Wealth Management Focus

The Merage School has had highly recognized finance faculty members with expertise in portfolio management techniques and risk analysis.  With the support of the Center we have been able to attract and retain Professor David Hirshleifer who is a leading expert in behavioral finance.

MBA students have access to a complete series of investment management and related courses including Portfolio Management, Bonds and Fixed Income, Behavioral Finance, Corporate Valuation, Financial Statement Analysis, Applied Real Estate Security Analysis and Portfolio Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Risk Management and Venture Capital and Private Equity. In addition, the Center and The Paul Merage School of Business have partnered with the prestigious CFA Institute in its University Partnership Program. The CFA Institute only recognizes partners with globally diverse, high profile institutions who cover a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ and embrace the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct in their degree programs. The partnership allows students access to the programs and activities of the CFA Institute.
       
The wealth management career path is more diverse than investment management, requiring strong communication and interpersonal skills as well as the technical ability to comprehend the challenges posed by intergenerational families who many times face inner family strife as well as complex financial issues. The Merage School MBA is built on a platform of teamwork; a critical dynamic of the program is to build collaborative skills and develop trust over an intense two or three year program. In addition to the diverse set of courses that pertain to investment management, the program offers an overview of wealth management in an innovative course developed jointly by CIWM board members and Merage School faculty members.

The wealth management courses provide an overview of the real-world considerations that are needed to connect all the singular functional areas that comprise wealth and personal business management such as tax and estate planning; investment management; life, liability and property/casualty insurance; medical and long-term care coverage; and retirement and philanthropy considerations. The course includes a combination of lectures and case studies designed to confront a range of issues associated with various life stages (accumulation, consolidation, and spending/gifting).

After this course, students can continue with a sequence of courses offered by the University of California, Irvine Extension to prepare for CFP or other certification. Our goal is to develop an individual capable of understanding a diverse range of wealth management issues while being personable, highly communicative and customer focused. The Merage School wealth management MBA graduate will be ready to offer a concierge service to clients, building trust while providing excellent performance in a highly ethical manner.