771 Selected Topics in Estate Planning, Fall 2021 to Summer 2026

Asset Management & Financial Planning

Course Page for Fall 2023 Regular - Seaborg, Andrew, Pranica, Thomas

Recent Offerings of this course by this instructor

Fall 2023 Regular
Fall 2022
Fall 2021

Financial Planning & Asset Management

Course Page for Fall 2024 Regular - Seaborg, Andrew, Pranica, Thomas

This is a class about asset management. We will discuss the history of the stock, bond, real estate, and commodities markets in detail. We will pull back the veil on alternative investments and learn how hedge funds work. We will discuss the costs and benefits of
private equity, venture capital, and angel investing. Long before Thanksgiving break, you will be able to dazzle friends and family with your knowledge of Modern Portfolio Theory and the relative merits of active versus passive investing.

Second, this is a class about financial planning. Attorneys often become their clients’
single most trusted - and only unbiased - source of answers about their finances. You
need to understand debt, insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, annuities, and taxes
so that you can help your clients make decisions that are entirely in their own best interest. What’s the difference between a Roth IRA and a SPIA? How do I figure out what kind of life insurance to buy? How are capital gains taxed in a GST? By Thanksgiving, you will know.

Third, this is a class about money. Yes, money… ducats, scratch, lucre, macks, bills,
bones, bread, bucks, chips, clams, coin, dough, frogskins, greenbacks, gold, gravy, loot,
lucre, milk, moola, pesos, roll, salary, silver, shillings, shrapnel, treasure, wad, wage,
wealth, wherewithal… Call it what you will, but we’re going to talk about it. In the financial world: Who makes what? How did they make it? How is it taxed? And did
they earn it? If you find this repulsive, we apologize in advance. But wait until you start the optional readings on Wall Street culture from Tom Wolfe and Michael Lewis to be really appalled. To understand the motivations of market players, you need to understand
how investment managers and financial advisors are compensated. Period. (Incidentally,
this is NOT an area of particular interest to us. It’s just so “in your face” in the financial
world that it’s impossible to ignore.)