Financial Misadventures:
Cautionary Tales from Wall Street
In-Person – Monday 3:10 pm – 4:50 pm
March 11, 18, 25 April 1, 8
Stories of corporate malfeasance and fraud are all too common in the financial press. Using
a case study approach, we examine some common types of financial fraud, from companies with no real products or revenues to companies engaged in accounting scams. Why do successful corporate leaders head down this path — is it greed, competitiveness, overconfidence, or the belief that they won’t get caught? Are there clues that help us identify and avoid these companies? Tune in for a fascinating look at corporate bad behavior.
Weeks 1 and 2: Does the company really have products and an ongoing business?
- Equity Funding Corp. and its effect on insider trading and whistleblower laws
- The 21st century repeat: Frank and JP Morgan Chase
- ZZZZ Carpet Cleaning – an early “meme” stock
- Theranos and the “fake it ‘til you make it” ethos of Silicon Valley start-up culture
Weeks 3 and 4: Accounting Fraud in all its forms
- Tyco, Worldcom, Enron, Computer Associates
Week 5 Summary
Ted Wolff has over 30 years’ experience as an equity analyst and portfolio manager. Most recently he was a portfolio manager at the Solaris Group LLC. Before that he was managing director at TIAA-CREF, where he co-managed the company’s growth stock portfolios. He holds a BA from Beloit College, an MA from Western Michigan University, and was a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a Fulbright Fellow.