Student Investment Fund

Finance Students Visit Wall Street

Marianne Klinker — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:40:29 +0000

Finance Students Visit Wall Street Marianne Klinker Fri, 08/18/2023 - 09:40

At the end of March 2023, the Montano Student Investment Fund hosted "Patriots Day on Wall Street," offering a select group of ��AV School of Business finance students an enriching experience that included a tour of Wall Street and meetings with various firms.

This initiative proved to be an invaluable networking opportunity and a glimpse into the corporate world that many of our School of Business students aspire to join.

On Thursday, March 30, their first meeting in New York was with Kroll, a global company specializing in risk and financial advisory solutions. During the session, John Walsh, the managing director of valuation advisory services, discussed the company's key business lines, including valuation advisory services and mergers and acquisitions. This meeting provided students with insights into the day-to-day responsibilities at different employment levels, highlighting the importance of time management and navigating busy seasons, which vary depending on the sector.

Finance students at Wolfe Research

After lunch, students met with Wolfe Research, a company primarily driven by analysts. Director of Research Jesse Bigelow and Vice President of Capital Markets Brian Tetlow, shared valuable knowledge about the finance sector, specifically capital markets, while a panel of new analysts emphasized the competitiveness and pride associated with working at Wolfe Research. Additionally, they discussed their experiences living in the city, maintaining a work-life balance, and the firm’s prioritizing their well-being.

To conclude the day, Derek Horstmeyer, co-founder and director of the ��AV Montano Student Managed Investment Fund and professor of finance, organized a networking dinner at Claudette, where students connected with finance alumni. The alumni shared their undergraduate stories, provided job-seeking advice, and ways to stay connected.

On Friday, March 31, JP Morgan Chase welcomed students with breakfast and a presentation by their college outreach team, focusing on their Assets and Wealth Management division. Newer employees provided valuable advice on standing out in interviews and making a difference once employed.

Finance students at Howden Tiger

Next on the schedule was a meeting with Howden Tiger, where Manya, a recent Mason finance alum, provided insights into their human resources, insurance, and risk teams. The group discussed job opportunities, their recent rebranding after a merger, and the advantages of working in New York City. Notably, following this trip, Master’s in Finance student Sean Prendergast received a job offer from Howden Tiger. Read more about Sean’s experience in the master’s in finance program here.

The final meeting, facilitated by Mason finance alum Sufia Abdul Rauf, was with Haveli and Apollo Global Management in the private equity sector. Representatives from both companies covered various aspects of their businesses, including sales, client relations, and culture. This meeting stood out as our students gained confidence in asking insightful questions related to work-life balance, growth opportunities, and effective networking. The employees offered valuable insights and stressed the importance of maintaining connections and expressing appreciation for professional relationships.

Finance students at Apollo Global Management

After the Apollo meeting, Horstmeyer presented at the Quinnipiac Game Forum, a highly regarded student-managed investment fund competition in New York City.

“Patriots Day on Wall Street was a resounding success,” said Horstmeyer. “All students in attendance represented Mason to the fullest, and all employers were thoroughly impressed by their questions and enthusiasm for the opportunity to meet.” 

The event provided an insider's view of working on Wall Street and valuable networking opportunities with alumni and industry professionals. This experience was a successful venture that introduced students to unique insights into the finance sector, New York City lifestyle, and various business cultures that cannot be experienced solely through classroom education. We eagerly anticipate organizing this event again next year and extending this opportunity to our finance students.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Master's in Finance Program

Costello College of Business Graduate Programs

Student Investment Fund

Students

In This Story

Derek Horstmeyer

Learn more about the Master's in Finance Program

Learn more about the Undergraduate Finance Concentration

Learn more about the Montano Student Investment Fund

Real money, hands-on experience proves invaluable to Montano Student Managed Investment Fund participants

Jennifer Anzaldi — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:51:53 +0000

Real money, hands-on experience proves invaluable to Montano Student Managed Investment Fund participants Jennifer Anzaldi Tue, 10/04/2022 - 13:51

Student Perspective: Finance student Tao Wei is the vice president of the Risk Committee for the Montano Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF). In this piece, he shares first-hand experiences of working with SMIF, and what students can learn from this hands-on opportunity.

