Research Challenge

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CFA Institute Research Challenge

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that connects university students with investment professionals from within the CFA Society® network. The competition provides students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and ethics and tests participants' analytical, valuation, reporting writing, and presentation skills.

Members of our society, along with a faculty advisor and an industry mentor, work with teams of students to value a stock, write a research report, and present their recommendations. Teams then compete with peers from other schools at local-level competitions organized and judged by CFA Society members and volunteers. The winning university team(s) from each local competition then advances to see who will become the sub-regional, regional, and global champions. 

Learn more and read FAQs See the schedule and get involved

Local Research Challenge

Our 2024 Local Research Challenge was held Thursday, Feb. 15 in Cedar Rapids. Nine teams participated -- two teams from Augustana College and one team each from Cornell College, Dordt University, Grinnell College, Iowa State University, Loras College, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa.

The subject company was John Deere.

Our judges were impressed by all of the teams, and the competition was fierce. Ultimately, the team from Dordt University was declared the winner! They then advanced all the way to the semi-finals for the North and South America region, which placed them among the top 17 teams in North and South America! Congratulations!

CFA Society Iowa's 2024 Local Research Challenge Winning Team - Dordt University! (L-R: Hunter Coyle, Daniel Draaistra, Taeden Van Beek, Joshua Rathjen, and their coach, Professor Jesse Veenstra. Not pictured: Luke Rankin.)


Previous Winners and Subject Companies:
2023: Iowa State University (Sun Country Airlines)
2022: Iowa State University (Brunswick Corp.)
2021: Iowa State University (American Equity)
2020: University of Iowa (Corteva, Inc.)
2019: University of Iowa (Meredith Corp.)
2018: University of Iowa graduate team (HNI Corp.)
2017: University of Iowa undergraduate team (Rockwell Collins)


Participating Schools in Recent Years:

Augustana College
Cornell College
Dordt University
Drake University
Grinnell College
Iowa State University
Loras College
Mount Mercy University
University of Northern Iowa
University of Iowa

Research Challenge Volunteers Wanted!

We're always looking for volunteers to judge the presentations, grade the written reports and mentor the teams. If you're willing to help, please contact our Director of Outreach!

Email Director of Outreach

Thank You to Our Research Challenge Sponsor