Investment Fundamentals: Finance, Valuation, and the Financial System

This course provides students with a practical introduction to the core ideas of finance and valuation. It is designed as a rigorous but accessible afternoon elective for motivated high school students who want to understand how firms are financed, how investors evaluate companies, and how the financial system allocates capital.

The course begins with the language of finance and a focused segment on how to read and interpret the three core financial statements. It then develops the tools needed for basic valuation, including financial ratios, time value of money, discounting, quoted loan rates, market multiples, and a simplified approach to intrinsic valuation. Along the way, students apply finance concepts to real decisions such as car financing and

2026 Course Syllabus

All curriculum content and learning resources, unless otherwise stated, will be the property of Summer Discovery.

housing choices. The course culminates in a simple valuation stock pitch in which

students analyze a publicly traded company and present an investment

recommendation supported by both qualitative and quantitative evidence.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Interpret and connect the three core financial statements to evaluate a company’s performance and financial health.
2. Apply fundamental valuation methods to estimate firm value and support investment decisions.
3. Describe the structure and purpose of the financial system and the roles of its major institutions.
4. Synthesize analytical and qualitative insights into a clear, persuasive stock pitch.
5. Recognize the range of career opportunities in finance and the skills required to pursue them.

*Information is subject to change as instructors finalize course syllabi