By Brian Hancock

Not all college kids have to be poor.

The UK investment club, now in its second year on campus, certainly doesn’t plan to be.

Known as the Wildcat Investors, the club was founded in November last year by freshmen Will Spence, Daniel Nall, Nick Murphy and Ben Freeman.

“I realized I wanted to go into finance,” Freeman, the club’s chief operating officer, said.  “When I discovered there was no investment club here at UK, we all just decided to make one ourselves.”

Since then, the club’s numbers have risen in terms of members and funds.  Around 25 students currently make up Wildcat Investors, and they have over $5,000 in capital.

“Our goal is just to become as big as possible and pass it down to younger students when we’re gone,” Freeman said.  “We’ve discovered that there were investment clubs at UK in the past, but they usually ended when the officers graduated.  We want to keep bringing new people in.”

The club’s goal is to “educate all those interested in the buying and selling of securities and learning about market forces,” the club’s website said.

No experience is necessary to join.

“New members don’t have to know anything [about investing],” said Freeman.  “You don’t have to put in any money either.  It’s up to you.”

Wildcat Investors meets every Tuesday in room 213 of the Gatton College of Business at 6:00 p.m. Meetings typically last about an hour.

A normal itinerary includes a short presentation about a new investment concept, as well as potential stock ideas.

“Our meetings are in the spirit of the New York Stock Exchange,” Freeman said.  “They’re a little crazy.”

Despite the fast pace of the meetings, members enjoy the team work it takes to run the club.

“My favorite aspect of the club is the collaboration we have each meeting,” club CFO Daniel Nall said.  “Everyone does their own research during the week, and then we come together and learn a lot.”

The club has its eyes set on expansion too.

“We just got a new office in the Aztec Building,” club CEO Will Spence said.

They are also in the beginning stages of a partnership with UK’s Entrepreneur Club.

With hopes of being successful, the Wildcat Investors abide by one rule coined by investor Warren Buffett–don’t lose money.

The Wildcat Investors website can be found at www.wildcatinvestors.com.