Student Managed Funds – a panel discussion

Purpose: Student Managed Funds (SMFs) are extremely popular investment programs at many colleges and universities that provide their students with experiential learning opportunities to manage real money. However, the size, scope and specific features of these SMFs differ substantially. The purpose of this paper is to deliberate about a panel discussion on several important SMF issues that took place at the Southern Finance Association conference in November, 2016. Design/methodology/approach: The panel includes one moderator and four panelists, all of whom serve as SMF faculty directors at their respective schools. Findings: The panelists’ answers show that almost no two SMFs are created the same, supervised the same way by different faculty directors or managed the same way by their respective students. Originality/value: The panelists provide insight about their respective SMFs and offer advice on how to create SMFs and how to supervise students managing SMFs in a more effective manner.