With their win in the 2008 CFA Institute Investment Research Challenge, a team of finance students from the College of Business has earned a trip to the national finals in New York City and a chance to match up against global competition and win $10,000.

      On April 1, the UofL team of John Hanzalik, Chris Coslow and Kyle Hollander bested student teams from IU-Southeast and Bellarmine in the Louisville regional competition.  The University of Kentucky was invited to participate but did not send a team.
     Hosted by the CFA (Chartered Financial Analysts) Society of Louisville, the competition required students to research write and present a fundamental investment analysis of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a local, publicly traded company.  Prior to preparing their analysis, each team met with B-F corporate officers to obtain details about the company’s recent performance and future plans.
     “I’d heard about the competition, and went to see it last year and decided this could be a great thing for our area schools to participate in,” said Ben Thomas, president of the Louisville CFA Society and a portfolio manager at Waycross Partners.  “It provides students a rare opportunity to be treated as institutional investors and learn the business from the inside.”
     Jacob Habibi, a 2003 UofL graduate who majored in finance and CIS, was the team’s mentor.
      “The team had to deliver specifics on the company’s stock and offer a recommendation, as well as indicate what they thought was going to do in the future,” said Habibi, currently a corporate credit research analyst with Invesco. “Their analysis was very thorough, including reflecting how the company has done during previous recessionary periods relative to the performance of the S&P 500.”
     More than 300 students from 80 universities worldwide participate in the CFA competitions. On April 30, the UofL team will compete in New York against seven other U.S. regional winners for the opportunity to participate in the May 1 international finals sponsored by Reuters.  The students’ trip is underwritten by the Louisville CFA Society.
     Last year’s inaugural competition was won by a team from Babson College.
     “It’s a great way for us to give back to the community,” said Thomas.  “It also helps us identify future members and shows them what we do.”
     The 250-member CFA Society of Louisville promotes ethical and professional standards within the investment industry, encourages professional development through the CFA Program, and facilitates the open exchange of information and opinions.