Tao Wei

The Montano Student Managed Investment Fund provides students with hands-on experience in portfolio management, equity valuation, and market research. We manage more than $300,000 of real money under the ��AV SMIF Investment Policy Statement, and conduct market research, searching for undervalued companies. According to the investment policy statement, the expected return objective of SMIF funds is to provide an annualized total return that outperforms the benchmark S&P 500 total return. The Fund's exposure to risk should not be significantly higher than that of the S&P 500. Additionally, we have the opportunity to build our networks with market experts and secure internships.

Through our involvement with SMIF, we have access to the same tools and technology used by today's investment professionals. We use the Bloomberg terminal, a powerful tool that provides many precious databases and timely news, to follow the market, pitch stocks, and conduct risk analysis. We are trained by Bloomberg Education and receive a Bloomberg Market Certification, which allows us to better track stocks, manage our portfolio effectively and is an excellent boost to our resume. In addition, the platform allows us to capture market trends and connect with experts in the financial sector. Personally, I often attend Quant conferences hosted by the Bloomberg team. Experts from well-known companies such as JPMorgan Chase present their research on the latest pricing models in the market. This experience has deepened my understanding of the market model and helped me explore my career direction.

During our weekly operation, the SMIF team meets to discuss market events. We pay attention to economic conditions, including inflation and interest rate levels. We measure the portfolio's performance with S&P 500's performance. If we find an opportunity, we assess the potential risk and choose whether or not to buy the stock after reaching a consensus. Also, we need to manage risk. Our investment policy only allows us to invest in the stock market, not the bond and options markets. If one of our holdings falls by more than 20 percent, we consider it too risky and sell it. This invaluable experience exposes us to real markets and market analysis tools and we gain a deeper understanding of the financial industry.

Moreover, we gain significant skills from organizing and operating a number of events–in particular, our annual stock competition called the Alpha Challenge. Last year, more than 50 students participated in our first Alpha Challenge, with more than $3,000 in cash prizes awarded to the competitors. On November 4, we will be hosting our second Alpha Challenge as it is an excellent event to improve students' skills and network with professionals. Additionally, the SMIF also holds an annual dinner where we invite former SMIF officers and alumni who now work in a variety of financial firms, including consulting, investment banking, real estate, and asset management. We love having dinner and being able to network with these financial professionals as they come with their stories and insights on financial markets.

Academically, we assist Dr. Horstmeyer in research on leading-edge topics, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs) performance, fixed income, and quantitative finance. Dr. Horstmeyer writes and publishes monthly columns for The Wall Street Journal and the CFA Institute. As research assistants, we are able to delve into some interesting topics by assisting with data work. We apply the numerical methods learned in class to the research project and explore many interesting phenomena. We research some special strategies such as the "Barbell bond strategy" and "Covered Call ETF strategy." We explore the impact of macroeconomic events on the equity market, such as inflation and rising interest rates. Our topics are not limited to the financial field. Sometimes, we work on interesting non-financial projects. When the online game Wordle was popular, Kanwal and I assisted Dr. Horstmeyer on the Wordle project. Wordle gives players six chances to guess the selected five-letter word. In our project, We use programming to simulate the guessing process and then find the best strategy for the first guess. The article was published in The Conversation. It was a very exciting experience.

What's more, Mason SMIF officers have the opportunity to participate in many stock competitions. Along with SMIF groups and professionals across the country, we will have officers attending the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium (SMIFC) 2022 conference in Chicago in October. While there, three of the current SMIF officers will compete in the poster competition. It will be a good chance for our SMIF team to exchange ideas and network with other SMIF groups. Quinnipiac's Global Asset Management Education Forum (GAME Forum) is another conference we are considering joining, as is the GAME Forum, which will take place in person at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in March 2023. We are always looking for meaningful events that we can attend to keep learning and improving our professional skills.

If you want to participate in the management process of an equity investment fund or network with financial experts, please join us. You will have many opportunities to improve your professional skills in SMIF. You can find more information about SMIF on our official website.

