How a recent grad prepared for a career in equity research

By the time he graduated from Creighton, Will Kaatz, BSBA’25, had already managed part of the University’s endowment, pitched stocks in a national competition and built a reputation for his sharp analytical instincts and passion for making sense of how companies work.  

So, when he stepped into his new role as an equity research analyst at Baird last year, it felt like a natural next step. 

“I have a great team and am learning so much, he says. “But, when they say it’s like ‘drinking from a fire hose when you start,’ that couldn’t be more accurate.” 

The pace is fast, and the learning curve is steep. But Creighton prepared him for it.  

One of the biggest surprises, Kaatz says, has been seeing the difference between his buy-side experience with Creighton’s Portfolio Practicum, a student practicum that manages $14.5 million of Creighton University’s endowment, and the reality of sell-side research. 

“In the practicum, you cover entire sectors, so you’re an inch deep and a mile wide,” he explains. “On the sell side, analysts focus on maybe 15 to 30 stocks. Their level of knowledge is unbelievable.” 

Still, the investment research skills he honed at Creighton have been "pretty transferable.” 

“Being able to dig in and find the right answer is something the Portfolio Practicum definitely helped me with, and it’s super necessary for my job,” Kaatz said. 

Covering banks — his chosen industry in the practicum — strengthened that even more. 

“My practicum experience definitely gave me confidence in the process of picking a stock from start to finish. I don’t screen and pick stocks in my job now, but the valuation and market/industry analysis does give you confidence in your knowledge base.” 

Kaatz credits Creighton with helping him discover both his strengths and his path. 

“One of the first things I did with Creighton’s Career Center was the Baird Equity Research Stock Pitch Competition, which helped me get started with recruiting for my current job,” he says. 

Academically, he highlights the mentorship and rigor of his professors. 

“Dr. Melissa Woodley, Dr. Lee Dunham and the rest of the finance faculty teach you everything you need to start pursuing what you’re interested in,” he says. “And the economics department, Dr. Michael Thomas and Dr. Kathleen Sheehan especially, give you such a strong mathematical and data-analysis base while still making sure you can synthesize and articulate your opinion well.” 

As a senior, Kaatz spoke about this in the context of storytelling — describing numbers through a narrative. While his role today is more specialized, that mindset still gives him a helpful framework. 

“My coverage is fixed now, so it’s a little different,” he says. “But thinking about companies through that lens is still useful. And as I become more client-facing with experience, I think that skill will come into play even more.” 

Looking ahead, Kaatz says he’s energized by what’s possible. 

“I see how much my team knows and how much they’ve developed in just a few years,” he says. “It makes me excited for my future here.”