Last week I took a group of college-aged finance students to New York for a corporate tour. All are hoping to work in the finance industry in NYC when they graduate. As part of the experience, I booked a private "How Money Was Made" group tour with Inside Out. The only negative to the experience was the rain - which was out of anyone's control. If weather does happen to pop up on your tour, there is a Walgreens on the side of the Museum of the American Indian (meeting spot) that sells ponchos and
Despite the weather, our guide, Kevin, was excellent and managed to keep the students engaged and interested for the duration of the tour. He shared a lot of great history and knowledge relating to the founding of financial trade, industry crisis, how New York City became a hub for trading, and key sites relating to finance in the area. He carried an iPad with him to share historical pictures with us to put everything into context and let us see some of the figures who were instrumental in developing the industry. I learned quite a bit during the tour and I think that several of students were even surprised at how many new things they learned, not only about Wall Street, but the financial industry in general. Kevin gave some great analogies too, including one that helped with remembering how to tell the difference in a Bull vs. Bear market. I also personally enjoyed our stop at the World Trade Center location. Both Kevin and I shared our own experiences and memories during 9/11 with the students, and while all were born after 9/11 happened, they were still very interested in learning about the day and how it shaped the financial district and industry to what it is now.
We were a few minutes late to the meeting spot, but Kevin was very patient with us even given our delay. He texted to confirm our status, then called when we ended up on the wrong side of the building meeting point and even walked around to meet us where we were to ensure we connected. He really was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He was also more than happy to answer any of the student’s or my questions. I greatly appreciated having him as our guide and his positivity in general. I frequently take tours when I travel, so have had many guides, and can say I would be happy to have him as a guide again!
