Learn From People Who Have Done the Work.
High-school students should not be handed to whichever mentor happens to be available. In this six-week Research Desk, a former J.P. Morgan Executive Director leads the market-facing sessions and a university professor leads research design, writing, and final academic review. Five Fellows each finish a 2,000–2,500-word market report under their own name.
Applying is free and does not commit you to enrolling.
Professional and academic backgrounds only. GRF is independent of these institutions.
Big Bets,
Big Risks
How do markets decide what is worth funding?
Across six live sessions, Fellows study how capital is allocated, how uncertainty changes prices, and when expected value justifies the risk. Each student applies the shared framework to an approved question, from sovereign distress to AI infrastructure.
- CapitalWho controls it and where it moves
- RiskHow uncertainty changes expected returns
- ValueWhether future gains justify the commitment
- FailureDefaults, bubbles, and overinvestment
Program operations: Aaditya Singh, GRF Founder and Program Director, coordinates scheduling, student support, feedback handoffs, and final publication review.
Professional and academic backgrounds of GRF lead mentors. GRF is not affiliated with or endorsed by these organizations.
Start your application.
No prior finance coursework is required. Tell us what you want to understand, confirm the practical details, and we will speak with shortlisted students and parents before any enrollment decision.
- StartsSeptember 21, 2026
- Length6 weeks
- Tuition$1,000
- Financial aidChoose 0%, 25%, or 50% consideration
- DeadlineApplications close September 16, 2026
Student application
A short application, followed by a brief conversation for shortlisted students and parents or guardians.
Submitting is an application, not a payment. GRF will contact the student and parent or guardian before any enrollment decision.
One question in common. One argument of your own.
This is not private tutoring and it is not a class where everyone submits the same assignment. All five Fellows join the same weekly session; each student owns a separate question, argument, and final report.
Six live group sessions
Attend one 90-minute online desk session each week: three practitioner sessions with Alex and three academic research sessions with Dr. PK.
Your own question and report
Choose a distinct, approved angle within “Big Bets, Big Risks” and receive structured direction on sources, evidence, drafting, and revision. No paper is co-authored.
Shared theme, separate conclusions
All five reports ask how markets decide what is worth funding and whether the expected value justifies the risk. Fellows use the same concepts and case discussions while reaching separate conclusions.
No filler weeks. Every session moves the report forward.
Each week has one lead mentor, one milestone, and one student deliverable. The live session sets direction; the reading, evidence work, drafting, and revision happen between meetings.
Hover over or focus on any week to see the full session plan.
Follow the money
Learn who allocates capital, why it moves, and how to choose a meaningful angle.
Alex introduces “Big Bets, Big Risks” through two accessible cases: sovereign distress and the AI infrastructure boom. Fellows learn who supplies capital, what attracts or repels it, and how practitioners turn a market story into a focused, testable question.
Write a one-page brief explaining the question, why it matters, the mechanism to investigate, and the first evidence needed.
Define the research
Narrow the question and set the evidence and source requirements.
Dr. PK helps each Fellow narrow the scope, distinguish credible primary and secondary sources, and define what evidence would genuinely answer the question.
Build the approved source list, evidence requirements, citation approach, and a realistic research plan for the remaining four weeks.
Price risk and opportunity
Use evidence to judge whether the expected value justifies the risk.
Fellows bring early evidence into a market discussion. Alex introduces expected returns, interest rates, bond yields, valuation, and uncertainty in plain language, then tests whether each student’s evidence supports a credible market mechanism.
Turn the strongest evidence into a provisional thesis, an argument map, and a section-by-section report outline.
Draft with discipline
Organize claims and sources, then receive one structured academic review.
Dr. PK shows how to connect claims to evidence, organize the argument, cite sources accurately, and state limitations without weakening the conclusion.
Complete a substantial first draft and use one structured academic review to create a prioritized revision plan.
Stress-test the big bet
Decide what would prove the market right or wrong.
Each Fellow presents the core view as a short desk briefing. Alex responds as a skeptical market practitioner, using defaults, bubbles, overinvestment, and capital flight to test assumptions, alternative explanations, and the strongest counterargument.
