Society-representative and local university emerges as finalist at the 2020 CFA Institute Research Challenge

Congratulation to Seton Hall University for making it to the Finals of the 2020 CFA Institute Research Challenge!

On April 22, the CFA Institute Research Challenge held its Global Finals in a virtual setting, with five teams zooming in from the four corners of the world. These finalists were the regional winners of a robust competition that started at the local Societies, encompassing over 1,150 universities in 95 countries with over 6,000 student participants.

CFA Society New York’s participation began with its kickoff event in October 2019, where the subject company Merck was announced to the participants – 29 teams from local universities. After two local rounds of competition, CFA Society New York held the New York finals on March 6th at the Society. As a result, two teams were selected to represent CFA Society New York at the Regional Americas’ Finals – Seton Hall University and Binghamton University. At the Americas’ Regionals Finals on April 21, Seton Hall University excelled in the competition and won the spot to represent the region.

The following day Seton Hall competed in the Global Finals with an excellent performance against a strong field of competitors.   For those of you that are missing a good competition in these days of quarantine, check out the Global Final Presentations as they unfold.  Spoiler alert – Congratulations to University of Sydney for winning the competition.

Congratulations to Seton Hall and all of the competitors of the CFA Research Challenge.  Here at CFA Society New York, we love being a part of the competition, which we could not do without our sponsors and volunteers. To that end, thanks to our sponsors: CFA Institute, Kaplan, Fact Set, and the Options Industry Council, as well as all our Volunteer Mentors, Graders, and Judges – the competition could not occur without you.  If you are interested in volunteering in next year’s competition, click here for more information.

About

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is sponsored by CFA Institute and locally hosted by the CFA Society New York (CFANY). The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals teach business and finance students how to research and report on a publicly-traded company. CFANY originated the competition fifteen years ago (as the “Investment Research Challenge”) as a means to promote best practices in research among the next generation of analysts.

The Research Challenge spans one academic year, and consists of the following components:

  • Training in Research and Report Writing: Students receive training by attending CFANY-sponsored seminars on Tools for Analysts, Presentation Skills, Report Writing, and Ethics. Seminar instructors are selected by CFANY.
  • Analysis of a Public Company: Teams research the same public company, selected by CFANY, which includes a question-and-answer session with company management.
  • Mentoring by a Financial Market Professional: Hands on mentor who advises and critiques the team’s report.
  • Assessment of Written Reports: A group of volunteer graders selected from CFANY’s membership assess the written research reports.
  • First-Round Presentation to High-Profile Wall Street Experts: All teams present their research to Wall Street experts. The experts choose the final five teams with the strongest research to present their final reports.
  • Final Five Presentation to High-Profile Wall Street Experts: The final five present their research to a panel of respected Wall Street experts. The winning team is selected based on the combined scores for the written report and the presentation.
Past Event Gallery

Past University Participants

Baruch College, CUNY
Binghamton University
College of Staten Island, CUNY
Columbia University
Fairfield College
Fairleigh Dickinson
Fordham University
Hofstra University
Iona College
Ithaca College
Long Island University
Manhattan College
Marist College
Medgar Evers College, CUNY
Molloy College
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New York University
Nyack College
Pace University
Quinnipiac University
Ramapo College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rutgers University
Saint Peter’s University
Seton Hall University
St. John’s University
Stevens Institute
Stony Brook University
The College of New Jersey
The King’s College
University at Albany, SUNY
Vassar College
Wagner College

Sponsors

Click on the sponsors logo for additional student resources

Past Event Gallery
2019 Company Presentations

Company Presentation

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Heloise Ham Scholarship Fund Application

CFA Society New York is pleased to announce that students who participate in the CFA Research Challenge in the Greater New York region, may apply to receive scholarship funds from the Heloise Ham fund via the Graham Center. A limited number of scholarships will be awarded. To apply, and for more information about the fund and how to qualify, click the button below.

Scholarship Application
Scholarship Brochure
2019 Winners
2020 Winners

Schedule of Events 2020

Fri. October 23CFA Institute Research Competition locally hosted by CFA Society New York: Kicks-Off
Fri. November 6 or 13 (TBC)Subject Company Presentation at CFA Society New York
November (TBD)FactSet Career Day
2021
Thurs. January 14Deadline of 12:00 p.m. to submit Final Research Report as a PDF to Dominique Durrant & Mario Carias
Fri. January 15 or 22 (TBC)Toastmasters: “How to Make a Killer Presentation” 
Thursday/Friday, February 4-5First-Round Presentations – Virtual
Friday, February 26CFANY Final Four Competition – Virtual
Thursday/Friday, April 15-16Americas Semi-Final Regionals
Wednesday, April 21Americas Finals
Thursday, April 22Global Final Competition in New York, NY

Volunteer Opportunities

CFA Society New York has 30 teams participating in this year’s CFA Institute Research Challenge. We are looking for industry mentors, graders, and judges to work with these teams! This is an excellent opportunity to provide guidance, direction, suggestions, and feedback to student teams participating in the challenge – and a great way to gain mentorship experience!

Go to Volunteer Form

Industry Mentor

The Industry Mentor plays a crucial role in the CFA Institute Research Challenge by serving as an industry expert to one of the competing teams, providing a “real-world” industry perspective.  An integral part of the competition process, this is a good volunteering option for those that would like to have more interaction with students.

Please find below competition details as well as information on the role and responsibilities.

Download Info For Mentors

Judges

The CFA Institute Research Challenge could not function without the invaluable time and important function of the volunteer judges. The Judges preside over the first-round presentations of the competition hosted at CFA Society New York, carefully critiquing and ultimately judging the student presentations. During the first-round, teams give 10-minute presentations followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

Please find below competition details as well as information on the role and responsibilities.

Download Info For Judges

Graders

A key component of the CFA Research Challenge, Graders review and evaluate the equity reach reports of the team competitors.  While the grading can be time consuming, it can be done at your convenience remotely over a two week period.  A great volunteer opportunity for those that would like to get involved but are not available during business hours.

Please find below competition details as well as information on the role and responsibilities.

Download Info For Graders

 

If you are interested in being a mentor, grader, or judge for the Research Challenge, use the “Go to Volunteer Form” button above, and/or please contact both:

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