Four Millsaps College students recently brought home first place honors from the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge in Memphis. Garrett Brinneman, Joseph Martin, Joseph Rein, and Michael Tadda represented the college at the regional competition. They will continue their competition at the Americas Regional and Global Final, scheduled for April 23-25 in New York City.
The CFA Challenge is a component of the Student Managed Fund class in the Else School of Management, which also provides students with the opportunity to manage the General Louis Wilson Fund for the college.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual, global competition that provides college and university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. Students work in teams to research and analyze a publicly traded company and then write a research report on their assigned company with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation.
Originally from Jackson, Martin earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at Millsaps in spring 2018 and will complete his master’s of business administration at the Else School in May 2019. “Participation in the Louis Wilson Fund and the CFA Research Challenge has given me real-life experience in portfolio management and company valuation that I will carry forward into my career,” Martin said.
“The class has provided practical use of the financial analysis knowledge gained throughout my undergraduate classes,” said Rein, a senior from Ridgeland, majoring in business administration and economics with a concentration in finance. Rein is pursuing a career in financial management and corporate strategy.
The team spent months completing market research in preparation for the challenge. Their work was overseen and supported by Julius Ridgway and Davis Bourne. Ridgway is a CFA and principal with Medley and Brown; Bourne recently passed CFA III and works for Raymond James. Both are graduates of the Else School of Management at Millsaps College.
