Career advice
33 interviews, newest first.
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Spring 2026
Tony DeSpirito
BlackRock (retired)
Almost 20 years at Pzena, then global CIO of fundamental equities at BlackRock. Tony on mixing quality, value and dividend growth, and why he likes Fortune Brands and Becton Dickinson.
Quality compoundersHousingHealthcareCareer advice -
Spring 2026
Edgar Wachenheim III
Greenhaven Associates
Ed Wachenheim on homebuilders that moved to a land-light model, NVR as the template, and why Greenhaven sits on roughly 48% cash.
HousingPortfolio constructionCareer advice -
Spring 2026
Tom Saberhagen & Nick Kapur
Tenzing MEMO
The founders of Tenzing MEMO, an AI research tool for analysts, on how the product works and what it could change for the sell-side.
AICareer advice -
Fall 2024
Kevin Tanner
SaratogaRIM
Kevin founded SaratogaRIM in 1995. He covers how he tests for a competitive advantage, valuation and sizing, and how he hires and trains analysts.
MoatsQuality compoundersBuilding a firmCareer advice -
Spring 2024
Shayan Mozaffar
10x10y
A profile written by student Richard Lalane of Shayan, who runs 10x10y and co-teaches The Analyst's Edge at CBS. He arrived in the US at 18 with $1,000.
Short sellingCareer advice -
Fall 2023
Ric Dillon, Jenny Hubbard & Brian Hilderbrand
VELA Investment Management
The VELA team on their research process, what they look for in analysts, and three holdings: BWXT, Casey's and Kirby.
Quality compoundersBuilding a firmCareer advice -
Spring 2023
Chuck Bath, Austin Hawley & Varun Gupta
Diamond Hill Capital Management
Three Diamond Hill investors on passive investing, hiring analysts, and two holdings: Martin Marietta and SS&C. Chuck first bought rival Vulcan in 1985.
Quality compoundersCareer advice -
Fall 2021
Gavin Baker
Atreides Management
Gavin ran Fidelity's OTC Fund before starting Atreides in 2019. He talks about the people who shaped him, how long investment judgment takes to build, and why telecom pricing makes Dish interesting.
TechnologyGrowth investingCareer advice -
Winter 2021
Wilmot Kidd & John Hill
Central Securities
Central Securities has been a closed-end fund since 1929. Wil recalls being the numbers guy at Hayden Stone when it took part in Intel's first financing, and John explains why the private insurer Plymouth Rock is about 20% of the fund.
Quality compoundersJudging managementCareer advice -
Fall 2020
Bill Nygren
Harris Associates (Oakmark)
Bill has run Oakmark Select since 1996. He explains why GAAP numbers can hide value, using Alphabet's search business and Netflix, and Ally Financial at two-thirds of tangible equity.
Quality compoundersFinancialsCareer advice -
Spring 2019
William P. Stewart
Stewart Asset Management
Bill started on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1955. He covers six decades of investing, how he sets terminal multiples, and why Amazon gets the highest one in his book.
Quality compoundersCareer advice -
Fall 2018
Steve Tusa
JP Morgan
The JP Morgan analyst who was the lone bear on GE from May 2016, before the stock fell more than 60%. He walks through his GE research, the Welch and Immelt years, and why patience matters.
Short sellingAccountingCareer advice -
Spring 2018
Michael Mauboussin & Tom Digenan
BlueMountain Capital Management, UBS
Two investors who also teach on the base-rate fallacy, lasting competitive advantage, ETFs, and how teams make decisions.
MoatsJudging managementCareer advice -
Spring 2018
Rishi Renjen
ROAM Global Management
Rishi was about to launch a concentrated long-short fund focused on single-name shorts. He talks about learning from Lee Ainslie and Larry Robbins and why he teaches two classes at Columbia.
Short sellingBuilding a firmCareer advice -
Winter 2018
Leon Cooperman
Omega Advisors
Lee Cooperman on his fight with the SEC, passive investing, his relationships with other managers, and what matters to him outside the markets.
