Teaching

FinTech & Crypto Currencies, Real Estate, Banking & Crisis, Corporate Finance, Asset Pricing (Investment & Derivatives), Empirical Methods 

MGT 4074 Fintech & Crypto Tokens

Course Information:

• Spring 2025, Spring 2026, Georgia Institute of Technology

• FinTech Minor Core Curriculum

• Evaluation: 4.47/5.0 (50 students, Link to Evaluation); 4.56/5.0 (27 students, Link to Evaluation)

• Teaching Philosophy: Learning by Doing, Real-World Applications, and Accommodating Different Goals

• Note: Teaching Statement is available upon request.

Topics: 

• Part I. Technology: Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Smart Contracts, Tokens, Decentralized Finance, Risk, Frauds, and Government Regulation. 

• Part II. Implementation of Technology:  Solidity programs in the Remix IDE, Smart Contracts on the Ethereum Sepolia Testnet, and Uniswap Automated Market Maker.

• Part III. How Has Technology Transformed Financial Sectors: Payment System, Credit & Lending, Trading & Capital Markets, Insurance, and Digital Banking.

Some Comments From My Students:

• "I thought Professor Li was one of the best professors I’ve had at Georgia Tech. . . he truly wanted us to succeed, which I appreciated immensely..."

• "The greatest strength of this instructor was his expertise on the subject matter. He offered great responses to questions and was knowledgeable enough to know the nuances of FinTech...”

• "The best features of this course were the lectures and the way Dr. Li structured discussions around real-world financial systems...”

• "...The assignments, activities, and projects were all perfectly tied in with the course teachings, and I really appreciated how much time was evidently put into creating the material."

• "His lectures are really well prepared, and he gave extra information and taught things outside the requirement..."

• "You could tell he's passionate about the subject, and it makes students more excited to learn about complex content."

• "The greatest strength of the instructor was his ability to connect theory with real-world financial systems in a way that made the material feel both rigorous and relevant. He consistently encouraged deeper thinking through questions and discussion, which pushed students to move beyond memorization and develop a genuine understanding of the underlying concepts."

• "He is very accessible and reasonable. He sets clear expectations for assignments and assessments."

• "...It is clear that the lecturer went above and beyond on his research to ensure the slides are great..."

Sample Teaching Materials:

• Syllabus 

• Sample Slides on Blockchain and Bitcoin

• Sample Slides on the 2008 Financial Crisis 

• Sample Assignment: Mint BuzzCoin on Ethereum Sepolia Testnet (Video Demonstration)

• Sample Assignment: Uniswap Automated Market Maker

• Sample Midterm  1 Preparation Assignment  

• Sample Midterm  2 Preparation Assignment (Video Demonstration) 

FIN 361 Advanced Managerial Finance

Course Information:

• 2021 Summer, Arizona State University

• B.S. in Finance Core Curriculum

• Mode: Hybrid (in-person & remote via Zoom)

• Evaluation: 6.4/7.0 (29 responses out of 47 students) Link to Evaluation 6.4/7.0

• Teaching Philosophy: Cater to Diverse Needs, Student Participation, and Real-World Applications 

• Note: Teaching Statement is available upon request.

Some Comments From My Students:

• "Being a summer semester I think that Prof. Li developed a well structured class so that all his students can complete it successfully."

• "keep being attentive to students' needs. i think the professor does a good job at accommodating to everyone's needs and responds in short times."

• "The study sessions and office hours most definitely should continue because they really helped me thoroughly understand the mathematical questions while applying the formulas we learn during lecture."

• "Professor Li is very intelligent and very knowledgeable. He did everything in his power to accommodate the classroom and help student succeed."

• "I liked how Professor Li distributed the week. Mondays were homework review. From Tuesday to Thursday the weekly lectures and on Fridays office hours. By distributing time effectively, it gave the students the option of preparing their questions and succeeding in his class."

Sample Teaching Materials:

• Syllabus 

• Sample Homework: Corporate Capital Structure and Agency Cost 

• Sample Middle Term 2: Capital Market, Corporate Capital Structure, and Agency Cost

• Sample Review Session: Review Session Before Middle Term 2

Investments, Portfolio Management, and Financial Markets [Link to A Sample Version of Design]

• HW1: Replication Fama-French Six Factors (Mkt, Size, Value, Investment, Profitability, & Momentum)

• HW2: Fama-MacBeth Regression: are risk factors priced?

• HW3: Portfolio Performance Benchmarks: DGTW (1997).

• HW4: Changes in Institutional Investors and Their Holdings across time. 

• Thesis 1: Global Risk Factor: Replication and Revision (based on HW1 & HW2)

• Thesis 2: Mutual Funds: Are Past Winners/Losers Future Winners/Losers? (based on HW3 & HW4)

• Thesis 3: Smart Short-Term Adjustment: Which Mutual Fund Outperforms Its Quarterly Holding Benchmark? (based on HW3 & HW4)

• Thesis 4: Stocks: The Surprising Small Number of Long-Term Winners.

Corporate Finance and Managerial Finance

• HW1: The declining number of public corporations and increasing industry concentration 1975-2020.

• HW2: The surprising declining dividends and rising share repurchase.

• HW3: The rising executive compensation in U.S. public corporations.

• Thesis 1: Can international trade explain the reducing number of public corporations and the increasing industry concentration? (based on HW1)

• Thesis 2: Can earning volatility explain the rising share repurchase? (based on HW 2)

• Thesis 3: Can information asymmetry explain rising executive compensation? (based on HW3)

Real Estate, Banking, and Financial Crisis

• HW 1: Mortgage and House Price Dynamics across ZIPs within Metros during the 1999-2009 boom-bust cycle.

• HW 2: Mortgage and House Price Dynamics across Metros during the 1999-2009 boom-bust cycle.

• HW 3: The impact of laws on mortgage expansion 1999-2009: recourse laws, foreclosure laws, and state capital gain tax.

• Thesis 1: Impact of Credit Deregulation on Mortgages and House Prices. (based on HW 1 &HW 2) 

• Thesis 2: Mortgage Mkt: Rise of Mortgage Companies and Credit Unions. (based on HW 1 & HW 2)

• Thesis 3: Pandemic-Induced House Price Change: Metro Centers vs Outskirts. (based on HW 1 & HW 2)

Financial Derivatives: Theory and Numerical Methods

• HW1: Binomial Tree: European option, up-and-in option, and American option.

• HW2: Simulation: Euro/Ame options and trenched mortgage-backed securities. 

• HW3: Calibration: calibrate volatility smile for call and apply to puts.

• HW4: Estimation: MLE and GMM for Vasicek interest rate model.

• Thesis 1: Whether CEO's holdings in corporate stocks and stock options indicate superior information or overconfidence?

• Thesis 2: Can Executive Compensation Predict Stock Returns?

• Thesis 3: Can Institutional Investor Holding Predict Stock Future Performance? 

Arizona State University

• FIN 781 Theory of Finance (Asset Pricing)

  • Ph.D. in Finance Core Curriculum

• FIN 421 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management

  • B.S. in Finance Core Curriculum

• FIN 361 Advanced Managerial Finance

  • B.S. in Finance Core Curriculum

• FIN 302 Managerial Finance

  • B.S. in Finance Core Curriculum

Fordham University

• QFGB 8926  Finance Theory (Continuous-Time Asset Pricing)

  • M.S. in Quantitative Finance Core Curriculum

• QFGB 8933  Financial Econometrics II 

  • M.S. in Quantitative Finance Core Curriculum

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