The Gustavus Investment Club which was founded thanks to a large alumni donation, allows students to actively engage with the stock market. This club, which now maintains an active roster of over 20 students, primarily seeks to educate its members on the opportunities and risks involved in the domestic stock market, while also allowing its members to actually interact with the stock market, through the initial donation they received.
According to the club’s website, they promote “a mature understanding of the market that is underpinned by critical and disciplined thinking.” The club is currently up to $135,000, and all of the profits are donated to the College Scholarship Fund.
Members of the club stress the importance of learning to invest.
“All Gusties should know the importance of investing,” Junior Economics Major and the club’s Vice President of Education, Austin Wentzlaff said. “All Gusties will almost certainly be involved in investing one way or another at some point in their lives. For most of us, some important investing decisions will come within the next couple years, when we have to answer questions such as ‘What mutual funds should I pick for my 401k?’ or ‘How much of my income should I contribute to my retirement each month?’ Learning even the basics of investing will go a long way when we are faced with difficult investment decisions.”
“Our average meeting usually goes from market news to our educational element and then to looking at stocks to add to our portfolio or reevaluating the stocks that are currently in our portfolio,” the club’s Vice President of Operations, Bruce Quiram said.
“Knowing the importance of investing is important for everyone whether you are an economics/management major, or an art major because at some point in your life you will need the tools to invest,” club member Eric Thorn said.
“Being in Investment Club allows members to gain real investment experience without the level of risk that they would take on their own,” Wentzlaff said. “Investment Club gives everyone a chance to pick an investment and watch it over a period of time. This allows them to learn from their mistakes without losing any of their own money, and it also gives them an opportunity to become a better investor by realizing why the investment they chose did so well and how they can find another successful stock in the future.”
“Investing and saving is a way for someone to benefit his or her future,” Quiram said. “Gusties should be aware that the younger that they start saving and investing, the greater the returns they can experience compared to if they wait until they are older. This is due to the power of compounding.”
“The club is open to all majors and everyone is welcome to come. No previous investment knowledge is needed. Our first meeting of the second semester is Tuesday, Feb. 19. It is never too late to join. The officers of the club are willing to stay after the meeting time to help out individuals with questions that might not be covered in the club. We do our best to keep everyone on pace and make sure no one falls behind,” Wentzlaff said. Students can also visit the Investment Club’s website at sites.google.com/a/gustavus.edu/gustavus-adolphus-college-investment-club/home.