Field Trip Provides an Opportunity for AIM Students to Meet Mason Street’s Equity and Fixed Income Professionals

AIM program director, Dr. David Krause, said, "We are pleased to announce that we will again be visiting Mason Street Advisors this semester. Our April 1st field trip will provide our students in the AIM program an opportunity to meet Mason Street Advisor’s equity and fixed income professionals in the workplace."

"This will be the first trip off campus for the students in the AIM Class of 2012. It is our intent to get out to as many investment companies in the community as possible," Dr. Krause stated. "These trips help our students put the AIM curriculum into context. They are great learning experiences."

"The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the unemployment rate and other jobs-related data on the first Friday of the month - and that's when we will be visiting Mason Street's trading desk," Krause added. "The U.S. jobs report is one of the most watched set of economic data that investment professionals monitor. I know that our students will enjoy watching the reaction of the analysts at Mason Street when the data is released. The job information released each month provides a strong indication of the direction of the U.S. economy."

Mason Street's Jeff DeAngelis

The day will start bright and early for the AIM students in the Class of 2012 on April 1st. They will arrive at Mason Street before 7 a.m. and will be provided with a tour of the trading desk. Various fixed income and equity specialists will discuss their expectations regarding the payroll data and then at 7:30 a.m. they will observe the release of the jobs information and have an opportunity to discuss the possible impact the information might have on the markets.

"The students will have a unique opportunity to be a 'fly on the wall' and observe Mason Street's morning meeting," Dr. Krause commented. "It should be interesting to watch how the investment professionals interpret the news and adjust their strategies. In the past the students have found this discussion - and the morning meeting - to be a great learning experience."

Following the morning meeting the students will have an opportunity to hear from the various functional investment managers about career paths. During these breakout sessions the students will have a chance to meet with Mason Street employees and ask questions about different investment-related topics.

"We would like to thank Christi Kubiak and her colleagues at Mason Street Advisors for making this visit possible. The students greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit investment firms and observe what investment analysts do in the real world," Dr. Krause added. "We have had numerous AIM students intern and eventually work for Mason Street and we'd like to keep the trend going. They are excellent hosts."