Bauer Team Win 2nd at Wealth Management Competition 

Traveling as a part of the student organization the Cougar Financial Planning Society, BBAs Matthew Ogunrin, Tyler Higginbotham, Vincent Nguyen and Ian Daniel competed. Throughout the eight-hour time frame, the team received the case, created a plan with limited internet access and made a financial presentation to a panel of judges. 

While juggling jobs and other academic commitments, the team prioritized shorter practice case competitions as a less time-intensive way to prepare for the national challenge. 

“I'm a very competitive person,” Nguyen said. “It was a super exciting competition, and I enjoyed learning and competing against some of the best in the nation.” 

Operating as a collective, the students said that working as a team was one of their goals. With the competition behind them, they believe the learning experience was well worth it. 

“You can go to all your lectures and apply everything you know to an exam, but case competitions are how you get a real-world sense of how to be successful in this field,” Daniel said. 

During their time in Austin, the team networked with students and faculty from other universities. Ogunrin, who is the founder of the Cougar Financial Planning Society, said this allowed them to learn how to best navigate their careers.  

“You get to pick their brains on what are some things that are going well and what can be improved on,” he said. “It supports a collaborative and inclusive environment.” 

Once winners were announced, the team shared they were pleasantly surprised about winning second place. Team members believe that the experience helped them sharpen their financial planning skills and granted them the confidence to succeed in a corporate environment.