Overview
The Undergraduate Student Investment Fund (USIF) is a primary function of the Marshall School of Business capstone Investment Management course, “Advanced Practicum in Portfolio Management.” Students enrolled in this course actively manage University investment funds dedicated to this program. The course activities also include formal lectures and discussions led by academics and practitioners about the theory and practice of institutional investment management. The student managers make all investment decisions subject to an investment policy provided by the University. The USIF managers seek to create and implement investment strategies that will maximize learning and outperform the market.
Individual donors gave a total of $300,000 to the Marshall School of Business in early 2008 to establish the Undergraduate Student Investment Fund. Through additional gifts, the fund hopes to reach $1,000,000 in the near future.
The inaugural USIF class consists of 14 graduating seniors who are establishing processes and procedures for a new student investment management company. In future years, approximately 20 high achieving Marshall students will manage the fund each year.
Through their participation in the USIF program, USIF student fund managers will obtain deep understanding of the fundamentals that drive investment returns. Exercising positions of real responsibility and authority, USIF students will develop investment experience and leadership skills that will help them succeed in the investment management profession.
Listed as a "featured undergraduate class" on the Marshall website: http://students.marshall.usc.edu/undergrad/new-undergraduate-classes/
USIF Alumni quotes
“USIF allows me to convert the conceptual knowledge to practical actions, and prepares me well before I step into the real world.” – Candice Cao
“The thing I value most about USIF is the ability to apply the concepts learned in my finance classes with real money.” – Matthew Gilbert
“USIF has provided me with the tools to be a rational, opportunistic investor in any sort of market environment. – Matt Holtz
“USIF offers students the opportunity to learn practical skills and knowledge that can be applied to any profession in the finance industry.” – James Hwang
“USIF has complemented my theoretical knowledge from other finance courses with real-world investment experience that has enhanced my understanding of the financial markets and prepared me for the corporate world.” – Nick Khoury
“USIF has enabled me to apply my financial knowledge and market research into portfolio management. It has also provided me with the opportunity to engage in active discussions during stock pitches.” – Felix Leung
“USIF has been an invaluable tool for learning how to operate in a professional environment and showing future employers that you are a high-quality candidate.” – Kevin Osman
“USIF has taught me how to make informed investment decisions by applying many of the financial concepts I have learned in other classes while being at USC. – Nil Patel
“USIF has taught me how to see a stock from multiple perspectives. No other class offers you the chance to discuss stocks in a group setting like this.” – USIF alumni
“USIF has allowed me to gain hands-on experience and valuable insight into the world of portfolio management; it's proved much more informative and interesting than many of the more academically-focused classes I've taken.” – Jonathan Plummer
“USIF has been a class where the classroom learning feels like it extends into the real world and is actually something I'll use in the future, not something to be forgotten at the end of the semester.” – Caitlin Price
“USIF has provided me with the tools to better navigate and understand the forces at work in the market.” – Nicholas Sanchilli
“USIF has been extremely valuable in helping me understand the practical application of various financial concepts we learn in the classroom. It was also extremely useful during the recruiting process and definitely gave me additional credibility as well as a good experience to discuss.” – Mamta Shah
“What I found best with USIF was that i managed to better understand how the markets work, their inter-relationships and it most importantly offered me a framework to be a better individual investor.” – Aaron Wong