by Eric Jome
Two Illinois State University College of Business alumnae were recently named to the Educational Investment Fund Board of Directors. They are part of a 20-member group of alumni investment professionals that serve as mentors for a student-managed stock portfolio within the Department of Finance, Insurance and Law.
The newest members of the Educational Investment Fund Board of Directors are:
Rachel Meier, Wildwood, Missouri, client consultation group leader and investment policy committee member at Edward Jones. Meier joined the company in 2001 as a financial strategist, assisting high net worth clients with their financial needs. She then spent three years as a senior portfolio manager with Edward Jones Trust Company, where she directly managed more than 250 accounts with over $150 million in assets. She holds the chartered financial analyst designation and is also a certified financial planner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Illinois State.
Stephanie Vogel, Lisle, associate director in the actuarial and analytics group at Aon Corporation. Vogel’s primary responsibility is to assist Aon’s clients in understanding their financial capacity to bear risk. A chartered financial analyst, she leads consulting teams and works closely with clients to develop high-value risk solutions and financial analysis. She joined Aon in 2001 as a financial and risk analyst. She earned a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in German from Illinois State.
The student-managed stock portfolio is the on-going project in the Educational Investment Fund class, taught by Professor Thomas Howe. The fund was set up through the Illinois State University Foundation nearly three decades ago as an opportunity for finance majors to gain hands-on experience in company research and investment management. Throughout the semester, alumni advisory board members mentor the class on the financial analysis, the economic environment and professional standards. The advisory board members do not make specific investment recommendations, leaving the final judgment up to the students. Students make their stock investment decisions at the end of each semester and pass the portfolio into the hands of the next class.
