A Finance Legend Right Here in San Diego

It was an honor to host NYU Stern School of Business Professor Aswath Damodaran right here in San Diego. CFA Society of San Diego is the third society I have been a member of after San Francisco and New York. One of my biggest worries upon leaving New York after 7 wonderful years was losing a community of smart, energetic colleagues. And the ability to attend events featuring the industry's brightest minds. 

Thanks to new CFA Society of San Diego President Ed Ciuffo and new head of Programs Stanley Martinez I am starting to feel less FOMO about not being back East. In terms of engaging and elucidating speakers it does not get better than Professor Aswath Damodaran. 

Beyond being a great educator you can always learn something from, Aswath is also a great career role model. He has been teaching at NYU since the 1986 yet continues to evolve his approach to valuation and company analysis. He recently published his 12th book: "The Corporate Life Cycle: Business, Investment. and Management Implications." It may be his best and most complete book yet. 

For a good sampling and application of the concepts discussed in the book, Damodaran's recent appearance on the Excellent Excess Returns podcast is a great place to start. 

While I enjoy Aswath's books, the applications of his concepts on his long-running and worth bookmarking blog may be even better. Media appearances where he grows animated and adds further context to the most important companies of the day are further still more elucidating and entertaining. But, the best remains seeing Damodaran in person. We're lucky here in San Diego that we were able to spend the evening among our peers in the presence of a true New York finance legend. He did not disappoint.