When prospective students think about college, many times their minds are drawn to big things like classes, professors, sports, fraternities or sororities, and dining. However, many times the most memorable and fulfilling moments of college happen within the many small organizations and clubs offered on campus.
The Crimson Collegiate Investors (CCI) is a group of roughly 15 students from all walks of life. They partake in fundamental equity analysis by studying stocks, and ultimately investing in those companies approved by the rest of the society. CCI manages roughly $100,000, most of which has been donated by friends of the College. They meet weekly to discuss investment pitches and to learn from one of the senior members of the group.
“We are divided into many sectors,” said CCI President Quinn Peebles, “…covering any conceivable area of business from diamond mining to microchip manufacturing to clothing designers. Each sector is headed by a lead analyst whose job is to make sure that everyone is learning and having a good time, as well as do some teaching themselves.”
The success that this group has had in their investing endeavors is extremely impressive. They have consistently yielded a 30% annualized return, something that cannot be said by many professional investors. However, continuing to grow their sum of investment money is not their main focus.
“Our primary goal is to educate students,” explained Peebles. “Everyone is expected to learn, not to arrive knowing everything already.”
People join the group for a number of different reasons. Some have a personal interest in stocks. Others utilize this group as a career building platform, whether that be by tapping into CCI’s alumni connections or using the time to hone their investing skills. Still others join out of pure curiosity, and end up finding a lifelong passion. However, what everyone ends up learning is that one can take their other passions and integrate them into their investing.
“Your interests outside of the investing world drive your interests in the investing world,” explained Peebles. “Know a lot about the gaming industry? There are tons of publicly traded companies out there just for you. Do you like gold? Perfect. Gold mines await you. The possibilities of the investing world are endless. If you can think of it, there is a way to trade it and to make money off of it. People often think of what we do as boring and uninteresting, but that is only because they have not grasped the scope of possibilities and the ability to be driven by what you already think is cool or interesting.”
The Crimson Collegiate Investors is a friendly, fun, and knowledgeable group that helps equip students with the right tools to become successful investors. They hope that in the years to come, more and more students will become educated on the ins-and-outs of investing, and that the $100,000 will continue to grow.
