D.A. Davidson & Co. Puts New Twist on Student Investment Program, Partners with the Motley Fool
| November 3, 2008 |  View for printing |
Investment Firm Takes 23 Year-Old Program Online, Bolstering in-Depth Investing Experience and Education for College Students
In its ongoing commitment to financial literacy, Northwest-based investment firm D.A. Davidson & Co. http://www.dadavidson.com today announced that it will partner with worldwide investment and financial advisory services company The Motley Fool to take its 23-year-old Student Investment Program online.
The Student Investment Program gives senior-level business students a hands-on education in investing and portfolio management.
The program provides $50,000 each to student teams from 20 colleges and universities throughout the Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions so the funds can be invested over the course of a year. Beginning this year, The Motley Fool is posting the student-team portfolios and helping teams track their results via The Motley Fool CAPS platform: http://caps.fool.com/ On The Motley Fool's website, student teams will also be able to discuss stock research and companies in which their portfolios are invested.
At the end of the school year, the student team with the best "pitch" or research presentation about its investments will be rewarded with a one-year subscription to The Motley Fool premium investment newsletter service of the team's choice.
"Davidson Companies is fully committed to advancing financial literacy among college students and believes there is nothing more valuable than a hands-on experience as offered in this program," said Ian B. Davidson, chairman of Davidson Companies and D.A. Davidson & Co. and founder of the Student Investment Program. "Our partnership with The Motley Fool will make the program more engaging and rewarding for the students involved by providing a fun, online forum so students can share their picks and research and watch how other teams are doing."
Unlike programs that offer simulated investing experiences, the Student Investment Program participants use real money, pay execution costs and earn interest on cash and dividends on securities. Student teams make investment decisions with a D.A. Davidson & Co. financial consultant as an advisor. Importantly, the schools get to share in the profits. D.A. Davidson donates one-half of each team's earnings above 5 percent to that college's business school for the school to spend as it chooses. To date, Davidson has contributed almost $360,000 in student earnings to participating schools. Davidson provides each school with the initial $50,000 investment and absorbs any losses.
The program's 2007-2008 year concluded at the end of August, with three of the 20 Davidson Student Investment Program portfolios having experienced positive returns during the volatile market environment. Westminster College of Salt Lake City ended the investment year with the highest return, an impressive 10.87 percent. Eastern Washington University in Cheney earned the second highest return, 7.04 percent, and Gonzaga University in Spokane was third with 3.81 percent. Participating schools include: Boise State University in Boise, Idaho; Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; Carroll College in Helena, Mont.; Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash.; Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.; Montana State University in Bozeman; Montana State University-Billings; Seattle University in Seattle; University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; University of Idaho in Moscow; University of Montana in Missoula; University of Oregon in Eugene; University of Utah in Salt Lake City; University of Washington in Seattle; University of Wyoming in Laramie; Utah State University in Logan; Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., and Westminster College of Salt Lake City.
About D.A. Davidson & Co.
D.A. Davidson & Co. ( http://www.dadavidson.com) is the largest full-service investment firm based in the Northwest, providing financial services to individual investors and corporate clients nationwide and with a strong focus on the West and Midwest. The firm is recognized for its award-winning research and the Davidson 99 Regional Stock Index(R), a benchmark of the economic landscape of the Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Founded in 1935, D.A. Davidson & Co. is an employee-owned company headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. The company is part of Davidson Companies, a comprehensive financial services holding company that just passed the 1,000-employee threshold. SOURCE: D.A. Davidson & Co.
Davidson Companies | D.A. Davidson & Co.
Jacquie Burchard, 406-791-7465 JBurchard@dadco.com
or
MWW Group
Veronica White, 206-505-8392 vwhite@mww.com
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