Finance
Three-Week Summer Business Program
-Kid Voyage
Jump into the world of finance and get a sneak peek into what financial analysts do on a day-to-day basis with the Boston Leadership Institute. Students will be exposed to the mathematical concepts and techniques used in finance and how to apply them to financial markets such as the stock market. This course may cover bond valuation, stock valuation, dividends, developing forecasts, spotting trends, options/pricing, cash flow, seasonality, and trend. Boston is one of the top financial hubs and is home to major money managers such as Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments. Quantitative skills are in such high demand in the financial field and lead to a variety of high-paying career paths.
This competitive three-week summer program is designed for teens interested in business & math. Apply now if that sounds like you! Join our mailing list to get more information.
Summer 2027
July 12th – July 30th, 2027
More About: Awards – Research Programs – Sample Week
In-Class Research
Students in this program learned about the different stock, bond, & option valuations – what they are, how they work, and when it is best to invest in each of them. The class covered the basics of macroeconomics and the role of the Federal Reserve in changing interest rates. They studied the primary (IPO) and the secondary markets. They went through the basics of institutional trading as well as hedge funds and private equity funds.
Original Research Presentations
A crucial component of finance involves launching new ventures. Students designed their own start-up company or strategic alliance by formulating: a business plan, growth projections, hiring time tables, revenue forecasts, and valuations for that all-important IPO or spin-off. A sample project involved launching Drone2Me, a startup using drones for take-out orders. Students delivered detailed presentations at the end of the conference.
Field Trips
Examples of past field trips include:
- Green Town Labs: This entrepreneurial space focusing in climate technology is currently housing 200+ start-up companies. Students spoke with the CEO of a start-up, asked questions, and learned how to bring their own ideas to the forefront.
- Financial District: Fidelity Investments, Exchange Place Building, and Cambridge Innovation Center
- Bentley Business School
Note: We cannot guarantee any given field trip will run as in past years or at all.
Past Instructors:
John Morgan
John Morgan holds an M.B.A in Finance and Corporate Strategy from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. He has held several roles at Putnam Investments and other investment firms. He was also a lecturer in Finance at Babson College. He has also served as an angel investor in several firms, and currently is the CIO at Morgan Capital Family Office LLC.
Steve Lanzendorf
Steve Lazendorf received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from MIT in Nuclear Engineering. Since graduating, Steve began his work in the investing/financial field holding positions such as Director of Quantitative Strategies at Independence Investments, and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Batterymarch Financial Management. Steve was also a Lecturer of Finance at Babson F.W Olin Graduate School of Business.
Dr. Ali Shirzadeh
Ali is an Operations and Information Management Faculty Liaison at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. He received his undergraduate degree, Master’s, and PhD from Sharif University of Technology in Industrial Engineering, Planning & System Analysis, and Project Management. He has been a Data Science Scholar and Faculty Member at URI, Babson College, and Northeastern.
Charles Smith
Charles Smith is a Professor and Ph.D. candidate in Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He holds a JD/MBA from Texas Tech University and brings over 15 years of experience as a successful SBA lender. Throughout his distinguished career, Charles has held leadership roles, including serving as Senior Vice President at Eastern Bank. Currently, he leads the SBA Lending division at Northern Bank, where he continues to drive growth and support small business success through strategic financing solutions.
Student Comments
‘Overall, I like the program and the teachers. I thought that it was informative and gave me a good overview of the financial field in general. Our main teacher, Mr. Smith, had a good method of teaching and explained the concepts clearly. Our guest teacher Mr. Porter, raised up some interesting discussions on the topics and gave me a deeper understanding on how the financial markets work.’
‘I had learned so much in this course but at the same time had a lot of fun along the way. I enjoyed the course a lot and would definitely recommend.’
‘The thing I liked about this summer program is we actually practice in a stock game and students make day trades every day. Mr. Ashburne had great teaching ability and passion with students. He provides a wonderful teaching and learning environment for us. He had excellent knowledge and finance skills and taught us a lot during these 3 weeks.’
‘I liked how much I learned from the program. Finance gave me a really great outlook on how I view the financial world, with a really great professor teaching the programs. Mr. Ashburne was really kind and funny, and I really enjoyed partaking in his class.’
‘I have learned a lot about finance. However, I also gained knowledge about presentations, pitches, and public speaking. I have always had issues with it, but Mr. John taught us and made us practice a lot, so I am thankful to him.’
Note: This page represents our best expectations for the program. Activities and instructors are subject to change. In such cases, similar activities and a comparably qualified instructor will be sought.
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