Alumni Spotlight: Lessons from a Life in Investing

The three men sitting on the dais had roughly 125 years of financial investing experience among them. Joseph C. McNay YC ’56, chairman and CIO of Essex Capital Management, Charles D. Ellis YC ’59, author and founder of Greenwich Associates, and George U. Wyper SOM ’84, founder of Wyper Capital Management, have made legendary stock calls through good times and bad, often going in the opposite direction of most of their peers on Wall Street.

McNay, Ellis, and Wyper came together on November 16 for a special event at Yale SOM. With Ellis moderating — and offering his own input now and then — McNay and Wyper explained their investment philosophies, detailed exactly why they made some of their more famous calls, and even looked at where markets may be heading next. The event was arranged by the Career Development Office for students considering careers in financial services.

Watch video clips of the McNay/Ellis/Wyper discussion.