Revise the thesis, add the counterargument and response, and make any required market-accuracy corrections.
Present and complete
Defend the conclusion and make the final required corrections.
Each Fellow defends the conclusion, explains the most important source choices, and responds to Dr. PK’s final questions on evidence, structure, attribution, and academic standards.
Complete the final corrections and submit the individually authored report for the GRF cohort collection review.
You do not leave with notes. You leave with work carrying your name.
The central outcome is your individually authored report. With the required student and parent or guardian consent, GRF may also feature the completed work in its cohort collection. That is a program showcase, not publication in an independent academic journal.
For college applications
An original report gives students a concrete activity to discuss in essays and interviews. It shows sustained interest, analytical writing, independent thought, and follow-through.
For future opportunities
The report can serve as an early work sample when students later pursue finance clubs, university research, internships, or other competitive programs.
For personal confidence
Students learn to ask a focused question, work with difficult evidence, defend a conclusion, accept criticism, and complete a substantial piece of writing.
A defined six-week program. No vague access promises.
Fellows should plan for 6–8 hours per week: one live 90-minute group session plus guided research and writing between meetings.
Six live sessions
Three market-focused sessions led by Alex and three research-and-writing sessions led by Dr. PK.
Feedback at every milestone
Question and evidence-plan direction, one substantial draft review, a practitioner challenge, and a final academic-standard check.
A finished body of work
Your individually authored 2,000–2,500-word report, a place in the GRF cohort collection, and a Certificate of Completion.
Know who will teach you before you enrol.
A large mentor network is not the same as direct access to the right people. Compare who actually leads the work, what they have done in the field, what they are responsible for, and whether their identity is clear before payment.
Program structures vary. This comparison explains the specific operating choices built into GRF.
What students and parents need to know.
Is prior finance experience required?
No. Students need curiosity and the ability to read and write carefully. The opening materials and first live lecture explain capital allocation, risk, expected return, and the other finance concepts required for the shared theme.
How much work is required?
Students should plan for 6–8 hours per week: one 90-minute live group session plus guided research, evidence work, drafting, and revision between meetings.
When are the live sessions scheduled?
Applicants provide their time zone and availability. Once the five seats are confirmed, GRF sets one recurring 90-minute weekly slot around the accepted Fellows’ schedules and shares the full calendar before the program begins.
What if a Fellow misses a session?
Every live session is recorded, and enrolled Fellows receive the recording. The GRF team is available afterward to answer questions, clarify the material, and help the Fellow stay on track. Recordings are shared only with the enrolled cohort and are not for redistribution; parent or guardian recording consent is confirmed during enrollment.
What happens after a student is accepted?
GRF sends the student and parent or guardian a written offer, any financial-aid decision, enrollment details, and the proposed live-session schedule. Applying is free and tuition is not charged at application. After the seat is accepted, the Fellow receives onboarding instructions, the program calendar, research expectations, and the opening source pack.
Who owns the report, and how does publication work?
The Fellow retains the rights to their original work. After final review and any required student and parent or guardian consent, GRF may feature the completed report in the cohort collection on its own website. This is a program showcase, not publication in an external academic journal.
What are the academic-integrity and AI rules?
Each report must reflect the Fellow’s own research, reasoning, and writing. Plagiarism, fabricated evidence, or presenting AI-generated analysis or prose as the student’s own is prohibited. AI tools may not replace the Fellow’s analysis or writing; any permitted use must follow GRF guidance and be disclosed when requested.
What is the cancellation and refund policy?
Applications are free. Before services begin, families may request cancellation; if approved, GRF may deduct an administrative amount of up to 10% plus non-recoverable processing costs. After services begin, fees are generally non-refundable unless GRF agrees otherwise or applicable law requires. If GRF cancels without a reasonably comparable alternative, the unprovided portion receives an appropriate refund or credit. See the full Terms of Service.
Your mentor should be chosen for the work, not simply for availability.
Learn directly from a former J.P. Morgan Executive Director and a university professor, then finish with a market argument you can explain and defend under your own name.