About
The Common Cents Program is a financial workshop designed for pre-college teens. It focuses on teaching personal finance, investing basics, and business management practices to improve critical thinking.
Our aim is to simplify financial concepts to enable teenagers to effectively manage their finances as adults.
Topics:
Personal Finance (Saving & Managing Debt)
Investing in Stocks & Bonds
Economic Basics
Hedge Funds & Private Equity Industries
Commodities
Foreign Exchange
Latest Financial Industry Trends
The workshop provides an environment that encourages hands-on learning and critical thinking skills. Students are asked to analyze information and predict outcomes. The program helps them realize the importance of practicing sound financial planning and makes them better equipped to make informed personal financial decisions throughout their adult lives. The program is highly beneficial for all its participants.
Biography
Jim Gannon, CFEI
Founder, President and Instructor
Jim has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry as an equity trader. He was an adjunct professor in The King's College's business and finance department for seven years, where he taught courses such as Investments, International Investments, Alternative Investments, Commercial Real Estate, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Impact Investing. In the spring semester of 2018, Jim also served as a guest lecturer in the Business Journalism course at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Additionally, he was a past instructor of the financial literacy program at the Museum of American Finance in the Financial District and currently manages and teaches a successful high school summer program, Wall Street in the Classroom, at the Gabelli School of Business for Fordham University.
Jim started working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1987 and later spent 15 years at the Swiss investment bank, UBS, where he acted as an Executive Director of Domestic and International Equity Trading. He then left UBS to manage a $50 to $100 million proprietary trading account for the European institution, Dresdner Bank. Jim's senior-level positions in the financial industry allowed him to gain financial expertise, licenses, and certifications, giving him extensive knowledge of the economics, products, and services provided by the financial industry.
Jim founded the Common Cents Program to pursue his passion for improving financial literacy among teenagers. The current competitive business environment demands a greater understanding of how finance works, and Jim believes that the earlier a student develops financial knowledge, the better their chances of success.
Jim lives with his wife and two children in Manhattan and is a graduate of St. Francis Prep, class of '83, and Queens College, class of '87. He is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, a member of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, the Catholic Finance Association, and the National Arts Club. Jim participated in the JumpStart NYC Entrepreneurship Initiative created by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where he received in-class instruction and external consulting experience.
Jim closely follows global financial markets and new industry trends and is always eager to learn, believing that curiosity is the best teacher. He is also an avid enthusiast of the arts, loves to read, and enjoys many genres of music. Jim prefers short stories to novels, underground music to Grammy winners, and independent film to studio blockbusters.