The weekend is the perfect time to relax, enjoy some free time, and prepare for the week ahead. For members of Kogod’s two student-run investment programs, it’s also an opportunity to spend time on campus to learn from each other and build upon their finance skills. On January 27 and 28, sixty-five students in the Student-Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) gathered for the inaugural SMIF-REIT Analytical Conference. Throughout the weekend, the two funds’ current teams gave presentations, participated in workshops, and heard from program alums who took what they learned into their post-graduate finance careers. Though attending the conference was not mandatory, nearly every student in the course showed up for the entire weekend—an achievement that Kogod student and REIT fund manager Lily Oelschlager said is a testament to the teams’ commitment to these programs.
“We were so impressed by the fact that almost every single person involved in these programs showed up on time and stayed the whole time on both days—that’s a lot to ask from people who want to do other things with their weekend!” Oelschlager said. “It really is such an incredible demonstration of the passion that these students have for finance and research.”
The conference was born out of a desire to make both SMIF and REIT more accessible to students just starting their investing journey. The courses are open to students at any academic level and in any program, and the funds’ veterans know firsthand that getting started can be intimidating, especially when you’re going in without experience in the field.
“Our goal with the conference was to make it a little bit easier to transition into the programs so that you’re not spending the first couple of weeks trying to explore on your own. You get the baseline, and then you’re able to use your creative outlets as you see fit,” said Katie Sartori, a fund manager for SMIF. “We wanted to have this conference early in the semester so we could break down that barrier, so it doesn’t seem as scary.”
As a first-year student, SMIF junior analyst Ruth Pietrzykowski came out of the conference with plenty of takeaways to guide her through the course. Between presentations from upper-level students and conversations with SMIF alumnus Jacob Brawley about the real-world applications of the program, Pietrzykowski feels newly prepared to work with the funds.
“The conference was beneficial, as someone so new to everything,” she said. “It made us all feel much more confident in the rest of the semester, with everything we learned.”
As a junior analyst, Pietrzykowski works with a portfolio manager to develop pitches for the fund. She attends all of the fund’s meetings, works closely with other students, and will eventually take on additional responsibilities as she continues her finance education. Students with more experience, such as Sartori and Oelschlager, can serve as fund managers, whose duties include selecting the fund’s management team, integrating new analysts, and maintaining the investment portfolio. Though both SMIF and REIT are supported by finance professors Tim Timura and Catalin Stefanescu, the students handle everything from organizing class discussions to deciding where to invest their funds. The fund’s performance over the semester determines the students’ grades, providing even more motivation to ensure they make well-informed choices.