On Monday, November 8th, members of the investment club flooded into the Melsheimer Theater. As they filed through the doors and made their way to the seats, students were immediately greeted by Mr. Peter Ricchiuti’s face on a large projection screen.
The Meeting
Mr. Ricchiuti, a business professor at Tulane’s prestigious Freeman School of Business, spoke to students on a wide variety of topics regarding business and finance. Well-versed in the business world, Ricchiuti is a graduate of Babson College in Boston. He has worked as both an investor and the Chief Investment Officer for the state of Louisiana before making his way to Tulane. Organized by club moderator Mr. Vu and club president Aidan Sanchez, Mr. Ricchiuti’s lecture was the third of the school year for the club. Mr. Ricchiuti gave students the chance to learn from one of the nation’s investment experts.
Mr. Ricchiutti touched on how to get into the field, what he loves about investing, and his experiences in the field. Mr. Ricchutti is also the host of an over-decade old podcast called “Out to Lunch” (which you can listen to here) where he interviews young entrepreneurs about the trials and tribulations of the business world.
At the end of the talk, Mr. Ricchiutti opened the floor up for questions where students asked about getting started in investing, and Mr. Ricchiutti shared valuable advice. He suggested that investors should think not about how a company is doing presently, or in the past, but instead how they will do in a year or two. Next, Mr. Richiutti shared his tips for finding good investments, telling club members to look not for what everyone else is investing in, but instead at what allows other investments to grow, using his investment in Miracle-Gro and the booming marijuana market as an example. Ricchiutti shared that investors should look at the mechanisms for industry rather than the industry itself.
Conclusion
Overall, Mr. Ricchiutti’s advice to the members of the investment club was invaluable and extremely insightful. By inviting a guest speaker of his caliber and experience, club leaders gave students a great opportunity to learn about the field. His passion for investment was clear, tangible, and inspiring for young investors. Mr. Richiutti’s advice provided an excellent launching pad for success for investors looking to get started or to grow their portfolios.
Member Thoughts
Club moderator Mr. Vu said, “I really appreciate the large turnouts for the Investment Club’s guest speaker series this semester. That’s proof that there is a strong interest in investing and finance among the student body here at Jesuit.  We have been fortunate to find speakers who are willing to share their passion and enthusiasm for their industry. Professor Ricchiuti was the latest speaker who gave a thoughtful and honest talk about how to be successful in the world of entrepreneurship and finance. We hope to continue the guest speaker series next semester. Big thanks to Ms. Schider and Mr. Hajovsky for their audio/visual help during our conferences!“
Club leader Aidan Sanchez ’22 said, “Mr. Richutti was a great speaker who gave a lot of helpful insight into the world of investments to our club members.”
Tyler Gazzam ’22 shared that he “thought the opportunity gave all of us a really interesting inside look into the life of a college finance professor as well as a glimpse of the numerous careers on Wall Street.”
Adam Stuecheli ’22 said that “it was a very informative meeting that fueled my interests in stocks.”
Ryan Stuecheli ’22 stated, “the speaker enabled me to develop a firm grasp of the business world and its boundless opportunities through passion and hard work.”
If you are a student looking to join the investment club, reach out to Mr. Vu or Aidan Sanchez for a great opportunity to learn about finance.
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more club news!
