Students interested in investing or learning about investing have an organization catered to their interest, the NIU Investment Association.

The NIU Investment Association is a student-run group that discusses current issue topics involving investing and finance. The club meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in Room 210 of Barsema Hall. All students are welcome to attend.

Jordan Lubbers, president of the NIU Investment Association, said he believes that the club can be beneficial to anyone who joins.

“People in the club develop stronger financial knowledge, which is essential in light of the rise of personal finance in the lives of ordinary people,” Lubbers said. “Members are better able to interpret financial jargon they see on the news, as well as be more prepared to do things like get a 401k retirement plan after college.”

Discussions are open to everyone at the meetings, regardless of investing knowledge or experience.

“People in the club have different knowledge levels,” Lubbers said. “Everyone is here to learn about something new and have their ideas heard.”

Gina Nicolosi, assistant professor of finance and faculty adviser for the NIU Investment Association, said she believes that the Investment Association can provide students with investing knowledge they might not get in a typical finance or economics class.

“The discussion-based format exposes students to and allows them to debate and explore news events that they might otherwise not encounter in a lecture-based classroom setup,” Nicolosi said.

Investment Club member Tim Ceglarek said learning how to invest now will aid him in the future.

“This is my second year in Investment Association and so far I’ve learned a lot about the financial world,” Ceglarek said. “I believe what I learn from Investment Association will help me down the line when I want to invest some of my money in the stock market.”

Lubbers said he believes learning about investing now will absolutely be beneficial for students in the future.

“It has become essential that people know, at the very least, how to get their money in a place that will generate substantial returns for their retirement.”