STRONGBRANDS    Professor Tim Calkins, Kellogg School of Management

It is Commencement Day at Kellogg. This afternoon, hundreds of students will gather in Evanston to receive their degrees. I’ll be there for the procession and ceremony. For the faculty, attendance is optional, but I love the energy and seeing my students on such a notable day. If you follow this blog, you know I […]

If you’ve spent much time on Tik Tok this fall, you’ve likely seen videos about Girl Math, a set of rather debatable financial principles. Here is an example. Now it is easy to dismiss Girl Math as just bad financial thinking, but it isn’t that simple. Some of the insights behind Girl Math are valuable […]

This week has brought three interesting stories, all with a common theme. The takeaway: it is time to get back to the office. The Stories The first big story is that Taylor Swift is wrapping up the first leg of her Eras Tour. It has been a stunning entertainment spectacle. Her performances have brought joy, […]

It is commencement week at Kellogg. Yesterday, I processed into the commencement ceremony with my faculty colleagues and watched the graduates receive their degrees. It was a terrific event. Seeing young, talented people embark on a new phase of life with energy and excitement is inspirational. Each year I offer graduates some financial advice. I’m […]

It is a time of new beginnings in the business world. College and MBA students are graduating and getting ready to start new jobs. Interns are trying to figure out where to show up and what to wear in the office. Even people who have been working for several years are finding new opportunities. Here […]

The financial world is falling apart. Stocks are slumping, bonds – the “safe investment” – are doing almost as poorly. Bitcoin is down. Even gold, which should definitely be rising at a time of war and disruption, isn’t doing a lot. I was particularly struck by this chart from Bloomberg. Interest rates in the UK […]

This week I had the opportunity to speak to the incoming class of Kellogg MBAs about personal branding. It was a fun event; there is nothing like seeing 600+ young people embarking on a new life adventure. I highlighted three things in my talk. Your Personal Brand Matters Brands are the associations linked to a […]

This week I’m giving a talk to Kellogg MBA students about building a strong personal brand during their summer internship. I’m looking forward to the session. Here are some of my main points. Personal Branding A lot of things need to come together to have a successful run at a company. You must have supportive […]

Last weekend we hosted the 19th annual Kellogg Biotech and Healthcare Case Competition, sponsored by Moderna. It was a terrific event. More than sixty teams applied and eleven gathered in Evanston for the final round. It was an in-person competition, complete with masks and vaccination cards and tests. It would have been easy to take […]

Last week I attended the Kellogg School of Management’s commencement ceremony. It was a spectacular event: a beautiful day with blue skies and pleasant temperatures, inspiring speeches and enthusiastic graduates. Simply being there in-person felt like a gift. Each year I provide some financial advice to graduates. I am a marketing professor, not a finance […]