The Montano Student Managed Investment Fund is a fund that is managed by a select group of finance majors at ��AV. Students are in charge of monitoring the current portfolio and making all alteration decisions to the portfolio amongst themselves through a voting procedure outlined in the bylaws of the fund. The fund offers students a hands-on approach to market research, equity valuation, and risk analysis. Learn more about the Montano Student Managed Investment Fund.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Student Investment Fund

Montano Student Investment Fund Hosts First Stock Competition

Marianne Klinker — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 17:25:56 +0000

Montano Student Investment Fund Hosts First Stock Competition Marianne Klinker Tue, 12/07/2021 - 12:25

Trevor Montano takes the stage as a keynote speaker at the Alpha Challenge

The Montano Student Investment Fund (SMIF) recently hosted the Alpha Challenge, the group’s first stock pitch competition on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus. More than $3,000 in cash prizes were awarded to student participants. Judged by industry leaders in consulting, investment banking, private equity, and asset management, the event offered students the opportunity to showcase their skills, as well as build their networks.

“Students learned real-world skills that are difficult to pick up in the classroom,” says Derek Horstmeyer, professor of finance, and co-founder and director of the Montano Student Investment Fund. “Pitching their value investing strategies to a room of professionals really helps them hone presentation skills and gets their name out there to asset managers in the Washington, D.C. area.”

Open to all majors at Mason, the Alpha Challenge focused on finance skills, finance classes, and networking. The event was divided into two tiers, the Alpha Tier and the Beta Tier. The Alpha Tier was for students familiar to financial analysis and stock pitching skills. The Beta Tier served as an introduction to the stock pitch competition and intended for students with limited to no finance experience. The competition’s objective was for student teams to choose, research, and pitch a stock for consideration for inclusion in the Montano Student Investment Fund. Students were provided with resources to help them improve their skills in equity research and stock pitching.

Chaitanaya Manya Vij, president of the Montano Student Investment Fund Investment Committee, proposed the idea to Horstmeyer after participating in the CFA Challenge with a team from Mason in February 2021. “That experience prompted me to wonder why a similar event wasn’t being held at Mason,” says Vij. “I thought an event like this, open to all Mason students, had the potential to create buzz around the school, and came with the opportunity of exposing the SMIF to students across the university.”

And the event did just that.

Kalidindi Armaan and Marni Sumant, first place winners of the Beta Competition

More than 50 students encompassed 17 teams registering for the challenge from across Mason, including one team from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). A preliminary elimination round narrowed the group down to nine teams of 27 students who presented at the event to judges, former SMIF officers, alumni, and School of Business faculty and staff.

Winners for the night included Kalidindi Armaan and Marni Sumant in first place for the Beta competition, and Gilberto “David” Carrillo, and Adil Shah for the Alpha competition. Both teams walked away with $1,000.

Judges for the event included Mike Brynda '21, former Montano Student Investment Fund president; Alifia Doriwala, CO-CIO of The Rock Creek Group’s OCIO, Multi Asset Class Solutions; Ajmal (AJ) Hachim '13, vice president at Berkshire Global Advisors; Ardavan Mobasheri, managing director and chief investment officer of ACIMA Private Wealth and adjunct faculty member of finance; Trevor Montano ’00, founder and managing member of West Potomac Capital LLC; JP Phaup, MBA '91, former managing director at Wells Fargo Advisors; Alex Philipov, area chair and associate professor of finance at George Mason School of Business; and Steve Pilloff, associate professor of finance at George Mason School of Business.

The Presidents and VPs of the Montano Student Investment Fund

Graduating in December with a finance degree and a minor in business analytics, Vij helped plan the event while interning in NYC, with the help of the SMIF officers including vice presidents of the SMIF investment Committee, Tyler Harb and Natalia Palacios, and members of the SMIF Risk Committee, Elan Guzman, president, and Ioana Baranga and Ethan Ioannou, vice presidents.

