Takahiro Nakao

Takahiro Nakao(opens in new window), who graduated with a BA in Economics in 2003, is a credit analyst for Wells Fargo(opens in new window) in Denver, Colorado.  After graduation Takahiro, or Tom as he is known among his friends, became an intelligence analyst(opens in new window) for the U.S. Army(opens in new window) serving in Fort Polk, Louisiana.  “An understanding of incentives provided insight into likely actions and reactions of organizations and individuals acting at odds with his unit’s objectives,” he explained in a recent email. As an intelligence analyst Tom conducted research for the squadron commander and staff.  He also trained incoming troops in intelligence and security procedures.   

In 2009 he left active duty to pursue master’s degrees in economics and finance at the University of Colorado Denver.  He continued serving in the Reserves, as well as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs on a part-time basis until he graduated. He left Army Intelligence in 2010 to work in Veterans Affairs(opens in new window) in Denver, Colorado.  Tom has been a credit analyst for Wells Fargo since 2013. 

“Studying economics, and specifically econometrics, has taught me to better appreciate that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.  Bad news can be obscured in the financial statements I examine.  Businesses may have extra incentive to deceive the bank since the applied interest rate on their loans is sometimes determined by a financial ratio.  World events can have an impact on the performance of our loans.  Recently, OPEC agreed to reduce production, which may have a positive impact on our customers in the energy field.  Knowledge of these events and their impacts help us determine possible exogenous shocks, and help us determine sector and individual entity prospects.”   (Last updated 10/7/16)