Certified financial Analyst & Modeler | Financial Modeling | Investment Research | Equities | Personal finance & Wealth Management| Portfolio Management

Find out more about Yash

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  I first entered the field of finance out of pure interest in how financial institutions and markets operate. My BBA in Finance provided me with a good academic background, including the knowledge of Corporate Finance issues, 3-Statement Modelling, Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management, and Financial Planning. However, what really increased my passion was the fact that I was able to go beyond the classroom. I began to learn these financial markets independently - trading and researching the derivatives market, such as futures, options and swaps. I developed financial models and valuation of actual companies using DCF, DDM, and relative valuation techniques. I also immersed myself into equity research, technical and fundamental analysis, and data analytics.Each layer exposed me further to fascination. Finance is not merely a matter of numbers, it is also a matter of knowing business, economy and what decisions are made to make this world what it is. That fact made an academic interest a life-long passion.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  Finance altered my perception of the world and I wish people to undergo the same experience that I had. What motivates me to teach is my knowledge about the effectiveness of financial knowledge - and how many people have access to it in a clear and practical form. Having successfully finished the course works in Financial Management, Equity fund management, Wealth management and Business strategy and, having gained the experience in the corporation itself, working with clients directly in ICICI Prudential, I understood that I had the knowledge and the speaking ability to achieve a real difference.I also have an investment banker goal and teaching makes me keep on my toes, keeps me in touch, and keeps me learning. When one student learns something I have told him, it does not only justify my teaching, but my mastery of the subject.

• How does your work help society?

  Financial sound decision-making is among the least recognized life skills that are never properly taught to most people. My classes provide people with the ability to develop that skill on the ground. It may be a student attempting to get to grips with corporate finance, a young professional attempting to enter the world of investment banking, or someone who just wants to devote more time to managing his own wealth; my teaching provides him with a set of tools that directly and immediately affect his or her life.When an individual gets to know how to analyze the financials of a company, create a model, or even plan their portfolio, he or she gets more confident, better informed, and empowered. Multiply that by the high population of students and you are helping create a generation of sharper more financially responsible professionals and that does not leave me indifferent.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  Two names are immediately suggested. The former is Aswath Damodaran, the celebrated NYU Stern professor of values. His style of simplifying complex valuation modelsin a very logical manner, DCF, DDM, relative valuation, it is just as I am attempting to do in my own teaching. He demonstrates that high skills and high communication can be the same thing.
  
  The second one is Warren Buffett not only as an investor, but also as a thinker. I strongly like and impart to my students the way he manages to reduce these difficult financial concepts, remain disciplined, and think long-term. They both serve to remind me that finance is, in the end, about judgment, patience, and constant learning.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  I truly love my career in finance; it is also one of my hobbies! I am a regular follower of the equity markets, macroeconomic trends and I like doing my basic and technical analysis of companies as an intellectual exercise. I am also actively engaged in learning about the derivatives market, and I also practice the trading strategies every now and then.In addition to finance, I like reading business strategy, world economics, and international markets as they directly contribute to my knowledge base of International Business and Marketing Strategy. In my opinion, the more you read and remain curious outside of the classroom, the more inspiring and interesting you become as a teacher in the classroom.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  A vivid experience that I can recall is when I constructed a complete financial model of a company and chose to take a fellow student through the whole process- building 3-statement model, sensitivity and scenario analysis using excel. They had always feared financial modelling which they believed was the preserve of Wall Street analysts with experience.
  
  We have worked backward, i.e. how to organize the income statement, connect it with the balance sheet and cash flow statement, and overlay a DCF value with varied growth assumptions. It was so gratifying to watch them hesitate, and then become truly excited when the model was in place. They could adjust assumptions on their own and interpret outputs with actual confidence by the conclusion.That moment reinforced this thing, which I take with me into each class: financial modelling is not the preserve of the elite. Under the appropriate guidance, arrangement, and time, anyone could be a master of it. It is what I am offering to every student that comes to my sessions.