This past summer, I attended the London School of Economics summer school studying corporate finance and asset-markets. Additionally, in the 6 weeks between the end of school and my departure to Europe I also had the invaluable opportunity to serve as a summer intern at the DL Carlson Investment Group, located in Concord, NH.
DL Carlson is a small wealth/asset management firm (about 10 employees) serving clients primarily in the New England area but also across the United States. On my first day, I met with the firm’s Vice President and we discussed his goal to increase firm’s capabilities in the area of financial planning, specifically retirement planning. For the first half of the internship, my task was to test and evaluate various financial planning software packages and this culminated in a pitch to the portfolio managers with my recommendations. My work then shifted to assisting in researching financial planning/retirement strategies, with a focus on 401(k) to Traditional/Roth IRA rollovers.
Reflecting back on my experience at DL Carlson, one takeaway was my enjoyment in working in a tight-knit work setting. The team atmosphere encouraged dialogue and collaboration between employees at all times, and also kept the mood from becoming detrimentally serious. However, my greatest takeaway was the importance of the information I was internalizing. Understanding successful strategies in investment management, financial planning and retirement preparation are essential lifelong skills everyone ought to attain before it is too late. I feel fortunate to have been exposed to these topics so early in my life.