CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC)

The Importance of Collaboration and Curiosity.

After five rounds of elimination, our CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC) team moved on to the Global Finals, making us the only 3-person team and the third Canadian team in history to make it to the top 5 worldwide.

For most of us, when we ask ourselves why we went to university, the overarching answer is to best prepare for the real world. To do so, we must all experience personal and professional development. During my time at the University of Waterloo, I have found that while school, extra-curricular activities, and co-op experience are all critical components to one’s learning, competitions cannot be overlooked.

Participating in this competition was an opportunity to represent the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) and the University of Waterloo on a global stage, learn from the best, and become an expert on one special company. While we faced our fair share of ups and downs, there were a few aspects that were key to our success.

On February 18^th, three students representing the University of Waterloo’s School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) competed at the 2021 CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC) Ontario Finals. Led by Faculty Advisor, Steve Balaban, student team members Brendan, Anna, Noah - all upper-year Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) students - competed against teams from Brock University, Carleton University, and York University and won first place!

Four lessons I learned competing at the CFA Institute Research Challenge.

Reprinted from LinkedIn with permission

Mitchell, a 4^th year AFM student met with SAF to talk about his experience with this program and how it prepared him for the recent CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC). "It was the hard work and commitment that our team put in which ultimately made the difference. Our team members during that time were either on co-op or exchange and so it took a lot of planning and dedication for us all to stay connected."

Isaac, a 4^th year AFM student met with SAF to talk about his experience with this program and how it prepared him for the recent CFA Institute Research Challenge (IRC). "Every student coming into SAF had heard about the 2016 team’s win on the CFA IRC international stage with Canadian Tire. As a result, I was always keen to represent Waterloo on a larger stage and knew this was a great opportunity."