“It’s really awesome to see this tangible change, and the impact an idea can have, and how it can go a million different directions, and then how it finally comes to life,” says Vij. “This is an event we can look forward to for years to come.” The Montano Student Investment Fund is a fund that is managed by a select group of Finance majors at ��AV. Students are in charge of monitoring the current portfolio and making all alteration decisions to the portfolio amongst themselves through a voting procedure outlined in the bylaws of the fund. The fund offers students a hands-on approach to market research, equity valuation and risk analysis.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Costello College of Business Students

Student Investment Fund

The Newly Renamed Montano Student Investment Fund Attracts Employer Attention

Marianne Klinker — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 20:27:03 +0000

The Newly Renamed Montano Student Investment Fund Attracts Employer Attention Marianne Klinker Tue, 07/06/2021 - 16:27

In This Story

Derek Horstmeyer

Tiago Requeijo

After living in New York City for 13 years, Trevor Montano, BS Accounting ’00, returned to the region and reconnected with ��AV. He joined the ��AV Foundation (GMUF) Board of Trustees and began to examine the greatest needs of the School of Business, analyzing how he could help improve experiential learning and finance student job placement. Noticing the University did not have a student managed investment fund, Montano enlisted a student (now alumnus), Brandon Nestor, BS Finance ’17, to assist in researching and setting up the fund, which launched in 2018 with an initial capital investment from the GMUF endowment. Thanks to an enabling gift from Trevor and his wife Regina Montano, the Montano Student Investment Fund, as it is known today, is thriving in giving business students hands-on experience in portfolio management and is attracting the attention of top employers.

“The creation of the Montano Student Investment Fund required detailed diligence; we consulted with schools across the mid-Atlantic regarding process and operations, drafted a proposed structure, presented our thoughts and findings to the GMUF Board of Trustees along with relevant decision makers, in addition to anything else needed to get the fund off the ground,” says Nestor. “Turning Trevor's foundational idea into a reality required commitment and teamwork, so it’s very satisfying to see it start paying early dividends.”

Derek Horstmeyer, professor of finance, and Tiago Requeijo, assistant professor of finance, teach the class that was created for this purpose, and their students present a semi-annual performance report to the GMUF Board of Trustees. “I joined the [Montano] Student Investment Fund because it is an amazing opportunity to get hands-on experience working as a team to manage a real portfolio,” says Stephanie Fincher, a senior studying finance and business analytics. “It has taught me a lot about researching and selecting stocks as well as monitoring the overall portfolio performance and risk.”

One of Fincher’s teammates, Chaitanaya Manya Vij, a senior studying finance, adds, “The fund not only forces student analysts to have a broader understanding of market conditions, but also pushes them to look for market growth opportunities in narrow sectors of the S&P 500, meaning that we must approach investing by thinking both inside and outside the box.“ He also notes how it offers participation in many invaluable opportunities and events like the CFA Challenge and case competitions. The CFA Institute Research Challenge places students in the position of research analysts, putting their skills to the test. The challenge also provides mentorship and training to further sharpen their skills. Participating in this and other related events elevates the students and gets them alongside the most select business students in the nation. And by elevating Mason students, the Montano Student Investment Fund is also adding prestige to the School of Business, recruiting top students and top employers to hire them.

The benefits of the fund are immediately recognized by those students who go on to work in the field. “The [Montano] Student Investment Fund gave me the opportunity to pitch investment ideas and face pushback and questions from fellow students, professors, and the foundation’s Board of Trustees,” says Rudy Kessinger, BS Finance ’18. “As a sell-side equity analyst, I spend a lot of my time doing the same thing, both internally with our sales force and with institutional investors. My experience with the fund prepared me well for this and gave me a lot more confidence starting out than I would have otherwise had.”

In establishing the fund, Montano wanted to provide a more effective launching pad for students who seek to begin their careers in finance and investment management. He appreciates the differentiated experience gained from managing real money through his firsthand experiences interviewing young college graduates over the years. As for the future of the Montano Student Investment Fund, he hopes it continues to improve outcomes. “I would love to see more students move into challenging and high-level investment management jobs,” says Montano. “And I hope that those who graduate from the program decide to give back and help the students who follow them.” While the fund is still young, it already has several former participants who are highly successful financial industry professionals. As the number of alumni continues to grow, they will help drive additional career opportunities for upcoming graduates.

Topics

Costello College of Business News

Finance Concentration

Costello College of Business Alumni

Student Investment Fund