Official Club
Handbook & Program Guide

There is a significant gap between how finance is taught in traditional academic settings and how it is actually practiced by professionals. Most students — even those who go on to study economics or business — encounter the real frameworks behind capital markets, portfolio construction, and investment decision-making only years into a university degree or a professional career.

The Investment Framework Club was founded on the belief that this gap is unnecessary. The material is not beyond high school students. What has been missing is the right structure, the right method, and access to the right people.

The Investment Framework Finance Club exists to give motivated students at Colegio Interamericano access to the financial knowledge, analytical frameworks, and professional perspectives that most people do not encounter until they are deep into a finance career — if ever.

TIF is not a survey of current events or a beginner's introduction to money. It is a structured, discussion-based program that teaches students how financial professionals actually think about markets, risk, capital, and value.

TIF members graduate with a working understanding of the concepts, vocabulary, and thinking patterns that define the finance profession — and with direct exposure to professionals operating at the highest levels of wealth management, private equity, mergers & acquisitions, corporate law, and entrepreneurship.

The long-term vision is a club that produces students who are demonstrably ahead of their peers when they enter university finance programs, internships, or early careers — not because they have memorized more, but because they have learned to think differently.

Regular bi-weekly sessions follow a consistent format: the session leader opens by framing the topic and connecting it to the broader curriculum. The group then works through the material using the Harkness discussion method — collaboratively, with every member contributing. The session closes with a summary of key takeaways.

Once per month, a working professional joins the session as the featured speaker and leads the discussion on a topic within their field. This is the TIF Speaker Series. Students are expected to come prepared with questions and to engage actively during the professional's session.

TIF is student-founded and student-led. The club was built from the ground up by Gwynne Starrs, who developed the curriculum, established the speaker relationships, and designed the program's structure. Two co-founders support the club's operations and growth.

All major decisions regarding curriculum, speakers, and program direction are made by Gwynne Starrs as Founder and President. Co-founders are consulted on operational matters. The club operates under a co-founders agreement that formally defines roles, responsibilities, and ownership of club assets.

The club welcomes the assignment of a faculty advisor by school administration and will coordinate directly with that individual for scheduling, space, and any formal school requirements.

The Harkness method is a collaborative, discussion-led learning format in which students sit together at a shared table and build understanding through structured conversation — rather than receiving information passively from a lecturer. Every participant is expected to contribute, question, and respond.

TIF uses this method for all regular sessions. The session leader opens the discussion, frames the topic, and guides the conversation — but does not lecture. The group works through the material together.

The Harkness method is not experimental. It is the discussion format used by Harvard Business School as the foundation of its MBA case method — arguably the most influential business education model in the world. Yale Law School, Columbia University, and virtually every top-tier academic institution use discussion-led seminars as the primary format for their most rigorous coursework.

The reason is well-documented: research consistently shows that discussion-based learning produces significantly better retention and comprehension than lecture-based instruction.

The TIF curriculum was designed to move students from foundational market knowledge to advanced investment thinking over the course of the academic year. Each module builds directly on the previous one. The material covered is equivalent to what students would encounter in a university-level finance program or in the first years of a professional career in finance.

All curriculum content was developed by TIF founder Gwynne Starrs and is the intellectual property of The Investment Framework.

Once per month, a working professional joins TIF to lead the session. These are not motivational talks — they are structured discussions where the speaker engages directly with students on the topic at hand, drawing on their real-world experience to go deeper than any textbook can.

All speaker relationships are established and managed by TIF leadership. Speakers are vetted for professional credibility and relevance to the curriculum. No speaker receives compensation — all participate voluntarily.

Wealth Management · Session I

Consuelo Palomo

Financial Advisor & Co-founder, Greytown Advisors · Inter Graduate

Co-founder of Greytown Advisors, managing nearly $1B in client assets for ultra-high-net-worth families — acquired by BTG Pactual in 2024. Former Financial Markets Manager at Banco G&T Continental for 11 years, Finance professor at UFM for 8 years, and Wharton Private Equity Program certificate holder.

AI & Enterprise Transformation

Tina Mulqueen

SVP Digital Transformation, Burson

Leading enterprise AI adoption and workforce transformation strategy at Burson, one of the world's largest communications firms. Professor, writer, and connector with deep relationships across top research universities and academic institutions.

