Ryan Flanigan: Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System

Internship Spotlight: Meet Ryan Flanigan

This week our Internship Spotlight is focused on Ryan Flanigan- a junior from Newport, KY. Ryan is a double major in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Business Analytics, and he will be graduating in May 2022. He has been working as an analyst on the In-House High Yield Credit Research Team at Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System since October of 2019. When he first started this position, he was working from the Frankfort office, but has been working from home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We got to chat with Ryan and find out more about his awesome experience as an intern with Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System, here’s what he had to say! 

What’s one thing that helped you to succeed in this role? 

Communication has been the key to any success I’ve had thus far. By being able to communicate with my colleagues whenever I had a question or something didn’t make sense to me, I was able to enhance my on-the-job learning. This put myself in a better position to fill my role as an analyst and to help the team succeed in creating a strong portfolio of high-yield bonds.  

What was your favorite part of the job? 

My favorite part about this job has been the fact that I have got to do meaningful work in an industry where I have a passion for the job. At KTRS the research I have done has materially attributed to our portfolio’s performance. Going into this job, I did not anticipate my work would be as impactful as it has. The responsibility my supervisor gives to me as an intern goes above and beyond what I ever expected. Getting to work under such a great teacher and getting to contribute material insights makes this internship such a worthwhile experience. 

 How do you think this position has set you up for future success in your career? 

This position has taught me two main things that I can carry with me to any future job. First, I have learned how to take general frameworks and apply them to specific problems. We call this ‘using mental models.’ Secondly, I have learned some of the nuances of the finance industry. These include looking for slight discrepancies in financial statements and reading management’s tone on earnings calls. These are things that I can carry with me throughout my journey in finance that will help me be a better analyst and portfolio manager someday. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to other students? 

Do your research. This entails not only networking, but also knowing the firm you are applying to work at and the role you will have there. My favorite tip is to know some of the industry jargon. This makes you a much more knowledgeable candidate and it really stands out in interviews. 

 

By GPA Team
GPA Team