SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Pot may be tantalizing investors, but publicly traded cannabis companies remain risky. States legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational use have been multiplying in recent years. And sales are projected to rise to just under $23 billion by 2020, from $6.7 billion last year. But even as U.S.

Finance undergraduates in the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business engaged with legendary investor Leon Cooperman in a “lunch and learn” session in New York City on May 26, 2015.  Cooperman, who operates a $9 billion hedge fund as CEO and chairman of Omega Advisors, recounted his career (Read CNBC’s Alpha Addict: The Amazing Career of Leon Cooperman), gave a market outlook and engaged the students in a Q&A.

For the past six years, undergraduate students from adjunct professor Joe Rinaldi’s Futures, Options and Derivatives class at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business have attended the Barron’s Roundtable to meet some of the top investors in the country.  This year, four students, led by Rinaldi, attended the conference titled “The Art Of Successful Investing” on Oct. 22, 2014 at the Metropolitan Club in New York. 

Many Bitcoin buyers can't explain their investment because they don't understand how cryptocurrency works. Smith School finance professor Joe Rinaldi and two students provide this primer to help reduce the confusion.