In recent weeks, the James-Atkins Student Managed Investment Fund group has the campus buzzing with their annual Investing March Madness Tournament. The group, commonly known as “the James Fund” has continuously done this during March to see if any students not in the club can successfully form an investment portfolio by choosing three random stocks. 

Those who signed up for the competition invested in three companies.The participant with the highest return (percentage) would be deemed the winner and win a $200 Visa gift card. 

The winner of the tournament, with an average return rate of 21.49%, was Bryce Peacock ‘24. Peacock won with this return percentage by choosing to invest with Tesla, Fortinet and Delta Airlines.  

Slaton Schneider ‘22 serves as the current president of the James Fund. 

“The goal of the competition is simply to pique the interest of students who have never invested before and to give them the opportunity to experience how markets operate without having to put any of their own money in,” Schneider said. “It was really fun to see people get competitive about something that was new to them. James-Atkins Fund members were at sign up stations to help talk through the process, but the stock decisions were entirely up to each entrant. This was a great way for first time investors to have the opportunity for great reward without much risk.” 

In recent years, younger generations have become increasingly more active in the stock market due to apps such as Robinhood and WeBull, which allow anyone with a smartphone to trade stocks instantly. The James Fund aims to increase those numbers and promote safety in regards to where one should invest their money. 

The organization also  deals with real funds that benefit the program and Wofford. 

“The James-Atkins Student-Managed Investment Fund gives Wofford students the opportunity to manage an investment fund with real-life, real-time results,” Schneider said. “We manage about $380k in real assets, which for the past 14 years, students have had the opportunity to manage. Student research and decision-making determine the fund’s success.” 

Schneider explained that portfolio managers and research analysts research companies each month and determine through qualitative and quantitative analysis whether the company is a “buy,” “hold” or “sell”. The Fund then votes and the results are applied to the Fund’s assets. 

Smart investing is the dominant promotion factor for the James Fund. 

“We do not have any plans for any new competitions this Spring, but we will be sure to bring back the Investing March Madness next year,” Schneider said.