SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- The near-50 percent oil price decline over the past six months -– “the equivalent of a large tax cut for U.S. consumers” –- is boosting the value of companies that produce consumer-oriented products, says David Kass, clinical associate professor of finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. Kass says consumer stocks are helped when factoring in the U.S.

Thursday, September 18, 2014, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, September 21, 2014, 7:30 a.m. Where should you put your money? For the average person, figuring out where and how to invest can be overwhelming. But if you have the right mindset, it doesn’t have to be.  In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, host Jeff Salkin sits down with David Kass to talk about investing and how to figure out a strategy that works for you. 

Media Alert Michael Faulkender Addresses Tax Policy Implications; David Kass Explains Buffett's Stake COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Finance experts in the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business are available to expand on their comments, below, covering tax policy and investing implications from the Burger King-Tim Hortons merger.  The deal involves a tax inversion by Burger King relocating to Canada and its lower -- 26.5- versus 35-percent -- corporate tax rate compared to the United States.

Tyser Teaching Fellow in finance David Kass has published detailed notes from the 2014 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting. 

Finance students at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business shared a virtual platform on May 5, 2014, with two of the most successful individuals in business. The setting was Omaha, Neb., where Fox Business Network conducted an hourlong Warren Buffett interview to culminate its coverage of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting. Microsoft cofounder and Berkshire shareholder Bill Gates joined the conversation in the studio, while about 35 Smith undergraduates participated remotely from a University of Maryland classroom.

Watch the Fox Business Network from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Monday, May 5, as students representing the Robert H. Smith School of Business participate in a live interview with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.  More than 40 Smith finance majors will appear, remotely, from a Van Munching classroom. One of the students will pose a question to Buffett during an interview that wraps up the network’s coverage of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in Omaha. 

Hot Topic Alert: March 14, 2014Attention: Finance reporters and editors  Responding to the reported  U.S. attorney's office criminal probe into General Motors’ timing and handling of an ignition switch recall, David Kass, Tyser Teaching Fellow in finance in the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business says: 

September 13, 2012 & September 16, 2012 Presidential Election 2012:The Economy and the Stock Market This year’s presidential election may very well come down to the economy and stock market performance between now and Election Day. Is there any way to forecast outcomes, and what will the election results mean for the economy and markets going forward?

Several Finance Fellows students at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business had the opportunity to travel to Omaha, NE, with Tyser Teaching Fellow David Kass to attend the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting on May 5, 2012.

Conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway is one of the world’s most respected companies, run by legendary investor Warren Buffett. Holders of the New York Stock Exchange’s priciest stock will make the pilgrimage to Omaha, Nebraska next week for the company’s annual shareholder meeting – and a group of lucky undergraduates will go along for the ride to learn about the company, its impact on the economy, and hear words of wisdom from the “Oracle of Omaha” himself.