Founded in 2004, The Financial Economics Institute (FEI) provides opportunities for students interested in finance and related areas to develop research skills and engage with both academics studying finance and practitioners working in the world of finance. Students can work closely with finance and economics faculty as well as assist FEI staff with general operations.
The FEI offers CMC students a rigorous educational opportunity that is distinguished by both its liberal arts emphasis and quantitative orientation.
In conjunction with CMC’s Financial Economics Sequence, the FEI has been highly effective at promoting student opportunities to learn about finance, develop the skills necessary for success, and make connections both inside and outside academia.
Current Events
FEB 16, 2024
20th Anniversary Celebration
The Financial Economics Institute (FEI) at CMC will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary, along with the 50th Anniversary of the Student Investment Fund (SIF), on Feb 16th, 2024. Please mark your calendars and come visit us in Claremont for a day of celebrations, reconnecting with fellow alumni, and meeting with the current students and faculty.
NOV 14, 2023
AthDocs: This Is Not Financial Advice
David Bjerk, discussant
Chris Temple ’12 and Zach Ingrasci ’12 created their first award-winning documentary in their dorm room at CMC. The film, Living on One Dollar, became a global phenomenon on Netflix and helped launch their non-profit production studio Optimist. Since then, the duo has created over 15 films that have been released globally by Netflix, HBO, PBS and The Atlantic and have helped raise over $92.5 million for charitable causes.
For their newest film, This Is Not Financial Advice, they spent the last few years exploring the risks and rewards of financial markets through expert commentary and the anxiety-inducing stories of new investors trying to make millions overnight. Coming off its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, the film was called a “thought-provoking masterpiece” by the Washington Post. The film follows Glauber “Pro” Contessoto—an immigrant working multiple jobs and living in a 220-square-foot apartment—who gambles his life savings on a joke cryptocurrency. Two months later, he becomes “The Dogecoin Millionaire” and a hero to his growing YouTube following. It’s easy to get rich online. But as Pro will soon discover, it’s even easier to lose it all.
We hope you’ll join us for an exclusive screening of the film before its global release in early 2024.
After the film screening, we will hold a discussion and Q&A with both directors, who will be joined by CMC’s own David Bjerk, the Russell S. Bock Professor of Public Economics and Taxation, and Chair of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance.
MAR 30, 2022
Application due: 5:00pm, Friday April 8st, 2022
Program starts: Wednesday, June 1st, 2022
Program ends: Wednesday, August 24th, 2022
1st Fintech Incubator Program
The Financial Economics Institute (FEI) is excited to launch the 1st Fintech Incubator program this summer for students looking to do their own technology startup in the field of finance. The Incubator will be run through FEI’s partnership with a world-renowned pre-Seed incubator in Silicon Valley.
Here are some details to keep in mind, as you consider joining this inaugural FEI program:
- The program will be delivered in real-time over Zoom (i.e., virtual, but not recorded lectures)
- Program starts: Wednesday, June 1st, 2022
- Program ends: Wednesday, August 24th, 2022
- Tentative Zoom meeting times: a 3-hour block on every Wednesday evening (5-8pm, tentatively)
- The Incubator will be open to students from across all five Claremont Colleges (“5Cs”).
- Teams must be 2-3 students each, and can include a mix of students from different 5C colleges.
- At least one member in each team must have technical / coding skills.
- In order to participate in this Summer’22 offering, you must be planning to return back to school at the 5Cs for Fall’22 semester (i.e., open to all classes except seniors graduating this summer).
To apply, please submit the attached application, resume and unofficial transcript to Nancy Faust nfaust@cmc.edu by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 8th, 2022. The teams that are selected will be invited to create a company page and personal profile on the incubator’s website, before the program starts.
NOTE: all documents must be submitted as one pdf file in the order given on the application.
If you have any questions, please email Prof. Nishant Dass at ndass@cmc.edu
MAR 30, 2022
Application due: 12:00pm, Monday, April 4st, 2022
Starts: Tuesday, May 31st, 2022
The Financial Economics Institute Summer 2022 Student Research Analysts
The Financial Economics Institute is hiring several full-time student Research Analysts to work for 10 weeks, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m., during the Summer of 2022 beginning Tuesday, May 31st, with the possibility of continuing part-time during the academic year. Students will assist faculty members with research projects and Institute staff with general Institute operations. Specific responsibilities may include data collection, data entry, maintaining databases, programming, and general clerical work. Wages will be $17.00/hour, with a maximum possible earnings of $6,375 for a 10 week position.
For a look at research projects, please go the Financial Economics Institute newsletter, The Exchange, at: https://fei.cmc.edu/the-exchange/
To apply for this position complete the attached application and email it to me at nancy.faust@cmc.edu along with a resume and an unofficial transcript (one from the student portal will suffice) by 12:00 noon on Monday, April 4th.
FEI Summer 2022 RA Application
