UML Student Investors are Right on the Money

04/01/2025
By Ed Brennen

The UMass Foundation’s annual Student Managed Fund competition gives students from across the UMass system a chance to apply classroom lessons to real-world financial management.

For Manning School of Business students, it’s also a chance to flex the strength of the finance program at UMass Lowell.

UML’s student-run investment group scored another win in this year’s competition, with its portfolio for fiscal year 2024 outperforming those of UMass Amherst, Boston and Dartmouth. The top-performing team is determined based on its portfolio’s return compared with the S&P 500.

The UML team, made up of undergraduate and graduate students in Professor Ravi Jain’s Student Managed Fund courses, was recognized at the annual Student Managed Fund luncheon, held recently at the UMass Club in Boston.

Senior business major Corey Perez, who took the course last fall, presented the UML team’s winning strategy at the luncheon.

“Our win is a testament to the rigorous, value-driven approach we’ve refined over the past year,” said Perez, a Methuen, Massachusetts, native with concentrations in finance and accounting. “It reflects classroom collaboration, deep dives into market trends and a commitment to long-term investing principles inspired by the likes of Warren Buffett.”

The team was awarded $5,000 for the win, which it will reinvest in its portfolio.

Since receiving an initial $25,000 seed investment from the UMass Foundation 18 years ago, the UML fund has grown to more than $300,000. System-wide, the student-managed investment portfolio has grown to over $1.7 million.

The UML portfolio has around 30 stocks, one-third of which are replaced annually based on the recommendations of student teams in the fall and spring courses. Current holdings include Costco, Microsoft, Meta and Nvidia.

Abigail MacAllister ’24, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in finance, is taking the class this semester as an MBA student. The Tewksbury, Massachusetts, native says “it’s probably one of the best courses I’ve taken” at UML.

“We get exposed to 10 major investors and do a deep dive into their strategies, and then use that research when we pick stocks to recommend for our portfolio,” says MacAllister, who notes that Jain emphasizes three pillars when picking companies: “Their ability to survive, grow and earn profits.”

MacAllister is joining the finance management analyst program at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina, after completing her graduate degree in May. Taking the Student Managed Fund course has her feeling well-prepared.

“I haven’t had a ton of practice analyzing financials since my undergrad, so doing this course has been a really helpful review,” she says.

Senior business major Stiven Adilaj, who is also taking the course this semester, will begin the professional development program at State Street Global Advisors in Boston after graduating this spring. He says the Student Managed Fund course, which gives students experience using the Bloomberg terminals in the Pulichino Tong Business Center trading room, helps him stand out in a competitive job market.

“The class gives you practical experience in equity research, which is a highly regarded career path in finance,” says Adilaj, a first-generation college student from Woburn, Massachusetts.

While at the Manning School, Adilaj has also been able to add a co-op job at MFS Investment Management and internships at StonehamBank and investment management firm Franklin Templeton to his résumé.

Reflecting on his UML experience through the lens of a financial analyst, Adilaj is pleased with the payoff. “The return on investment from UMass Lowell is great,” he says.