Students at the University of Lincoln are running a live investment fund to put their newly acquired finance skills into practice.
The Lincoln International Business School’s Student Managed Investment Fund (LSMIF) mimics the structure of a real fund management company where students are delegated roles from stock analyst to marketing manager. There are also senior roles such as CEO, CFO and CIO which are annually elected by the funds team members.
The team of undergraduate and postgraduate students use money donated by sponsors as well as members of the public to invest in shares of companies listed on London Stock Exchange. All returns are reinvested into the fund.
The bottom line is to create a unique learning opportunity that applies learning to the real world.
While the day to day operation is entirely student run, it is overseen by experienced investor and economist Dr Hao Quach, a former Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University in the USA, who is a specialist in the analysis of capital markets. Students also benefit from the advice and guidance of external advisors from the finance sector.
James Stenson, a BSc Banking & Finance student and CEO of the Student Managed Investment Fund said: “We are gaining a lot of transferable skills that can be directly applied to employment and the long-term benefits will be invaluable when it comes to sharing our experience in interviews.”
Finley Kneafsey, a first year Banking and Finance student and current Chief Financial Officer of the fund said: “My role as CFO of the fund is allowing me to gain an insight into how an investment bank fully operates and will help to inform what sector of banking I am most interested in as I go forward. “My aspirations are to become a trader and the skills that I’m gaining, not only in my role as CFO but by participating in other aspects of the fund, means that I’m learning skills from other members of the team which will benefit me as I move towards my financial career.”
Dr Hao Quach, who oversees the fund said: “The fund offers students a strong foundation to build upon their financial skill set to enhance what they are learning as part of their University education and develop their understanding of the finance industry in a more dynamic and exciting way.
“The fund is one of only a handful of its kind in the UK and gives the next generation of financial professionals the unique opportunity to gain real-world experience that will equip them for their future careers in the financial sector.”
To find out more about the Student Managed Investment Fund as well as sponsorship and donation opportunities visit https://lsmif.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/