Students in Professor Anna McAleer‘s Principles of Finance course attended “The Road to Wall Street: Analyze Your Options” on April 8, hosted by the Drexel University LeBow College of Business. The half-day seminar was part of a university outreach program created by The Options Industry Council, an organization that educates investors and their financial advisors about the benefits and risks of exchange-traded equity options.

Designed for students and faculty, the seminar featured successful industry professionals, options traders, exchange leaders and a chartered financial analyst. Students were educated about careers within the options industry, how to get started in the business and the challenges and successes of trading options encountered by individual investors.

The program kicked off with “Experiences from the Field” with Michael Khouw, contributor to CNBC’s “Options Action” and Senior Equity Derivatives Trader with Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and was followed by two panel discussions and “Planning Your Future” with Bud Haslett, Executive Director of the Chartered Financial Analyst Research Foundation.

Eric Noll, Executive Vice President, Transaction Services at The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., concluded the program with a second presentation of “Experiences from the Field.” Other featured speakers included guests from International Securities Exchange, Dow Jones Indexes and U.S. Retail Brokerage.