For the 11 members of this year’s Scripps College Student Investment Fund (SIF), buying and selling stock is just another part of their education.
Scripps students have run their own investment fund group since 1972 – and they’re good at it. The group was initially seeded by a launch donation from trustee Mary Wig Johnson ‘35 under the hope it would inspire young women to learn and become passionate about stocks and investment management. And it did.
Today, SIF honors Johnson’s dream with an impressive track record; its 2012-2013 investment year earned returns of 36.9% – substantially more than Claremont McKenna College’s own student fund. “Unfortunately, we are unable to discuss our specific holdings,” says SIF president Jennie Xu ’15. “But there have definitely been some memorable ones!”
Each semester, board members pitch three or more potential stock purchases. SIF tries to pair a less experienced student with a seasoned member in order to provide opportunities that are simultaneously educational and productive. At the end of the semester, the group decides which stocks to buy, sell, or reject. Along the way, says Xu, students learn procedures from other students in strategy, terminology, sectors, and more: “Last year we had lessons on ratios, shorting, and even the video game industry.”
SIF members don’t confine their knowledge to U.S. investments. Each member is assigned a sector or topic to report on each week, one of which is ‘BRIC’ – ‘Brasil, Russia, India, and China.’ The global perspective helps students expand their knowledge and understanding of investments and is a recurring topic for the group.
Are others at the College feeling the benefits of SIF and other clubs like it?
“I have seen an increase in women interested in finance and business just through increased CLORG memberships,” says Xu. Newer groups like Scripps Women in Finance, Accounting, and Consulting, the Scripps Economics Society, and Innovate@Scripps has her excited and for both SIF and an increase in women who are passionate about finance and investments.
“With this increase in opportunity to become involved in a finance or business-related club comes an inspiration to pursue these fields as a professional career.”
Above: Kickstarter Chairman Perry Chen meets with members of the Scripps Student Investment Fund; Right: Fund members meet on Bowling Green for a quick photo.