Student Investment Fund (SIF) at CSUS

What Student Investment Fund (SIF) at CSUS does

The Student Investment Fund (SIF) is an educational program at California State University, Sacramento's College of Business Administration that provides students with hands-on investment management experience by allocating real donor-supplied capital to publicly traded equities. Students organize into sector-specific teams covering 11 S&P 500 sectors (Technology, Energy, Telecoms, Financials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Industrials, Healthcare, Materials, Utilities, and IT) and follow the RIVER investment methodology, a structured framework combining quality and value factors for stock screening and portfolio construction. The program is supported by a dedicated Bloomberg Lab (LIB2029) providing Terminal access for portfolio analysis, risk assessment via the DRIV function, and PORT file management, giving students exposure to professional-grade financial tools.

The fund's methodology is codified in the published textbook 'Student Investment Fund in a Book' (6th edition) authored by faculty advisor Dr. David J. Moore and distributed via Lulu and Amazon, creating a replicable educational framework. The program is overseen by Dr. Moore (PhD), who also leads EfficientMinds, and incorporates networking opportunities through Financial Executives International (FEI) monthly dinner meetings. Marketing and outreach are conducted through a WordPress blog (active since 2012), an email newsletter with 130+ subscribers, and the university's College of Business channels.

SIF is not a commercial enterprise: no products or services are sold, participation is free for eligible university students, and investment returns are reinvested for educational purposes rather than distributed as profit. The program operates as a single-campus, non-degree educational offering within the public university system, with no disclosed external investors, venture funding, or commercial revenue streams. The fund's scale is bounded by donor-supplied capital (historical reference of ~$60,000 in technology holdings in 2012) and student turnover inherent to academic programs.

Name

Student Investment Fund (SIF) at CSUS

Legal name

Student Investment Fund at California State University, Sacramento

Website

https://sifcsus.wordpress.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Student Investment Fund at California State University, Sacramento is a student-run educational program that manages donor-supplied capital in publicly traded equities, providing CSUS students hands-on investment experience using Bloomberg Terminal tools and the RIVER methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Education Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Investing Fundamentals (Stocks, Bonds, Funds, Risk) (EDAAAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Student investment fund
• Educational investment program
• Equity research training
• Portfolio management education
• University finance program

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donor-Supplied Investment Capital: The fund receives donations that are invested in the stock market. Returns are used for educational purposes and reinvested rather than distributed as profits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Student Investment Fund (SIF) is an educational program at California State University, Sacramento in which students manage real donor-supplied funds in the stock market to gain hands-on experience in the investment process. Members conduct equity research, perform portfolio analysis using Bloomberg Terminal tools, and present investment recommendations across sector-based teams. The program supplements classroom finance education with practical investment management, networking opportunities through Financial Executives International, and a published textbook ("Student Investment Fund in a Book 6e") documenting the RIVER investment methodology.

Product overview

The Student Investment Fund (SIF) is an educational program at California State University, Sacramento that provides students with hands-on investment experience. The program consists of two main offerings: the Student Investment Fund Program itself, which allows students to manage real donor-supplied funds in the stock market, and the Student Investment Fund in a Book 6e textbook authored by Dr. David J. Moore, which serves as the methodological foundation for the program's investment approach including stock screening, portfolio analysis, and risk assessment techniques using tools like Bloomberg Terminal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Investment Fund Program
• Student Investment Fund in a Book 6e

Quantifiable outcome

• Technology holdings added 20% to overall portfolio value with $60,000 contribution (2012)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California State University, Sacramento College of Business AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIF is an official program of the College of Business Administration at CSUS, providing educational investment experience to students. The fund is listed on the official college website under centers and programs.
• BloombergcoreTechnology or IntegrationBloomberg provides terminal access and software for portfolio management, risk analysis (DRIV function), and investment research. SIF has a dedicated Bloomberg Lab in LIB2029 with reference materials.
• Financial Executives International (FEI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFEI holds monthly dinner meetings that SIF students attend for networking opportunities with finance professionals. Dr. Moore coordinates student attendance at these events.
• EfficientMindscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEfficientMinds is led by Dr. David J. Moore and publishes the 'Student Investment Fund in a Book' textbook (6th edition) that documents the fund's investment methodology. Provides supplemental materials and educational resources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Commonfund: Institutional investment manager serving educational endowments, foundations, and nonprofits. Comparable in professionally managing capital pools funded by donations for educational institutions, paralleling SIF's donor-supplied model.
• Cambridge Associates: Investment-advisory firm specializing in university endowments, foundations, and nonprofit portfolios. Comparable in its focus on managing and advising mission-driven capital pools, similar in structure to SIF's donor-funded student-managed portfolio.
• CFA Institute: Global professional body for investment credentials (CFA Program) and investment-education content. Comparable as an established investment-education authority whose curriculum reinforces what student funds teach in practice.

Others

• Bloomberg: Core technology and data partner for SIF (Bloomberg Terminal, LIB2029 lab) and a broader provider of financial-market education and credentialing. Comparable as both an infrastructure dependency and an educational content provider in the investment domain.

Direct peers

• Corporate Finance Institute: Online training and certification provider for portfolio management, equity research, and investment analysis. Comparable in delivering structured investment-education content and credentials to students and aspiring investment professionals.
• Wall Street Prep: Provider of investment-banking, valuation, and financial-modeling training used by university students and professionals. Comparable in that it teaches practical investing and finance skills through structured curricula targeting student and early-career learners.
• Investopedia Academy: Online investment and trading education offering structured courses for retail and student learners. Comparable in delivering accessible investing education covering equity research, portfolio concepts, and risk — adjacent to SIF's experiential curriculum.
• Breaking Into Wall Street: Training platform focused on investment-banking, valuation, and equity-research modeling for students. Comparable in providing practical 'real-tools' investment training aimed at university students seeking finance careers.

Emerging players

• MagnifyMoney: Consumer-facing financial-literacy and investing-education platform. Comparable as a financial-literacy channel teaching investing fundamentals to a broad audience, overlapping with SIF's educational content and transparency mission.
• Traders Academy: Online trading and investment education provider focused on practical skill-building. Comparable in delivering hands-on investment training — paralleling SIF's experiential learning model — albeit in a paid, consumer-oriented format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/student-investment-fund-sif-at-csus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Investment Fund (SIF) at CSUS