Welcome to the Student Managed Investment Fund Website                                          

About Us

Objective

The Kennesaw State University Student Managed Investment Fund LLC, established in August 2008, was created to provide real-time, hands on experience in portfolio management and investing for its top business majors.  Students are actively involved in the management of the fund on a day to day basis effectively applying classroom theory to a real world setting.   

Oversight

The fund is managed by the Student Executive Board (SEB) who oversees the activities of junior members of the fund.  This includes the setting up of time tables, selecting stock, coordinating meetings and tracking the performance of the portfolio. The SEB’s is in constant consultation with faculty advisors who provide the fundamental direction of the fund.  The KSU SMIF LLC is formally managed by the board of directors. Dr. Govind Hariharan, Mr. Jason Knope, and Dr. Stefano Mazzotta, (CEO) are the members of the board. The role of the board is to insure that the student’s recommendations are consistent with the mandate of the KSU SMIF LLC, and to execute students’ decisions. Nominated by the board of directors, the Investment Advisory Board [IAB] oversees the strategy and performance of the fund. The IAB comprises of students, faculty, and members of the business community.  The IAB provided non binding advice on trading strategies.  

Investments Strategy

The SMIF’s main investment focus is Strategic Asset Allocation primarily geared toward domestic equities and benchmarked against the S&P 500.  This is employed by researching industry sectors with the theoretical tools and fundamental concepts provided in the classroom, analytical research and those adopted from established fund members. Student members work in teams which are responsible for qualitative and quantitative research of industry sectors. 

Benefits

The SMIF provides students with hands-on asset management experience and the opportunity to interact with established members of the financial business community. In addition, students may receive academic credit for their work with the SMIF.  Student members have also participated in other activities such as the RISE conference in Iowa and are eligible for upcoming functions that are designed to enhance the learning experience of the SMIF.

Risks

Like all financial instruments the value of the fund is subject to market fluctuations.  The fund will mitigate risk through diversification and modern risk management techniques.