When professor Daniel Chi introduced investment challenges in his classroom, he saw something remarkable: students became engaged, competitive, and eager to learn. What began as a fun, interactive way to understand finance has now expanded into a campuswide initiative — the President’s Investment Challenge.
For the 8-week contest, students team up to build investment portfolios and compete for top investment performance. The response has been overwhelming: 84 teams registered, far surpassing the launch goal of 30 teams.
“The financial landscape has changed drastically,” Chi said. “Decades ago, many workers counted on pensions, but today, managing retirement funds is largely an individual responsibility.
“This challenge teaches students the fundamentals of investing without the risk of losing real money. We give them $500,000 in simulated funds, access to real stocks, bonds, options, futures, and cryptocurrencies, all in real time. Everything is real — except the money.”
A Universitywide Initiative with a Lasting Impact
The investment challenge aligns with UNLV’s broader mission to improve individual lives and support the economic vitality of the community. In fall 2023, President Keith E. Whitfield launched the UNLV Institute for Financial Literacy and Wellness.
This challenge came about after Chi mentioned the success he had in the classroom with the simulation.
“President Whitfield suggested, ‘How about we make this investment competition universitywide?’” Chi recalled. “I thought it was a fantastic idea. I had done this on a smaller scale in my classes, but now we had the opportunity to expand it to the entire university.”
The goal is lifelong education through experiential learning.
“More than a simple competition, this challenge builds on our initiative to make financial literacy a cornerstone of a UNLV education," Whitfield said. “By empowering students to achieve financial security now — to learn how to make wise investments for long-term gain — I believe we are paving the way for them to achieve a lifetime of personal and professional success.”
Making Investing Accessible to All Students
In total, 227 students are participating on the teams. That’s 227 individuals who will bring the topic of investments back to 227 homes where investing will now be a topic of conversation. The reach of this initiative is expansive, extending far beyond the competition itself.
For many students — especially those who grew up without exposure to concepts like portfolio management, risk assessment, or long-term financial planning — investing might feel like something “other people” do. Without family members who invest, without extra disposable income, and without an understanding of how the stock market works, many students might never have even considered investing as something within their reach.
Chi sees this challenge as a risk-free way to bridge that gap. “Our students’ parents may have lived paycheck to paycheck and never had the opportunity to invest. For them, investing may seem foreign, intimidating, or even unattainable. By giving students this experience, we are equipping them with knowledge that could change not only their futures but their families’ financial trajectories, as well.”
While academic theory lays the foundation, Chi says, financial literacy is incomplete without experience. Likewise, experience without understanding can lead to blind decision-making. The President’s Investment Challenge brings both together, allowing students to apply financial principles in a structured, hands-on environment where they can develop both knowledge and confidence.
Many new investors experience stress and fear when their own money is at stake, making it harder to make rational decisions. This challenge provides a sandbox, a risk-free space where students can develop their confidence, but with real-world trading conditions and market dynamics exactly as they occur in the actual stock market.
Guidance from Industry Experts
The teams also benefit from coaching and mentoring from industry professionals. Already, more than a dozen have volunteered to guide students through the complexities of investing.
Among them is Kenneth Winans, president and chief investment officer of Winans Investments. His own experience as a student competitor in the U.S. Investing Championships set him on the path to becoming a Morningstar 5-star-rated investment manager and now he wants to pay it forward.
“This competition will help students discover their natural talent and ambition for finance.” he explained. “Financial wellness is about balancing independence and enjoyment with the risks and stress of money management.”
Diane Tuntland, CIO of Endowment Partners, brings decades of experience to the competition. “I applaud Dr. Chi for developing this competition, as it has already sparked many students’ interest in investing while also bringing attention to the Finance Department,” she said. “Finance is what makes the world go round, yet there is minimal focus on it in our overall education system. There is no better way to learn about investing than to actually experience it.”
Winans also sees his volunteer work as a way to cultivate future employees: “Las Vegas is poised to become a major financial hub, creating demand for skilled UNLV graduates,” he said.
Competition Timeline
Over an 8-week investment period, teams will actively trade and manage their virtual portfolios. Weekly coaching panels will provide guidance on topics like risk management and ethical investing. A midpoint review will allow teams to refine their strategies based on peer and faculty feedback.
Following the final submission period, six finalist teams will be announced and the competition will conclude with the Awards & Recognition Ceremony on April 28, 2025. There, finalists will present their strategies to a panel of judges.
Chi envisions this challenge becoming a permanent fixture at UNLV, evolving alongside broader financial literacy initiatives. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We’re going to learn from this experience, refine it, and make it even better in the future.”