Startups & Talent

Matt Giambruno

Recruiter & Startup Builder · 4 Exits

Four startup exits with experience at Apple, Tesla, Roku, Impossible Foods, and SpaceX. Expert in building the teams behind the world's most competitive companies.

M&A & Financial Advisory

Ian Bambrick

Authorized Manager, Fourth Ridge LLC

Authorized Manager of Fourth Ridge, a specialized financing advisory firm focused on the lower-middle and middle markets. Advises on M&A execution, corporate restructuring, and complex capital processes for mid-sized businesses and independent sponsors.

Leadership & Performance

Alexandra Cabané

Speaker, Leadership Coach & Former Finance Executive

Former Citibank Wealth Manager and Senior Investment Analyst at Losa Group family office. Now a leadership coach and speaker with 9,000+ sessions as a Platinum Partner Coach at Robbins Research International (Tony Robbins).

Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy

Ryan LaFontaine

CEO, LaFontaine Automotive Group

CEO of one of Michigan's largest automotive empires. Youngest chairman in NAIAS history. Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor and co-founder of the U CAN-CER VIVE Foundation. Started selling cars at 15 and built the #1 Pontiac dealership in the world by 2009.

TIF is a serious program. Membership is voluntary, but once a student joins, they are committing to a set of expectations that the club takes seriously. The Harkness method only works when every person at the table is prepared and engaged — one passive member undermines the experience for everyone else.

Members are expected to attend every session. Occasional absences due to academic conflicts, illness, or school obligations are understood and may be communicated in advance to a TIF officer. Repeated unexcused absences will result in a conversation with club leadership and may result in removal from the program.

Members are expected to arrive ready to engage — not just to listen. For speaker sessions, members are expected to come with at least two prepared questions relevant to the speaker's field. Passive attendance is not acceptable.

All members are expected to treat speakers, fellow members, and club leadership with full respect. Phones are to be silenced during sessions unless used for note-taking. The discussion table is a professional environment — it should be treated as such.

TIF does not duplicate any existing course at Colegio Interamericano. It extends the academic experience into territory that standard coursework does not cover — professional-level financial analysis, capital markets, investment theory, and behavioral economics. Students in AP Economics, AP Microeconomics, or related courses will find that TIF deepens and contextualizes what they are learning in class.

Students who complete TIF's program will enter university with a meaningful head start over peers who have not had equivalent exposure. The content maps directly to introductory and intermediate university courses in finance, economics, and business — meaning TIF members will recognize frameworks, vocabulary, and analytical tools from day one.

The Harkness discussion format also builds skills that transfer directly to university seminars, case-method classes, and professional settings: the ability to articulate a position, question assumptions, and build on others' arguments under time pressure.

Perhaps more uniquely, TIF gives members direct access to working professionals they would otherwise never meet as high school students. The relationships formed during speaker sessions — and the credibility that comes from having engaged seriously with professionals at that level — are assets that extend well beyond the classroom.

TIF is entirely free for students. There is no membership fee, no materials fee, and no cost of any kind to students or to Colegio Interamericano. All speaker relationships are maintained by TIF leadership. Speakers participate voluntarily and are not compensated.

All speakers are personally vetted by TIF founder Gwynne Starrs prior to invitation. Vetting criteria include: demonstrated professional credibility in their field, relevance to the TIF curriculum, and the ability to engage constructively with high school students. School administration is welcome to review speaker profiles in advance of any session.

TIF requires a room with a central table configuration (consistent with Harkness-style discussion seating) on a bi-weekly basis during school hours. Scheduling will be coordinated directly with school administration and the assigned faculty advisor. TIF leadership takes responsibility for room setup, session materials, and cleanup.

TIF welcomes the assignment of a faculty advisor by Colegio Interamericano administration. The faculty advisor will have full visibility into sessions, speaker engagements, and club operations. TIF leadership will maintain open and proactive communication with the advisor.

All TIF curriculum materials, session plans, case studies, and program documents are the intellectual property of The Investment Framework and its founder, Gwynne Starrs, as defined in the TIF Co-Founders Agreement. These materials are provided to Colegio Interamericano for informational purposes and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission.