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B&R Beurs: Erasmus Investment Society EC LAIRE
By Katharina Dees
JULY
2 0 1 1
24
B
&R (BELEGGEN EN RENDEMENT) FUSED WITH BEURS IN 1995, TO BECOME B&R BEURS. SINCE THEN THIS IS THE 15TH BOARD. IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SOME INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIETY, I INTERVIEWED MAARTEN, THE CHAIRMAN, AND AAD, THE SECRETARY. How is B&R financed? What is the idea behind B&R Beurs? B&R is an investment society which unites students with a common interest in investing. It gives them the possibility to share their knowledge with other students or receive guidance, help and information about the field of investing. But it’s not pure business; there is also a social side to B&R.
How is the organization run? It is managed by the board which consists of 5 different people each year. This year we are Maarten Bellaard, the chairman; Aad Polak, the secretary; Philip van Buuren, the external commissioner; Arnout van der Houwen, the treasurer and Christian de Groot, the activities commissioner. We, the board, run the organization like a company is run, but with far fewer levels in between.
Who makes the rules for the organization? The field of every board member is defined, but it is up to him, to fulfill his position in the way he thinks is best or how he was advised by his predecessor. In principle, the whole organization’s management is based on trust. The rules are made by the members who have the chance to propose their ideas at one of the two general member assemblies where we set up a framework.
Our external commissioner is responsible for finding partners like merchant banks, fund managers or other companies in the financial sector who not only support us financially, but also offer lectures, in-house days, and help us organize events. We acquire new partners every year which gives the organization financial independence. As we are not bound to a faculty we do not receive any financing from the university.
What activities does B&R offer to students? What kind of events are there during the year? We have a combination of educational and social activities. As for the educational side, our aim is to educate our members by offering seminars e.g. on technical analysis, lectures on financial instruments, and once every year we organize the Symposium which is our biggest event and is comparable with a congress at which 4-5 speakers from different fields and backgrounds present their own view on the coming year on the stock market. As for the social side, we have a biweekly social drink at Sus & Co, beer tastings, a poker tournament, and an active member’s weekend at the beginning of the academic year. The disputes also organize their own events within their group. Important to know is that there are no obligations for the members to attend these events; they can choose freely how much they wish to participate in the society.