Skip to main content

Three Chaifetz School Students Advance to CFA Global Research Challenge Regional Semifinals

A team of finance students at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University recently advanced to the regional semifinal round of the annual CFA Global Research Challenge. The SLU team was one of only 17 teams to advance to the Americas region, which includes South, Central and North America. It is the furthest a SLU team has ever advanced in the competition. 

The students, Jacob Dowell, Saikushal Marri and Madelyn Pulver are all alumni of the Chaifetz School’s Applied Portfolio Management course, which they took during the Fall 2021 semester. The team was under the direction of faculty advisor Tom Doellman, Associate Professor of Finance at the Chaifetz School.  

CFA Students

A team of Finance students from the Chaifetz School of Business recently advanced to the regional semifinal round of the 2022 CFA Global Research Challenge. From left to right: Aaron Goeckner (industry mentor), Saikushal Marri, Madelyn Pulver,  Jacob Dowell (students), Tom Doellman (faculty advisor)

“We were all fortunate to have participated in the APM course with Dr. Doellman in the fall semester, which taught us how to write a research report on stocks and present our recommendations,” said Marri. “In addition, having access to industry mentors who specialized in the sectors we were researching allowed us to dive deeper into our analysis of the company.”

In February, another team of Chaifetz School students (Zoe Pezold, Alvin Vojka and Oscar Alvarez) placed second in the St. Louis local competition of the CFA Institute Research Challenge under the direction of Naresh Bansal, Finance Department Chair. This year was the first time that SLU had two student teams participate in the challenge. 

During the challenge, teams of three to five students from participating universities are assigned to analyze a publicly traded company. Students then prepare a written report on their assigned company recommending whether to buy, sell or hold the stock. Teams then present their findings to a panel of industry experts, and winners are selected based on the students’ knowledge and equity analysis. 

Learn More About Finance at the Chaifetz School

about the richard a. chaifetz school of business

Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century as one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi. Today, SLU's business school continues to build on its reputation as a leader in business education through its commitment to inclusion, innovation and impact. The Chaifetz School’s undergraduate and graduate programs have been nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Poets&Quants and The Princeton Review.