When Ross Mayfield made his first trip to the 91社区 as a guest speaker in February 2023, he created his presentation based on topics he thought business students would ask. This time around, he reached out directly to hear what students wanted to learn. 听
Hundreds of questions rolled in鈥攅verything from 鈥淪hould I be traveling in my 20鈥�s, or should I focus on saving money instead?鈥� to 鈥淲hat career opportunities exist in the investment analysis field?鈥� While he couldn鈥檛 get to every single question submitted, he鈥檚 hopeful he was able to give students some perspective into the world of investing and reduce uneasiness about their futures.听
Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird Private Wealth Management, presented 鈥淢arkets, Building Wealth as a Student and Careers in Investing鈥� in the Romain College of Business on Tuesday, February 13 in front of a full house of students, faculty and administrators. 听
鈥淢aybe I just wasn't curious enough when I was in college, but I felt like I graduated and then all of a sudden, I had no concept of not just what I wanted to do but what was even out there,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淪o, if I can reduce that uncertainty by even just 5%, that鈥檚 the goal.鈥� 听
Mayfield鈥檚 presentation covered a variety of areas such as different career paths in investing, how to save money while in college and the difference in stocks and bonds. He also answered more specific questions related to cryptocurrency, the housing market and the impact of AI and 鈥渞obo-advisors.鈥�听
鈥淪tudents wanted to learn about things I would鈥檝e been asking as an undergrad student,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淭hings that if you鈥檝e been doing this for 10 years, you may take for granted. But they鈥檙e those building blocks of investing and building a career right at the beginning.鈥�听
While he covered a variety of topics, if there鈥檚 one general takeaway, he hopes students leave the presentation with something simple yet, important 鈥� be optimistic.听
He discussed how the market can be negatively impacted by the language used in news articles and the constant change in emotions amongst the public. That rapid change can cause people to overreact and make irrational decisions. It鈥檚 why he urges students to always stay positive 鈥� a rule that can be applied to more than just investing.听听
鈥淏e optimistic about the future,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淏eing a rational, reasonable optimist about the world is the best way to go through life. It may not be the most practical takeaway, but I think it鈥檚 the most useful.鈥澨�听
Mayfield is a chartered financial analyst (CFA) professional who works closely with financial advisors to educate clients about the economy and听
markets. In addition, Mayfield creates investment strategy content aimed at helping clients achieve long-term financial goals. He authors investment research for advisors and clients focused on financial markets, the economy and the benefits of long-term investing.听
A Louisville, Kentucky, native, Mayfield serves as President on the Board of the CFA Society of Louisville. He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance from the University of Kentucky and earned his MBA from the University of Louisville.听听