Career adviceMacro and markets -
Fall 2017
Paul Sonkin & Paul Johnson
GAMCO Investors, Nicusa Investment Advisors
The authors of Pitch the Perfect Investment on why pitching sits at the center of the investment process and the four questions every pitch has to answer.
Career advice -
Spring 2017
Clifford Sosin
CAS Investment Partners
Cliff runs a very concentrated, long-term book. He goes deep on two controversial ideas, Herbalife and World Acceptance, and gives some unusual career advice.
Portfolio constructionCareer advice -
Spring 2017
Christopher Begg
East Coast Investment Management
A Security Analysis adjunct at CBS on compounders, transformations and workouts, high-quality businesses that get overlooked like Sherwin-Williams, and learning across disciplines.
Quality compoundersCareer advice -
Spring 2016
John Phelan
MSD Capital
From ESL and Sam Zell's real estate funds to co-running MSD. John tells the IndyMac/OneWest story and what students should do to get into the business.
Real estateFinancialsPrivate equityCareer advice -
Winter 2016
Shane Parrish
Farnam Street
The founder of the Farnam Street blog on becoming a better learner the way Buffett and Munger did, and how that makes a better investor.
Career advice -
Fall 2015
Hugh Wrigley, James Ferguson & Andrew Burns
Global Endowment Management
The GEM team on pay in the investment business, the value of being able to invest in small corners, and the risks of moving from analysis to management.
Building a firmCareer advice -
Spring 2014
Arnold Van Den Berg & Jim Brilliant
Century Management
On discipline in money management and building a framework and a mental database from experience to make better decisions.
Portfolio constructionCareer advice -
Winter 2014
Lee Ainslie
Maverick Capital
Lee on founding Maverick in 1993, hiring analysts and organizing sector teams, and a candid account of a 1995 merger investment that taught him management matters more than strategy.
Building a firmJudging managementCareer advice -
Fall 2013
Guy Spier
Aquamarine Capital
Guy on going from Oxford and investment banking to managing money for friends and family, using checklists, cloning Mohnish Pabrai, his lunch with Buffett, and his position in Fiat.
Career advicePortfolio construction -
Fall 2012
Joel Greenblatt
Gotham Capital
Joel on moving from special situations to a formula-based approach, why the market's focus on short-term results creates the biggest inefficiencies, and why he still thought stocks were cheap.
QuantitativeSpecial situationsCareer advice -
Spring 2012
Julian Robertson
Tiger Management
Tiger's founder on mentoring the Tiger Cubs, why analysts should focus on strong management, and why he expected Apple and Google to keep outperforming.
Judging managementCareer advice -
Winter 2012
Michael Karsch
Karsch Capital Management
Michael on deep diligence, finding a point of difference, judging companies by where they sit in their life cycle, and his firm's thesis on Viacom.
Career advice -
Fall 2011
Leon Cooperman
Omega Advisors
Lee looks back on his career from Goldman to Omega, explains how the firm builds its portfolio, and lays out top ideas including Sallie Mae, Transocean and Boston Scientific.
Portfolio constructionCareer advice -
Fall 2011
Eli Rabinowich
An alumni profile: how Eli chose Columbia for its value investing tradition and what came after.
Career advice -
Winter 2011
Larry Robbins
Glenview Institutional Partners
Larry went from trading options on the Chicago floor to Omega and then Glenview. He shares his analogies for the market, his intense research process, and a few ideas he liked at the time.
HealthcareCareer advice -
Fall 2009
Howard Marks
Oaktree Capital Management
Howard on starting at Citibank in its 'nifty fifty' years, why he disliked being director of research, and the philosophy behind Oaktree and his memos: do an excellent job at a few things.
CreditDistressedCareer advice -
Fall 2009
Kevin Dreyer
Gabelli
A 2005 graduate of the value investing program, then associate PM on Gabelli's Asset and Healthcare funds, on starting a career in turbulent markets.
HealthcareCareer advice -
Winter 2009
Bruce Greenwald
Columbia Business School
Bruce on analyzing financial companies, the new edition of Security Analysis, and the three traits a great investor needs.
FinancialsCareer advice