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Marvin A. Pomerantz Business Library

Finance Major Toolkit

A resource for all Finance students,

Investment Management is a career where you are selecting investments to put into a portfolio. Investments can include stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities and other assets.

The structure of the investment can also vary. It can be in a mutual fund, an institutional account, an Exchange traded fund, or even a hedge fund.

Regardless of what type of investment asset class or the type of investment vehicle, understanding the valuations of markets and individual investments is paramount. So what is an investment worth and am I paying too much for it given the risk.

Skills you need: Intellectual curiosity, modeling skills, ability to make decisions with incomplete information and an ability to communicate your ideas. 

Pluses of this career:

  1. You get paid to learn – the more you know, the better you can be – intellectual curiosity is necessary
  2. Depending on the firm, there is an opportunity for work/life balance
  3. For those that like to work individually, this is probably less team-oriented

Minuses

  1. Fair amount of pressure to do well
  2. If you can’t make decisions with incomplete information, it can be frustrating
  3. Markets can create stress. 

All Finance Majors need to take 3 Finance electives.The best fit for this career:

Become a student member of a CFA Society

As a student member of a CFA Society, you have access to content, events and job boards. This is an excellent way to network with professionals in the field and learn from them directly.

The links below are to student membership information from some of our Midwest Societies.