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President's Investment Challenge

The President's Investment Challenge is a university-wide team competition offering students real-world investment experience and the opportunity to showcase their skills in a competitive, yet supportive, environment.

President's Investment Challenge Logo (2025)

51吃瓜网万能科大 the Challenge

The President鈥檚 Investment Challenge is an exciting, 8-week investment competition designed to give students hands-on experience in the world of finance. Hosted by the Lee Business School Department of Finance and the Institute of Financial Literacy & Wellness, the challenge kicks off on February 14, 2025. Students will form teams, build investment portfolios, and compete for top investment performance. Under the mentorship of faculty advisors and industry experts, participants will gain practical insights into investment strategies, financial markets, and portfolio management. In addition to enhancing financial literacy, the challenge encourages critical thinking, teamwork, and decision-making skills.

Upcoming Events

Leaderboard 鈥 Week of March 31, 2025

Ranking Team Portfolio Value Return (%)
1 solo squads $577,372.57 15.47
2 KT $521,557.00 4.31
3 Market Sharks $513,781.98 2.76
4 Crazy $504,728.06 0.95
5 Crayon Eaters $497,318.45 -0.54

During the same period, the S&P 500 index posted a return of -8.44%.

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Competition Details

Students should form teams of 2 to 5 members. The team captain will sign up for a account. Teams will manage a $500,000 virtual portfolio on Stock-Trak over an 8-week investment period.

On April 28, 2025, finalists will present their portfolios and answer questions from a panel of judges.

Competitor Information

The top-performing teams will be awarded scholarships as follows:

  • 1st Prize: $4,000
  • 2nd Prize: $3,000
  • 3rd Prize: $2,000

Registration Period (February 3 - February 14, 2025)

Students interested in joining the challenge will form teams of 2-5 members and register through the . Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. 

Challenge Launch & Orientation Session (February 14, 2025)

The challenge officially begins with an Investment Challenge Orientation hosted by the university president and faculty advisors. Teams will receive an overview of the competition format, scoring criteria, and key market dynamics. Each team will receive an initial virtual capital to start building their portfolios. 

  • The orientation session includes three key segments:
    • Technical Tutorial 鈥 Presented by Stock-Trak
    • Rules & Guidelines 鈥 Explained by faculty advisors
    • Investment Principles 鈥 Shared by industry experts

Investment Period (February 19 - April 15, 2025):

Over 8 weeks, teams will trade and manage their virtual portfolios, with weekly checkpoints and progress reports due each Friday. Faculty advisors will be available for weekly consultation. Market experts will hold workshops on various topics such as risk management, ethical investing, and analysis of current market trends. Teams must adhere to set trading rules and will track performance through the university鈥檚 online trading simulator.

Mid-Point Check & Peer Review (March 17, 2025)

Halfway through the challenge, each team will submit a progress report detailing their portfolio鈥檚 performance, investment strategy, and any adjustments made. This report will be reviewed by peers, faculty advisors, and industry experts who will provide constructive feedback. Teams will have an opportunity to reassess and fine-tune their approach based on these insights.

Final Submission (April 16 - April 23, 2025)

  • April 18, 2025: After the 8-week investment period, each team will submit a final report summarizing their performance and strategies.
  • April 23, 2025: The 6 finalist teams will be announced.

Presentations, Awards & Recognition Ceremony (April 28, 2025)

The finalist teams will deliver 10-minute presentations during a formal awards ceremony hosted by the university president. Presentations should cover their investment strategy, portfolio performance, risk management practices, and lessons learned throughout the challenge. A panel of judges, including the two faculty and three industry experts, will evaluate the presentations based on returns, strategy, innovation, and demonstrated financial knowledge.

The top-performing teams will be announced after the presentations.

Register for the President鈥檚 Investment Challenge on by 3 p.m. on February 14, 2025. Team captains should be prepared to provide the following information when registering your team:

  • Stock-Trak Portal Account Registration Information
    • Username and Password
    • Email
      • Used for contact purposes. Please enter the captain's Rebelmail address.
    • Year of Birth
      • Used for security verification.
  • Team Information
    • Team Name
      • Be creative and memorable.
    • Team Mantra
      • A short statement that reflects your team鈥檚 values, purpose, or guiding principle.
  • Members Information
    • First and Last Name
    • Rebelmail Address
    • Phone Number
    • School/Colleges
    • Majors
    • NSHE IDs

For questions, please email info.pinvestc@unlv.edu.

  • Students must form a team between 2 to 5 members. The team captain should register for the team and provide information on the team members during the registration process.
  • All full-time, enrolled, degree-seeking students are eligible to participate. Students can only join one team.
  • Each team will start with a virtual $500,000. To be considered as top-performing teams, teams should have a positive portfolio return, or a portfolio value greater than $500,000 after the investment period.
  • Eligible financial instruments to be traded include U.S. stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, options, and cryptocurrencies.
  • Teams should invest no more than 25% in any single security and no more than 50% in any single diversified mutual fund or ETF.
  • Margin trading and short sales are allowed.
  • Teams should conduct a minimum of 10 trades throughout the investment period, and must place trades in February, March, and April.
  • The minimum price for a stock to be bought is $5; the minimum price for a stock to be shorted is $10.
  • Day trading is not allowed.
  • Teams should use the Trade Journal feature to document the reasons for each trade.

  • Portfolio Performance (50%) 鈥 Total return on investment over the 8-week period.
  • Strategy & Rationale (20%) 鈥 Evaluation of the team鈥檚 investment strategy and decision-making process on the basis of articulation, soundness, or thoughtfulness of the strategy.
  • Risk Management (20%) 鈥 Effective use of strategies to mitigate risk.
  • Team Collaboration & Presentation (10%) 鈥 Quality of team collaboration and clarity of the final presentation.

Sponsors of the 2025 President's Investment Challenge

 

Support Our Students

Your generosity helps us provide valuable learning opportunities for our students. No gift is too small, and every donor will be recognized with appreciation. Our students thank you for your support!

How to Give

  1. Visit our .
  2. Below the "$ Enter Gift Amount" box, select "View all giving opportunities or select multiple."
  3. Find and check the box for "Department of Finance," then select "Continue."
  4. Enter your gift amount and donor information.
  5. Under 鈥淒onor Information,鈥 use the dropdown menus as needed.
  6. To specify the purpose of your gift, enter details in "Do you have additional gift instructions?" (e.g., "President鈥檚 Investment Challenge" or other specific initiatives you wish to support).

Thank you for making a difference!