The Investment Club at USF provides hands-on experience to over 80 members through its five distinct divisions: Asset Management, Global Investment Research, Executive Office, Investment Strategy, and Placement.
Each division offers unique learning experiences and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Whether members are interested in fundamental analysis, technical finance, or networking, the club caters to diverse interests ensuring valuable opportunities for all.
Achievements
70+
COMPANY PLACEMENTS
100+
EVENTS HOSTED
1400+
GENERAL MEMBERS
OUR DIVISIONS
Asset Management
The Asset Management Division (“AM”) follows both bottom-up and top-down investment approaches on differentiated public companies screened and sourced by GIR. The Asset Management Division is comprised of two teams: the Portfolio Team and the Investment Teams. AM seeks to provide its members with technical skills for job placements in high finance including investment banking, private equity, and investment management.
The Investment Team sources and conducts due diligence on public companies that they have high conviction in to present to the Investment Committee. The due diligence process is ~ 4 weeks, whereby the Associate and Analysts will collaborate to fully understand the company’s products, business model, the industry, the competitive landscape, assess the future growth prospects of the company, and analyze its key internal/external risks. By the end of the due diligence process, the Deal Team will have constructed a comprehensive financial model, diligence memo, and and deck to present to the board.
The Portfolio Team monitor and allocate stocks that the Investment Team has underwritten. Monitoring involves understanding the qualitative reasons behind the variance between the Deal Team's assumptions and the actual performance of the business. Allocating involves constructing a portfolio of businesses in a manner that maximizes upside and minimizes downside. They keep the Investment Team and Investment Committee accountable for the companies that are voted to add to the fund to improve the sourcing and diligence process.
Global Investment Research
The Global Investment Research Division (“GIR”) publishes monthly research reports designed to provide a holistic overview of the market period while presenting prospective investment opportunities by sector. GIR seeks to provide members with fundamental skills necessary for successful placement in competitive recruitment processes, including equity research, asset management, hedge funds, and sales & trading. It is divided into two main teams: Equities, and Fixed Income, Currencies, Commodities ("FICC").
Sector-specific teams conduct in-depth research on a specific public company and present investment merits and risks in a concise one-pager outfitted with integrated DCF analysis outputs and a python-programmed price graph. The reports are then assessed by IC's Investment Committee and Asset Management Division to determine if future diligence is necessary to pursue an investment, simulating the real-world sell- and buy-side process.
Executive Office
The Executive Office Division (“EO”) is the core division within IC, focused on the organization’s inner workings to ensure optimal integration across all functions. Besides building and preserving IC’s culture, Executive Office also fosters partnerships with companies, organizations, and professionals to source high-impact opportunities to showcase USF’s talent pool and facilitate Investment Club members' professional and career development. The skills obtained in EO help to prepare members in Corporate Finance, Marketing, Consulting, Business Intelligence, or related fields.
The division is divided into 5 different sub-teams: Marketing, Corporate Strategy, Development, and Alumni Relations.
Investment Strategy
The newly-rebranded Investment Strategy ("IS") Division, formerly known as the Wealth Management ("WM") Division, was formed from a merger between the Investment Club at USF and the Financial Planning Association in the Fall 2022 semester. The introduction of Investment Strategy fulfills IC’s vision to provide students with the skills necessary for careers in finance and financial planning, and it is comprised of three core teams: the Capital Markets Team, the Asset Allocation Team, and the Financial Planning Team.
The Capital Markets Team examines key economic indicators and how they impact the broader market. The Asset Allocation Team conducts in depth research across various asset classes to construct multiple portfolios that align with varying risk profiles. Finally, the Financial Planning Team formulates financial plans based on mock case studies of individuals planning for a variety of personal financial objectives including budgeting, building credit, emergency funds, tax-efficient investing, savings for short-term goals, and insurance strategies. After that, the team showcase their findings twice per semester in financial planning presentations in front of certified financial planners.
Placement
As our newest division, Placement is dedicated to increasing placement rates across finance through individualized support through every stage of the interview process. Available for all our divisional members, Placement is committed to elevating recruitment success rates at USF by equipping students with the necessary tools and guidance to excel in the competitive internship landscape. It also organizes insightful workshops with practical and personalized recruiting advice exclusive for our divisional members as well as leading an exclusive IC Mentorship Program.
