A Christian Science Monitor (Oct. 24, 2005) article on women’s attitudes regarding investing featured comments by Stacy Klein ’08, vice president of the Scripps College Student Investment Fund.
Stacy was among several students in the organization and members of the College economics department who responded to the newspaper’s request to interview students for the article, “Fear of commitment – to investing.” The article highlighted the importance of learning about the principles of financial management.
The Scripps College Student Investment Fund is one such opportunity to learn about investing.
In 1972, Mary Wig Johnson ’35, alumna and trustee, presented a gift of $50,000 to the College with the stipulation that the donation establish an investment fund that would promote the basic principles of investment and money management for the women of Scripps College. The Student Investment Fund (SIF) was formed to serve that purpose. Today, managing a portfolio of approximately 10 companies, SIF has expanded the original endowment from $50,000 to over $200,000.
The SIF members meet weekly to discuss the portfolio’s performance, market trends, and stock news. The members explore methods for evaluating and appraising stocks and propose potential acquisitions and sales. The investment decisions are made strictly by the students with occasional guidance from the Fund’s independent stockbroker. In addition to providing a learning experience, SIF allocates financial support to student clubs at the College.