, Ohad Kadan, Taylor Begley, Yaron Leitner
Reviews
Good teaching skills and case-based approach to learning used by Prof. Yaron. He teaches really well and makes topics easier for students to understand.
2/12/2026
Exams are difficult and focused on understanding over memorization. Overall tough course but he makes it pretty easy to digest and understand
12/19/2025
first year teaching undergrad and you can tell. lectures aren't very clear as he goes too fast. participation matters. i was lost the whole time i'm not gonna lie. wish i took the class with a different professor. had office hours once a week.... so that didn't help either
12/13/2025
VERY lecture heavy. Strick with attendence. Can tell he takes his classes very seriously. Sometimes he goes thru stuff too fast and cannot articulate because of accent. Good person but too strict
12/9/2025
I took several of his classes and have had fantastic experiences. He's extremely knowledgeable and great at explaining concepts. He shares his vast professional experiences, providing students with a deeper understanding of concepts/applications. Most importantly, he goes out of his way to help students with course material and career aspirations.
6/6/2025
Professor Dutta is the best instructor I have met at Olin. He not only helped me develop a strong grasp of finance theory but also challenged me to apply these theories in his valuation projects. After taking his class, I feel much more prepared for my professional career.
5/21/2025
Great instructor. Helps students learn theoretical concepts and relationships. Leverages industry experience to show real world applications and examples. Wants students to do well and understand (loves and rewards participation). Patient. Great mentor for me on my path towards graduate school. Textbook is a supplement, not required part for grade.
5/10/2025
Nothing but respect. Hands down the best professor I've met at Olin. Truly cares about students and wants to succeed. His lecture does not usually follow textbooks, but rather has a lot of insights on how to apply financial skillsets in business settings that makes hour long lectures a breeze.
5/9/2025
NYU MS / Wharton MBA, worked in banking, former Senior Economist at Fed Boston, etc. taught at Princeton, JHU, and WashU while concurrently working on multi-million/billion dollar deals Need I say more? If you have an interest in finance and haven't taken a class with Professor Dutta, I strongly recommend it.
5/8/2025
Professor Dutta is awesome! Truly cares about his students academically, professionally, and personally. I have taken 3 finance courses with Professor Dutta almost solely because of the professor. Incredible teacher, wealth of experience, and an inspiring individual. I personally believe every finance student should take a class with ProfessorDutta
5/8/2025
Teaches from actual experience. Pro tip: Class participation can/will save your grade.
5/8/2025
Amazing professor, would recommend all finance students to take his course.
5/8/2025
Hands down the best finance professor I've ever had. Professor Dutta is the best. 1. Unlike most professors, Professor Dutta teaches from actual experience in industry 2. Doesn't like to give bad grades. Go meet with him and show effort. 3. Effort, interest, participation > intellect, knowledge. Show that you care, you will get a good grade.
5/8/2025
tons of industry experience and genuinely cares about student development in class and beyond
5/8/2025
Fantastic professor! He has tremendous industry experience and a strong theoretical background, so his lectures are very informative. He takes time to explain concepts thoroughly and goes through examples where needed. He also relates what we learn in class to his real-world experience. He's very approachable and helpful outside of class as well.
5/6/2025
Great Professor! Very emphatetic and an ocean of knowledge.
5/5/2025
Prof Dutta brings excellent insights from his industry experience and shares real-world practices in Valuation. I would highly recommend his classes if you are into strengthening the conceptual and technical aspects of finance.
5/5/2025
Easily the best Olin professor, he's super clear about expectations, and actually wants you to know the material and succeed.
5/3/2025
- Random extra credit in class and let the students he likes answer it first, this also applies to the participation credit - Very unorganized lectures, may be lost during the lecture with technical difficulties or confusion - Office hour will get randomly cancelled or removed Nice person, but will not recommend due to teaching quality
12/23/2024
One of the most kind, compassionate people I have ever met. She creates a space for people to feel accepted in a topic that can feel daunting and overwhelming. Glad to have had the privilege of knowing her and would recommend anyone to take her classes.
10/18/2024