Undergraduate finance student Bryan Reyes ’23 has started his senior year, and he’s actively immersed himself in academic opportunities that will prepare him for a career in wealth management. This includes his role as vice president of the Hylander Financial Group (HFG), a UCR student club open to all students of all disciplines and levels of financial expertise.

“Every time I go to a meeting, I’ve increased my financial knowledge and have the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals,” says Reyes of the HFG meetings. He’s also involved in the Hylander Student Investment Fund (HSIF), which was established with a $200,000 donation from an alumnus in 2019, and the money is managed by students.

“I have learned that the art of investing is not only to build a strong real-world portfolio, but to develop the skills to keep it growing,” says Reyes, who has also served as a research assistant with finance faculty. He’s working on certifications in SQL and Excel.

As for his involvement with HSIF: “The target asset allocation for the HSIF portfolio is 80% equity and 20% fixed income,” says Reyes. “By using and sticking to this strategy, we hope to outperform the benchmark.”

In 2021, they did just that: “Our benchmark was 70% of the Russell 3000 and 30% of the Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index,” he reports. “For the fourth quarter of 2021, HSIF returned 6.59% while the benchmark returned 5.52%.”

Reyes looks forward to a profession that allows him to “give advice to people and companies on what to do with their money,” he says, and he has plans for a graduate education. “I have learned a lot, and I have improved my analytical, problem-solving and teamwork skills.”

Among the primary lessons he’s learned when it comes to investing, he says: “It’s very important to have the discipline to manage money with a solid plan—and the ability to control emotions.”