The Gordon Spellman Fund

  • students achieve real world experience as investment analysts and portfolio managers
  • fund was established in 2004 by Kevin Spellman
  • first trade was made in February 2006


Participation in the Fund's management educates students on how to participate in actual financial markets through security analysis and portfolio management. Students gain practical experience in current financial markets and learn to balance emotional reaction to current news with long-term objectives. In the process students establish a strategic outlook in order to analyze current and future economic conditions and their impact on the Fund.

State of the Art Kaplan Finance Lab Classroom

Students working with the fund have access to state-of-the-art technology in the Kaplan Finance Lab, as well as financial data via our Telemet Software. Students in the Investment Club evaluate each sector's outlook to facilitate and better determine the portfolio's target sector allocation. Students present on their valuation and other background information when making presentations to the Faculty Advisory Board and Business Advisory Board.

Real time stock ticker outside Kaplan classroom
As of June 2022, the fund is currently around $360,000 in value. Disbursements from the fund provide funding to support data costs, Telemet Orion Finance Lab software, annual Value Line subscriptions, and the annual costs of our Rise Display Ticker outside the Kaplan Finance Lab, in addition to hosting dinner after the presentations for students and Advisory Board.

Top Fund Holdings:

Company Name Ticker  % Weight
UnitedHealth Group Inc UNH 7.98
Union Pacific Corp UNP 7.2
Alphabet Inc Class A GOOGL 5.56
Rio Tinto PLC ADR RIO 4.89
Mastercard Inc Class A MA 4.57
Nexstar Media Group Inc Class A NXST 4.44
Apple Inc AAPL 4.44
JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM 4.01
Applied Materials Inc AMAT 3.95
Microsoft Corp MSFT 3.51
Qualcomm Inc QCOM 3.45
Procter & Gamble Co PG 3.4
American Tower Corp AMT 3.28
NextEra Energy Inc NEE 3.28
CVS Health Corp CVS 3.13

 

Pratham Arora

Pratham

Pratham Arora

Student
College of Business Admin

arora6484@uwlax.edu

Pratham was born and raised in India. He has resided in Switzerland and now the US for nearly 10 years. He is currently interning at Wipfli LLP, as a Tax intern this semester. He is currently perusing a bachelor’s in sciences degree, with a concentration in accounting and finance. Pratham is intrigued about understanding the stock market and learning various investment strategies to growth a stock portfolio. He is member of Investment Club and was also one of the first inaugural members of the Investment Management Team and is the current director of the team at UWL.

Team2

Tyren

Tyren Lincoln

Student
College of Business Admin

lincoln.tyren@uwlax.edu 

Tyren is from the La Crosse area where he graduated from West Salem Highschool. Initially enrolling in a pre-dental track at UW La Crosse, Tyren experienced a change of interest and pivoted to a finance major with a minor in business analytics. Currently part of a finance internship at Festival Food’s corporate office, he enjoys the opportunities to further his technical skills and expand his knowledge of information systems in a professional environment. Tyren enjoys forecasting changes to the stock market and understanding what factors impacted those changes.

Brandon Micech

Brandon

Brandon Micech

Student
CBA Undergraduate Special

micech2829@uwlax.edu 

Brandon Micech is from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as of May 2022. In May 2023, Brandon will graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and enter the workforce. Brandon is currently doing finance research with Dr. Adam Stivers on campus in creating a security selection model for the Gordon Spellman Fund which has a current value of approximately $291,000. This stock model will help grow the Spellman Fund on campus to hopefully one day give scholarships to finance majors, bring in guest speakers, provide funding for guest trips, and will be used by students in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (FIN 475) in selecting superior stocks in accordance with the fund’s investment criteria. Brandon has experience in R, SQL, Java, Python, FactSet, and enjoys working with large datasets in understanding how various accounting measures correspond to monthly/annual future returns through machine learning.

Caleb Tammen

Caleb

Caleb Tammen

Student
College of Business Admin

tammen6068@uwlax.edu

Caleb is from the Wisconsin Rapids area where he graduated from Lincoln High School. He is currently a CFA L1 candidate with a scheduled exam date in May 2023. Currently, Caleb is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics at UWL. After graduation, he will be interning at WoodTrust Bank as an Investment Research and Operations Intern prior to attending the University of Iowa to pursue a Master of Finance degree. Caleb is extremely interested in the stock market and asset management and is always looking for ways to expand his knowledge of the finance industry. 

Richard Vang

Richard

Richard Vang

Student
College of Business Admin

vang5683@uwlax.edu

Richard is also from the La Crosse area where he graduated from Onalaska High School. He is on track to attain a degree in the Bachelor of Sciences, specifically pursuing a major in both Finance and Economics. What intrigued him about joining the team was the experience and opportunity to work with like-minded individuals. Richard is interested in the aspect of wealth accumulation, fundamental analysis, valuation methods, and identifying factors that cause stock price movements. He enjoys learning investing concepts and hopes to provide a diverse outlook to contribute to the team and overall Spellman fund.  

Spring 2022 Presentations

Fall 2021 Presentations

Spring 2021 Online Presentations

Fall 2020 Online Presentations

 

The following provides the list of current members of the Gordon Spellman Fund Advisory Board. All board members are alumni of UW-La Crosse.

Casey Sambs, CFA - Senior Portfolio Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments in Milwaukee, WI

Tyler Lynch, CFA – Director of Global Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities at BMO Capital Markets in Milwaukee, WI

Robert Allen – Retired, formerly Senior Vice President at Stifel in La Crosse, WI

Nick Ziarek, CFA, AIF – Financial Planner at Shakespeare Wealth Management in Pewaukee, WI

Adam Pugh, CFA – Alternative Investments at CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, WI

Brandon Hellenbrand, CFA – Senior Investment Analyst at Trust Point in La Crosse, WI

Dr. Kevin Spellman, CFA – Senior Lecturer and David O. Nicholas Director of Investment Management at UW-Milwaukee

Eddie Hebert, CFA – Managing Director and Client Portfolio Manager at PPM America in Chicago, IL

Brian Wilmet, CFA – Investment Advisor Representative at High Point Capital Group in Milwaukee, WI

Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium (SMIFC) Conference

UWL Attendees at 2021 SMIFC Conference Trip

SMIFC Poster Session

Student attendees at conference hotel