March 2021
Expert Opinions: GameStop
What is going on in the stock market? We keep hearing the names GameStop, Robinhood, Reddit, but what does it all mean? In what seems to be a never-ending saga of updates, we have turned to our faculty experts, Professor Daniel Bradley and Professor Leo Chen, to give us their perspectives.

Q. What happened with the stock value of GameStop?
 
A. Daniel Bradley: GameStop was a heavily "shorted" stock, meaning that many market participants were betting against it, causing its stock price to be depressed. Shorting companies is typically a strategy employed by sophisticated investors, i.e., Wall Street hedge funds. Individual investors banded together in one of the Reddit online forums, WallStreetBets, started a crusade to "stick it to the hedge funds’ by buying GameStop... Read the full Q&A here.
Want to discuss this topic further?
Barron's in Education will be hosting a live webinar for all Muma students: GameStop, AMC, Reddit and Robinhood Analyzed. Hear from advisory board member Ray Ferrara, CFP, and Barron's associate editor, Jack Hough.

In the News
Professor Bob Tiller was featured in two recent articles. Tiller gave his expert advice on Understanding Liability-Only Car Insurance. He was also featured in an investors.com article discussing the most important points that professors cover in their financial planning courses.
Professor Murad Antia recently had two opinion pieces published in the Tampa Bay Times. One covered the economy's performance under Democratic presidents, while the other discusses the "Velocity of Money."
Announcements
Students: Are you looking for something that will set you apart?
Applications are now open for the 25 Under 25 program. It recognizes 25 USF business students under 25 years old based on grades, leadership qualities and engagement with communities both on and off campus. It is open to business students on all campuses . To apply, click here.
Finance firms are recognizing the need to diversify the industry.
Hear from PSCU's Lynn Heckler about how they're increasing the gender diversity of their leadership through a partnership with LEADForward Roundtables hosted by the Muma College of Business' Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership and Accendo Leadership Advisory Group. To learn more, click here.
Student Spotlights
Anne Bauer – From Girl Scouts to USF
Anne Bauer, a double-major in finance and personal financial planning, has always been an active member of her community. At USF, Bauer is on the rowing team and in the running club, participates in USF WLP and Zeta Tau Alpha and holds leadership positions in the USF Financial Planning Association and Students for Life Club. She credits the Girl Scouts for cultivating her passion for community service from an early age. She is now a lifetime member and continues to volunteer her time, attending events and participating in community activities organized by the Girl Scouts. Read more here.
Brendan Fritz - A passion for Real Estate
Junior finance major Brendan Fritz grew up around real estate, spending many summers working at his father’s construction company. Those early experiences led to Fritz's interest in real estate and the tangible aspects of the home building process. In high school, his internship with a real estate developer introduced him to the commercial side of the industry.

During the summer of 2020, Fritz landed an internship with PWC in public accounting, an experience that allowed him to learn about another career option. However, he found himself drawn back to real estate, this time with an interest in the investing side. This summer, Fritz will intern with Goldman Sachs’ real estate investing team in Dallas. Read more here.
Faculty Spotlight: Leo Chen
Leo Chen earned his PhD in business administration, finance from the University of South Florida in 2015. He taught at the University of Southern Mississippi for two years before returning to teach at his alma mater in 2017. Chen also works as a consultant for Sarasota-based Cumberland Advisors, an active partner with the USF community that has made generous donations to the Bloomberg Center in Sarasota and funded a student scholarship. Chen works with the firm to organize events including a financial literacy day on the Sarasota campus.

Chen’s research is industry focused. He uses quantitative methods to examine market returns and underlying volatilities. He has been quoted in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, U.S. News and World Report and MarketWatch, among others. Read the full spotlight here.
Financial Literacy Advice
Sponsored by the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Center
How to File Taxes: A Pain-Free Guide for the First-Timers and Everyone Else
Jamie Cattanach, The Penny Hoarder

We’re not going to pretend that taxes are fun. That paying them is fun. That filing them is fun. That anything remotely related to them is fun. But for most people, getting our tax affairs in order isn’t actually that much of a headache. It’s just a thing we all have to do. Read more here.
The Penny Hoarder Academy offers financial literacy courses that may be helpful for those who are looking to learn more about credit cards, homebuying, budgeting, job hunting, and more.
Faculty Publications
Pacini, C., Forbes Stowell, N., Katz, I., Patterson, G., Lin, W. (2020). An Analysis of Money Laundering, Shell Entities, and No Ownership Transparency That Washes Off and On Many Shores: A Building Tidal Wave of Policy Responses. Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, 30,1, 1 – 36.
USF Muma College of Business
Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance