Jorge B. Garcia‘10 is a product specialist in the Asset Management Division of Oppenheimer & Co, an investment banking company based in New York City. While at TCNJ, he studied Finance and earned his BS in Business Administration.
After graduating, Garcia began his career with Merrill Lynch at their Hopewell, NJ campus, performing several roles with what is now Merrill Edge and obtaining his Series 7 and 66 licenses. Garcia then moved onto JPMorgan and HBSC, continuing a focus on asset management. “After having worked with a wide array of investment vehicles, I decided I wanted to specialize in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) – as their unique structure and inner workings (such as the creation/redemption mechanism) fascinated me. I was also a big fan of the role ETFs have played in ‘democratizing’ the investment landscape – making available to the masses investment solutions and strategies that were historically only available to sophisticated/high net worth & institutional investors… at a fraction of the cost.” Fun fact: Garcia landed his first internship (and first job) with Merrill Lynch through a TCNJ career fair.
As a product specialist at Oppenheimer & Co, JG works in the Asset Management Division covering ETFs and Closed-End Funds (CEFs). He is responsible for ETF/CEF research, analysis, due diligence, commentary and product insights for the firm’s US and offshore sales & marketing efforts. “I also manage relationships with over 100 third- party fund sponsors/issuers (iShares, Vanguard, SPDR, Invesco, etc.), mostly involving the onboarding process of funds onto our platform.”
Garcia commends the School of Business faculty for their teaching and expertise, specifically mentioning Dr. Patrick’s Business Valuation course, FX arbitrage with Dr. Hume, and Working Cap with Dr. Mayo. He also credits the TCNJ alumni network for their guidance and inspiration, and the Student Investment Fund for solidifying his interest in markets and for introducing him to the Bloomberg terminal, which he now uses on a regular basis.
When asked what advice has for current students, Garcia responded: “Take risks! Hit ‘Apply’ on that dream job, even if you think you fall short of the ‘requirements’. Volunteer to lead that project. Study abroad. Take a coding class. Learn to live a little outside your comfort zone. When a great opportunity presents itself to you, don’t hesitate – say ‘yes’. You can always worry about figuring it out later. Worst case scenario: You’ll have a great story to tell.”
Garcia currently resides in Waldwick, NJ with his wife and TCNJ alumna, Karen ’10, and their dog, Emmy.