Teach Me Wall Street: Founder Spotlight

Annaline Dinkelmann is the Founder and CEO of Teach Me Wall Street which offers students in grades 9 - 12 a number of virtual summer camp opportunities that teach them about wall street, finance, cryptocurrency and more. To lean more about Teach Me Wall Street click HERE. 

What Type of Programs Does Teach Me Wall Street Offer?

Teach Me Wall Street programs focus on money, trading and investing. We cover all the basics and advanced topics from a REAL WORLD perspective. We prepare students to make smart investment decisions so they can grow their money and plan their financial futures! All of our programs are live, interactive and are presented by seasoned professionals.

Wall Street 101 is our foundational program that teaches students how Wall Street and the stock market works, who the players are, and how Wall Street affects their lives. Trading & Investing is a very hands-on program where students learn how to read stock charts, select the best companies and industries to invest in, and simulate trading in real-time. Students also learn how to manage a portfolio and grow their money. Budgeting & Beyond focuses on personal finance. Students learn how to create a budget, manage credit, save for college, and handle other real-life money matters. Our Fintech, Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency program was added in 2021 to explore fast growing technologies and careers that are changing the world. Also, we delve into the realm of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, and students learn why there’s so much buzz about it.

What Do You Hope Students Will Achieve By Attending These Programs?

I know that many topics that I teach in my classes are not covered in school. I strive to empower students with real-world knowledge about money and investing. I want students to acquire valuable life skills so they can create a budget, understand interest rates, use credit cards wisely, know investment basics, manage a 401K and more.

I think it’s very important that young people are equipped, from a financial standpoint, to go out into the world prepared, no matter what career is in their future. My programs can do this, and help students achieve financial independence and success.

What Inspired You to Found Teach Me Wall Street?

After working for many years at a Wall Street firm, I left my job to become a day trader. I enjoyed this, but what I missed was interacting with others. So, I decided to turn my passion for the stock market and people into a walking tour company that focused on the business of Wall Street. My business was very successful, and before long, I started running in-person Wall Street related classes and workshops in addition to my tours.

People loved having a tour guide / teacher with a background in the finance industry. I was glad that I could successfully translate and navigate the world of finance for those in my groups. I was able to break everything down in a way that students, parents and teachers could understand, and everyone enjoyed what they were learning.

When Covid-19 hit, I knew people could not easily travel to New York, and I wasn’t sure what the future would hold – I also knew there was always a population out there that was very interested in what I was teaching, but would not want to deal with the hassle of traveling. I then decided to turn my in-person classes, workshops and tours into virtual products.

Running Teach Me Wall Street as an online business is very gratifying for me. I am able to engage more students than I would have been able to with in-person classes, and I can now reach students all over the world!

Describe Your Role at Teach Me Wall Street. What is an Average Day for You?

I am the CEO and founder of Teach Me Wall Street. No day is really typical for me. I wear many different hats and handle multiple tasks. On days when I am not teaching or running workshops, I am developing lesson plans, activities, and media to keep my classes informative and fun. I also spend time developing and marketing my business, and talking to prospective clients about how our programs can benefit them.

Describe A Challenging Situation You Faced in This Role and How You Handled It.

When the pandemic brought my in-person tour/education business to a grinding halt, I made some adjustments and successfully took parts of the business on-line. I built a new website, assigned new roles to people on my team, who helped with the conversion, and adapted my classes to fit a virtual on-line format. The result was a very successful virtual summer camp that has since expanded to include many other programs throughout the year.

What Has Been One of the Most Memorable Or Impactful Experiences You've Had as Founder at Teach Me Wall Street?

My most impactful experiences are clearly those I’ve had teaching and inspiring students. I love when students come hungry to learn something that they have little or no experience with. Many come to learn how to trade stock and grow their money, while others want to better equip themselves for college, a career in finance or simply want to become more finance savvy.

As the classes progress, I see students grasping the concepts and gaining confidence with their new knowledge and skills. They engage in challenging class activities and independently bring related news and real-world questions to the forum. I’ve watched students who are silent observers at the beginning, blossom into active class participants at the end!

What’s most important and fulfilling for me, is that I know that students who have taken my classes, are better equipped to deal with real-life money matters, and make smart investments and financial decisions.

Visit Teach Me Wall Street's website HERE or see their TeenLife listings HERE.