Essentials of Finance
Essentials of Finance is an intensive two-week summer opportunity for a select group of high school students currently enrolled in grades 9–11. This exploratory program provides a brief introduction to the fundamentals of finance, as well as opportunities to explore finance beyond the stock market, including venture capital, corporate valuation, and alternative investments.
Overview
Essentials of Finance provides an introduction to the theory, the methods and the concerns of the world of finance. Learn about the fundamentals of both personal and corporate finance. Delve into the topics such as the time value of money, the trade-off between risk and return, equities and corporate accounting
Each summer, Wharton Essentials of Finance students:
- Engage with an exploratory curriculum inspired by the undergraduate finance program at the Wharton School
- Learn fundamentals of finance with real-world applications and case studies
- Attend lectures and presentations from notable Wharton faculty, lecturers and PhD students
- Collaborate in small teams to complete an analysis project
Essentials of Finance uses an innovative curriculum developed by Wharton Professor Michael Roberts, which integrates personal and corporate finance concepts and promotes the exploration of how these concepts can be applied practically.
All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
Details
Academic classes are held Monday-Friday with extracurricular activities available in the evenings and on the weekends. Students move in on Sunday pre-program, and move out the final Saturday of the program. For more information on campus life, visit our residential experience page.
While each day varies in format, a typical day includes:
- 9:00-10:30am – Topics lecture/guest speaker
- 10:30-10:45am – Mid-morning break
- 10:45-12:00pm – Recitation/small group activity
- 12:00-1:30pm – Lunch
- 1:30-3:00pm – Topics lecture/guest speaker
- 3:00-3:15pm – Afternoon break
- 3:15-4:30pm – Recitations/group work
Session topics include:
- Personal finance
- Corporate accounting
- Corporate finance
- Fixed income
- Equities and impact investing
- Risk and the cost of capital
- Capital structure
- Derivatives
In the evening, students will have a number of extracurricular activities to choose from. Students can also opt to work on their final project with their group, meet with the program TAs, and/or relax at the dorm.
Please note, some days may not follow this schedule as there could be a site visit off campus or a simulation in lieu of lecture/recitation schedule.
Eligibility
Eligibility
High school students currently enrolled in grades 9-11 eager to gain valuable knowledge of finance, investing and accounting. Demonstrated understanding of economics or business is highly preferred, though not required. International applicants are welcome.
Admission
Admission to Wharton Essentials of Finance is selective. Each year the admissions committee receives many more applications than there are available places. Selections are based on a record of academic excellence and a genuine interest in developing finance skills. Interested students are strongly encouraged to submit an application by the priority deadline.
Please note that participation in the Essentials of Finance program does not guarantee admission into Penn.
Instructional Team
Academic Director: Professor Michael Roberts
Michael R. Roberts is the William H. Lawrence Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and an affiliate of the Institute for Law and Economics and the Wharton Financial Institutions Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He also founded and heads the Wharton Financial Analytics Initiative. Professor Roberts’ research spans corporate finance, banking, and asset pricing. Recent work has examined equity pricing anomalies, collateralized loan obligation (CLO) performance, and the effect of interest rates on bank lending. His research has received several awards including two Brattle Prizes for Distinguished Paper published in the Journal of Finance, a Jensen Prize for best paper on Corporate Finance and Organizations published in the Journal of Financial Economics, and Best Paper awards from the Financial Management Association, Southwestern Finance Association, and Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research.
Professor Roberts earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at San Diego, and his M.A. in Statistics and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Program Leader: Wayne Williams
Dr. Wayne W. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He is also the Faculty Advisor for the National Association of Black Accountants.
Williams worked in several roles as an accounting and tax professional, financial advisor and administrative leader in private industry and government prior to joining academia.
He joined the Fox School from the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), where he had served since 2004 as a faculty member and as the Department Chair for Business Administration before becoming the Director of Education Services for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, an entrepreneurship education program that was CCP’s largest grant award to date. He was appointed to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s Task Force on Tax Policy and Economic Competitiveness in 2009. He is currently a member of the Philadelphia Department of Revenue Commissioner’s Tax Advisory Committee and concurrently serves on the City of Philadelphia’s Tax Reform Working Group, 2021-2022.
Williams earned his Doctor of Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Master of Science in Taxation and Financial Planning from Widener University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Fox School. He is also an IRS Enrolled Agent and Certified Financial Planner™.
Instructor: Antony Anyosa (Sessions 1 & 2)
Antony Anyosa is a Ph.D. candidate in Finance at the Wharton School whose primary focus lies at the intersection of international Finance, Monetary Policy, and the impact of currency risk on global firms and banks. He holds a Master's in Finance from The Wharton School and completed his undergraduate education at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, where he earned dual degrees with the highest honors in Economics and Mathematics.
Antony Anyosa, who will obtain his Ph.D. in Finance in the summer of 2023, has accumulated a wealth of research experience spanning over seven years in Economics and Finance. He has conducted groundbreaking research at esteemed institutions, including Columbia Business School and Ross School of Business. In addition to his research pursuits, Antony is a highly regarded educator with a passion for teaching finance. He has delivered engaging and impactful lectures to the Wharton School's Doctoral, MBA, and Undergraduate students. By incorporating real-world examples, case studies, and interactive discussions, Antony ensures that his students comprehensively understand simple and complex financial concepts
Instructor: Chisom Onyishi (Sessions 3 & 4)
Chisom Onyshi is a rising second-year Ph.D. student in Finance at the Wharton School whose research interests include Asset Pricing, Institutional Investors, and Financial Intermediation. She holds a Master of Arts in Statistics from Columbia University and completed her undergraduate education in Beijing, China at the University of International Business and Economics, where she earned a Bachelor of Economics in Finance with the highest honors.
Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions and share their Penn and Wharton experiences.
Dates
- Jun 4 - Jun 17, 2023
- Jun 18 - Jul 1, 2023
- Jul 9 - Jul 22, 2023
- Jul 23 - Aug 5, 2023
Location
Philadelphia, USA (on campus)
Application Deadlines
Priority deadline: January 25, 2023
Final deadline: April 5, 2023
Additional Info
Application Deadlines
Summer 2022 applications are now closed
Contact
For more information, please contact wharton@summerdiscovery.com or call +1.516.414.5555.
“My advice for incoming students is to make friends with people in your program. You will get to meet people across the world that have different perspectives and experiences than you do. You will learn a lot from your classes, but you will also learn from your peers. Also—bring a calculator!” - Kendall B., Maryland, USA