Cutting Their Teeth in Financial Markets Before Graduating
Simon Nguy and a Team of Students Use Investments Returns to Fund Scholarships
Simon Nguy, of Hayden, relishes a deep dive into financial market research, and found the ideal program to grow his passion at the 果冻传媒麻豆社.
Nguy is part of the Davis Student Investment Management Group (Davis), a team of students managing over $900,000 in long-term investments. It鈥檚 an opportunity for students to cut their teeth in the finance industry before graduation. Davis also helps future students afford college. Returns from investments managed by the group have funded over $300,000 in scholarships.
Nguy studies finance in the College of Business and Economics (CBE), and uses classroom lessons, technology and his own research to decide which stocks to buy and sell for Davis.
鈥淚 love doing the nitty gritty, in-depth work investing requires,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time consuming, but with the help of I scholarships, I鈥檓 able to make studying finance my full-time job. I can afford to put in the hours.鈥�
Nguy鈥檚 real-world experiences with the financial industry, data and computers are creating new opportunities for him both inside and out of the classroom.
Diving into the Details of Investing
鈥淚 initially joined Davis to learn how to save and prepare for my own retirement," Nguy said. "I didn鈥檛 know anything about finance but was sucked in when I started researching real investment opportunities in brands I was familiar with.
The investments Nguy oversees for the college include Consumer Discretionary, companies providing nonessential goods and services that people buy if there鈥檚 money left over after bills are paid. Nike鈥檚 $130 Air Max shoes, an $80 subscription to Disney Plus and Starbucks鈥� $5 pumpkin spice latte are all goods consumers could do without but enjoy when they can afford them.
鈥淲hen stock prices of global brands like these fluctuate, it makes headlines,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淩eading the news taught me about the relationship between world events and market reactions. It鈥檚 how I learned the fundamentals of investing.鈥�
Exploring the Real World in the Classroom
Nguy also uses what he鈥檚 learning in his Management Information Systems (MIS) classes. Investment firms increasingly rely on MIS to transform huge amounts of global financial information into data investors can use to inform their decisions.
鈥淭he amount of data available to investors is crazy, and too much for any person to make sense of,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淢IS classes were an opportunity to learn how to turn big financial datasets into useful investing information.鈥�
Each student has their own method for investing, and during weekly presentations they discuss strategy. Nguy鈥檚 news- and data-driven method informs his decisions.
鈥淒avis students present to the group every week like we鈥檙e employees of a financial firm,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淲e give stakeholders (the other students) an analysis of our portfolio鈥檚 health, what鈥檚 new in our sector, and which companies we鈥檙e watching this week.鈥�
Becoming an Investor
Nguy鈥檚 personal growth as an investor over a single semester in Davis earned him a promotion to junior portfolio manager.
鈥淣guy updates databases critical to monitoring the college鈥檚 investment portfolio,鈥� said Young Park, professor of finance and faculty advisor to the student group. 鈥淗e鈥檚 also leading the revision of our buy policy. This promotion recognizes his active participation in the group.鈥�
I love doing the nitty gritty, in-depth work investing requires, and with the help of scholarships I鈥檓 able to make studying finance my full-time job. I can afford to put in the hours. Simon Nguy
Davis also opens doors to hands-on learning opportunities for students with real businesses and industry outside the college. During summer break, Nguy took an internship as a credit analyst at Mountain West Bank in Coeur d鈥橝lene.
鈥淒avis is a great pipeline to internships that provide real world experience with clients, teams and the financial world,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淚 was able to join the bank because I have scholarships and didn鈥檛 have to work another job during the summer to pay for school.鈥�
Financial Literacy Through Technology
Nguy鈥檚 experience at Mountain West Bank didn鈥檛 stop with credit analysis and loans. While helping business owners better understand their financial position, Nguy discovered he enjoyed working with clients face-to-face.
His use of MIS programs and processes repeatedly showed that businesses pay too much for goods. By adjusting the data, Nguy and his clients could see how purchasing the same items for less would improve business, and by how much.
鈥淐ombining my love for technology, financial research and working directly with clients at the bank, I can see a career in financial literacy now,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淚t could be with individuals, non-profits or small businesses. Before my internship, it wasn鈥檛 on my radar.鈥�
Hands-on learning in classes, undergraduate research with Davis and real-world internship experiences gave Nguy a new understanding of what college can offer.
鈥淯 of I has been an incredible experience,鈥� Nguy said. 鈥淚 came here not knowing which area of business to study and will graduate with a degree in finance and experience in the financial industry. Studying at CBE has forever changed my future.鈥�
Article by Ross Wulf, College of Business and Economics
Photography by Melissa Hartley, Creative Services
Published January 2022