Millsaps Business Students Take Top Honors

March 5, 2019

"Four Millsaps College students recently brought home first place honors from the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Garrett Brinneman, Joseph Martin, Joseph Rein, and Michael Tadda represented the College at the regional competition. They will continue their competition at the Americas Regional and Global Final, scheduled for April 23-25 in […]"

Four Millsaps College students recently brought home first place honors from the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Garrett Brinneman, Joseph Martin, Joseph Rein, and Michael Tadda represented the College at the regional competition. They will continue their competition at the Americas Regional and Global Final, scheduled for April 23-25 in New York City.

The CFA Challenge is a component of the Student Managed Fund class in the Else School of Management, which also provides students with the opportunity to manage the General Louis Wilson Fund for the College.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual, global competition that provides college and university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. Students work in teams to research and analyze a publicly traded company and then write a research report on their assigned company with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation.

“Although demanding, participating in this challenge was 100 percent worth it and I recommend that any students interested in pursuing a career in finance do this,” said Brinneman. A senior from Sugar Land, Texas, Brinneman is majoring in business administration and economics with a concentration in finance. He plans to go into the investment/commercial banking industry.

Originally from Jackson, Martin earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at Millsaps in spring 2018 and will complete his MBA at the Else School in May 2019. “Participation in the Louis Wilson Fund and the CFA Research Challenge has given me real life experience in portfolio management and company valuation that I will carry forward into my career,” Martin said.

“The class has provided practical use of the financial analysis knowledge gained throughout my undergraduate classes,” said Rein, a senior from Ridgeland, majoring in business administration and economics with a concentration in finance. Rein is pursuing a career in financial management and corporate strategy.

A senior from Gonzales, La., Tadda is a double major in economics and business administration with a concentration in finance. He cites the close-knit atmosphere of Millsaps a component in their success, noting that he, Rein, and Brinneman are all double majors with a concentration in finance. “We have essentially had the same course schedule for four years, and have gotten to know each other,” he said.

The team spent months completing market research in preparation for the challenge. Their work was overseen and supported by Julius Ridgway and Davis Bourne. Ridgway is a CFA and principal with Medley and Brown; Bourne recently passed CFA III and works for Raymond James. Both are graduates of the Else School of Management at Millsaps College.