YSU’s Student Investment Fund earns first place in national competition

Pictured – Student Investment Fund team members at the SMIFC Conference with their first-place prize. 

The YSU Student Investment Fund (SIF) received first place at the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium (SMIFC) portfolio building competition.

Thirteen members of SIF, along with their advisor, Dr. Peter Chen, attended the SMIFC conference in Chicago on October 9th and 10th.  One group representing SIF won a $900 prize for a research paper they presented.

Three members of the YSU Student Investment Fund joined together to present their research: James Kover, Finance Management, also the immediate past president of SIF (management track); Anthony Graceffo, Finance (CFP track); and Eli Masters, Mechanical Engineering. Together, they wrote a ten-page research report where they looked at macro-economic environment, circular investment trends, and customer trends, which helped them choose the companies in their portfolio.

Over one hundred universities and colleges were represented from all over the United States.  SMIFC is a community of colleges and universities with a shared vision for student success and leadership in investment management.  This common purpose provides for a broad network of support and problem-solving. The Consortium emphasizes graduate and undergraduate student education, research, and leadership.

“We are very proud of the continued success of our Student Investment Fund, which acts as one of the investment managers for a portion of the YSU Foundation investment portfolio,” said Scott Schulick, Chair of the YSU Foundation Investment Committee. “We commend them on their first-place award. These students are committed to sound research and professionalism. The SIF is a hands-on, real-world experience for our students.”

The YSU Student Investment Fund started in 2008 with $250,000 provided by the YSU Foundation’s endowment fund. From 2009-13, the fund received an additional $50,000 each year from the YSU Foundation to invest. Since its inception, the SIF portfolio has generated a cumulative return of 768.12%, compared to 501.48% for the S&P 500 over the same time period.

The YSU Student Investment Fund manages an equity portfolio currently valued at $3.9 million. Through the YSU Foundation, the YSU SIF organization is one of the largest in the State of Ohio.