Student-led group takes the lead on a six-figure investment fund
Student-led group takes the lead on a six-figure investment fund
For most college students, a mistake on a homework assignment costs a few points. For students in the Student Investment Group (SIG) at the Wilson College of Business, a miscalculation carries a much higher price tag.
By managing a six-figure portfolio of real capital, SIG operates with a level of autonomy rarely seen in a campus club. The concept is simple: Students execute real trades based on their own market research, then live with the results — good or bad.
“I never thought there’d be an opportunity like this available when I first got to college,” said Will Swift, a junior majoring in accounting, finance and economics. “It’s rewarding to have the range to make the decisions we want. We generate the ideas, and we decide what to do.”
That independence is the group's hallmark. Meetings are entirely student-led, featuring bi-weekly debates over technical analysis and individual holdings. Students leverage professional valuation models, such as Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), to justify every move before a faculty advisor signs off on the final trade.
This immersion provides a professional head start. Evan Wahlstrom, a finance major planning a career in investments, noted that the group was tackling complex analysis years before he encountered the concepts in his upper-level coursework.
Getting a head start helped me in my classes, but being able to talk about this experience in an interview is also huge. It drives a lot of discussion with recruiters when they see you’ve already produced stock analysis reports for a real fund.
Wahlstrom, who is currently a portfolio analyst intern at Aegon Asset Management, credits the group for building the confidence necessary to work on a professional trading floor.
The portfolio has seen its share of successful trades. Swift recalls a recent call on Amazon where his technical projections hit the mark perfectly, resulting in a 25% gain in just six months. Yet, the group also offers a controlled environment to learn the discipline of cutting losses and trusting your research and intuition.
“It is incredibly valuable to learn from these decisions, especially with money you care about,” Wahlstrom said. “You’re taking calculated risks. Investing is a powerful tool, and I wish more people knew how simple it can be to start.”
Beyond the spreadsheets, SIG serves as a vital networking hub. In a group of about eight dedicated members, students find a community of peers as passionate about compounding growth as they are about their careers.
"I love talking about stocks, but there aren't many opportunities to do that on campus,” Wahlstrom said. “Everyone in the investment club is super interested and up to date on the market."
As SIG members look toward their next chapters in internships and full-time roles, the skills they have picked up — rigorous research, risk calculation and high-stakes decision-making — will go a long way toward being ready for business.
