Man gets investment experience
DAYTON, Ohio — A Mars native is getting real-world financial experience while helping to manage a portion of his university’s investments.
Bennett Zynn of Mars is among a select group of students at the University of Dayton who manage a $30 million slice of the institution’s endowment. That group of about 40 students, organized through the Davis Center for Portfolio Management, a student-directed organization, uses the funds to buy, sell and trade stocks.
The student money managers work in a high-tech, interactive center that simulates Wall Street’s trading floor. They recorded investment returns last year that made them the top peer group of professional money managers in the United States. They outperformed the S&P 500 benchmark last year by returning 24.26 percent, well above the national average, and saw a $5.5 million return on investment.
University officials said the experience integrates academic theory with real-world investment skills. It serves to develop students both personally and professionally, and helps increase their knowledge of the overall financial industry.
Zynn, a Pine-Richland High School graduate, is a senior majoring in finance and business economics. He said the experience has prepared him for his postcollegiate career, which he will begin by working for Alcentra as a leveraged finance analyst in New York City.
“Managing just over $30 million as a college student is a humbling and rewarding experience,” he said. “The Davis Center for Portfolio Management is set up just like a Wall Street trading floor and really sets up all of the members for success when they get into the real world of investing. Thanks to the Davis Center I was able to learn what it takes to manage a sizable portfolio effectively, as well as how to value a company using discounted cash flow analysis.”
