About
Our Mission
The mission of the David S. Kidwell Funds Enterprise is to improve students’ financial skills by bridging the gap between theory and practice. Through knowledge exchange with business community members, the Funds Enterprise strives to give students hands-on training in order to gain experience prior to graduation. In turn, businesses benefit by having well-trained employees who can make immediate contributions to their organizations. The Funds Enterprise provides the financial community with a diverse group of students who will drive leadership and innovation in the industry. For Minnesota Carlson, the Funds Enterprise aims to enhance the institution's reputation, strengthen partnerships with the business community, help attract high-caliber students, and increase job placements upon graduation -- providing a continuous cycle of ever-improving financial education.
Real-World Money Management
The David S. Kidwell Funds Enterprise at Minnesota Carlson (CFE) is designed for students who are interested in careers in investment management, corporate finance, and investment banking. The students who make up the CFE work with real participants who have invested real money, on which they expect a real return. CFE students work in industry teams to manage all aspects of the funds, including analysis of securities, trading, compliance, marketing, and client reporting. With guidance from investment industry professionals and Carlson faculty, students will:
- Interview the management teams of potential investment companies to do thorough due diligence
- Judge investment opportunities by establishing their intrinsic long-term value
- Evaluate the current economic and market environment to position the portfolios
- Present well-researched investment proposals to the Carlson Funds Investment Committee Mentors
- Produce monthly participant performance and accounting reports
This is not a project, it is an asset management business.
Partnerships
CFA University Affiliate
We are proud to be a CFA University Affiliate and conform to the CFA Institute Code of Ethics. Working closely with CFA allows the CFE to help grant students access and exposure to a professional program that will help their transition to the professional world. Students are invited to attend seminars and events, introduced to some materials covered by CFA exams, and are eligible for scholarships to help subsidize the cost of sitting a CFA exam should they want to pursue accreditation.
PRI Signatory
As a Signatory of the PRI, we have pledged to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and decision making processes, ownership policies and practices, and promote acceptance and implementation of the principles within the investment industry. As ESG concerns become more prevalent in the domestic and international finance industries, it has become important for students to have a deeper understanding of what that means in practice.
IonE Affiliate
Susanna Gibbons, our managing director, has been inducted as an Institute on the Environment Fellow and is passionate about teaching sustainable investment practices. IonE seeks to solve today's complex environmental challenges by bridging disciplines and sectors to lead the way toward a future in which people and the environment prosper together. IonE Fellows are senior researchers and thought-leaders who have a track record of applying their research to real-world situations.