Robins School at InvestEd 2015

InvestEd Inc. is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide investor education through annual conferences. Every year, the InvestEd conference is hosted in a different city, and organizers provide grants to a number of students from a chosen local university. InvestEd 2015 came to Richmond, Va. and chose University of Richmond.   

Four Robins School of Business students attended the conference from June 12-14, 2015.

Yash Jhunjhunwala, ’18, an economics major with concentrations in finance and international business, explained, “There were different seminars throughout the weekend for beginner, intermediate and experienced investors; however, we could attend any session we liked. There were multiple presenters every day, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Stock Rover, Aflac, Duke Energy and Procter & Gamble. As beginner investors, we learned the basics of investing in stocks and bonds, networking, screening stocks and keeping pace with the changing business environment. It was a great learning opportunity spending the weekend with so many experienced investors.”

Elaine Digges, ’17, an accounting major, shared, “My favorite part was the range of people we met from across the country. There were many people from the Big Four accounting firms, and it was as much as a three-day lesson on investments as it was an invaluable networking opportunity.”

She added, “InvestEd was a great introduction to finance. Thanks to the conference, my finance course material has been very manageable because of the terms and ideas I learned at the conference. My favorite session was ‘How to Get into Investing: 101,’ which took foundational investments knowledge and delved into how we should evaluate stocks we’re looking to buy. We had the chance to do a stock valuation and analysis work as well as pretend to buy stock. Some of the other presentations were investment-heavy, while others touched on online applications and programs that aid in investing and decision-making.  Finance and accounting have a lot in common, so to gain insight into the other side of stocks and bonds outside of journal entries was contextually helpful.”

Stathi Kyriakides, ’17, a business administration major with concentrations in finance and marketing, looked back on the conference. “It exceeded my expectations. Everyone we encountered really wanted us to learn and was always willing to answer our questions. I learned about numerous finance topics, helping to solidify my decision to concentrate in finance, and I was particularly grateful for the investment advice from the attendees. I strongly recommend anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of personal finance to attend the conference.”

Jhunjhunwala shared, “One of my takeaways was the magic of compounding interest and reinvesting profits. I will always remember how vastly the size and returns on investments over time can multiply. I also learned there are many factors that affect the markets and that seeking knowledge through many channels while staying proactive will give me a competitive advantage as an investor. This includes staying updated on global current events, understanding the media’s effect on markets and maintaining a balanced portfolio with long-term interests in mind.”

Following the conference, the students went off to their individual summer plans, affected in different ways.

Digges held externships with three separate accounting firms where she was able to practice solving real-world accounting problems. This summer, she will intern in the tax department at EY’s Richmond office.

Kyriakides, a student-athlete on the men’s tennis team, served as the executive office intern at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum where he aided with the Newport Tennis Championships. “I’ve since become very interested in investment banking, and I’m hoping to intern in the finance sector this summer.”

Lastly, Jhunjhunwala participated in collaborative research on going-concern firms with Dr. Marshall Geiger, professor of accounting. “I will be applying for internships soon, and I plan to gain as much practical experience as possible through internships, externships and shadowing a professional. My overarching long-term career goal is to be an investment banker.”