Newbie Program

A yes answer to any of these questions means the Newbie Program is for you! The program curriculum is specifically designed for attendees with little or no experience in long-term fundamental investing.

General Sessions Schedule | Leadership Training Schedule

Session Schedule and Descriptions

Saturday

 9:15–9:20        Welcome—Seymour Zeenkov

 9:20–10:10      Basic Concepts for Investing—Louise Sechler

Newbies can become successful investors by learning the investment principles that have guided successful investors for many years. The session considers an overall strategy for investing and covers the meaning of basic terms used to evaluate a company.

10:10–10:20    Break

10:20–11:10    Getting Started With Judgment—Mary Ann Davis

The Stock Selection Guide is a tool, and is therefore not the complete answer to the stock study process. To be useful for the investor, the SSG requires the addition of judgment. The session is designed to help new investors develop their judgment skills.

11:15–12:25    Finding Good Candidate  Companies—Doug Gerlach

New investors frequently ask, “How do I find good companies to study?” Learn the characteristics of good companies and the warning signs of unsuitable investment candidates. In addition, the session explores resources to help identify potentially profitable investments.

12:30–2:30       Lunch

2:35–3:00         About Mutual Funds—Pam Wilkes 

The session takes place in the computer lab and introduces the concept of mutual funds. Topics include Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and index funds.

 3:00–3:30        Navigating the Software and Accessing the Internet
                          —Seymour Zeenkov

Learn how to use computers effectively during a lab session, and become acquainted with stock selection software. The session demonstrates how to access key Internet sites and print selected reports.  

3:30–3:40         Break

3:40–5:45         Computer Lab—Marvin Kohn 

In this hands-on session, Newbies develop their own stock selection analysis and learn to access helpful online sites. Assistance by a lead instructor and experienced tutors ensure that participants fully understand the way that the software works so they are able to use it when they return home.

Sunday

 9:15–10:25      Putting the Pieces Together—Kathy Tegtmeier 

Now that we’ve learned about the basic stock selection elements and used the stock analysis software, we are ready to look at it as a complete entity. We will discuss the successes and questions from your lab experience. We now have the tools to ask the important question. “What have we learned and how can we use it?”

10:25–10:35    Break

10:35–11:25    Internet Research Resources—John Tonsager  

Downloading data automatically from the Internet to a software analysis program is the first step. Learning the unvarnished truth about a company comes next. We’ll demonstrate how various financial web sites show where to find industry averages and how to compare data with other companies in the same industry.

11:35–12:15    Design and Manage Your Basic Portfolio—Seymour Zeenkov

Learn how to design a basic portfolio based on fundamental investing principles. Find out why diversification decreases risks and how to add diversity to a portfolio. Learn how active portfolio management enhances the prospects of reward and can help preclude unnecessary losses.

12:15–12:25    Conclusion—Seymour Zeenkov

It’s time to summarize the day-and-a-half Newbie experience and consider the next steps toward investment success. In addition, we’ll review the Sunday afternoon InvestEd schedule with an eye toward topics of special interest to new investors.

Reserve your place immediately because the program fills to capacity every year. We fill openings as we receive registrations.

View or download the .PDF Version of the InvestEd Newbie Program Session Schedule.

Register Now There is no additional charge, but you must check the Newbie Program box on the left-hand side of the registration form to indicate that you want to participate in the program.