UConn’s Stamford Campus offers newly introduced class in the art of investing (Photo Courtesy of nextgenct.uconn.edu)
This past fall semester, the UConn Stamford Campus began offering lessons to business students in the art of investing. The Student Managed Fund program grants young investors the opportunity to gain experience within the realm of financial risk-taking by managing a $500,000 portfolio, of course, under the close supervision of investment advisors.
Investing in the stock market is quite the tricky business. Brokers and shrewd traders alike will scheme and manipulate market conditions in an effort to swipe hard-earned money from inexperienced neophytes. While many traders suffer losses within the market, astutely-performed investing can give folks an incredible opportunity to create earnings for paying off debts and saving for retirement.
UConn students and young folks nationwide ought to capitalize on the advantages offered by investing in the stock market. Young people have a massive advantage in the investing world due to the fact that their age grants them more time for their assets to appreciate in value. At a young age, these folks will learn to weigh risk and reward, to think in terms of the future and to respond effectively to failure.
Students are frequently overwhelmed with loan debt upon graduation, as well as other expenses including housing, utility and auto payments. Investing ultimately provides students a chance to create disposable income for themselves which can be utilized in the payment of said bills, as well as in saving for larger, future investments (a house) or retirement.
Students could also lose all their hard-earned money and go broke.
That’s where the UConn investing course becomes a deus ex machina for students unfamiliar with commonplace investment strategies that can guide them to financial independence. Under the tutelage of seasoned veteran Professor Blake Mather, an advisor to the Stamford program, business students will gain applicable experience that will aid them in their future careers and beyond.
In discussing the program, Professor Mather explained, “The Student Managed Fund is truly the closest you can get to real-world experience while you’re still in college. It’s an entirely different reality when there’s real money at stake. We run the Student Managed Fund like a private company. I speak to them like co-workers, not students.”
This program will likely aid business students as they navigate the waters of the financial world post-graduation, but the valuable lessons and experiences offered will translate into their personal lives as well.
For students, this course is an investment in themselves. And that’s the most valuable asset one can ever have.
