About the CIFP Case Challenge
Students in the Financial Services major are selected to represent Bow Valley College every year. During the challenge, teams develop a case analysis, recommendations, and an implementation plan before presenting their solution to a panel of financial planning professionals. This is a notable opportunity for our students to gain team building, time management, interpersonal, and presentation skills. As well, students have an opportunity to network with the sponsoring organizations.
April 02, 2022
This year’s CIFP Case Challenge was held virtually with participants across Canada showcasing their financial planning skills.
Coached by Raj Brar, three learners from the Bow Valley College participated (Aj Lyn Guillermo, Braden Mcleod, and Kenil Shah). Our team was awarded 5th place!
“The personal financial planning courses at BVC are packed with so much information. The Case Competition gave me an opportunity to apply that knowledge. Each practice leading up to the competition solidified something I learned in class. Not only did it help me retain knowledge, but it also gave me near real-world experiences. Coming out of the Case Competition, I am more confident, knowledgeable, and excited about the future.” – Braden Mcleod
March 25, 2021
In adapting with our new reality with the widespread COVID 19 pandemic, the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning adjusted and formatted their very first virtual financial planning case challenge.
Coached by Christy Hemmingway, three learners from the Bow Valley College participated (Carlo Vincent Sarmiento, Kenil Shah, and Tan Kiet Truong). Our team was awarded 3rd place nationwide!
“The CIFP competition was a one in a million experience! The competition helped me be prepared to be a financial advisor as real-world case studies were used. I was able to apply what I learned from my courses. Our mentors, Christy and Raj, and my groupmates, Kiet and Kenil, were real professionals. It was great working with them as a team and winning 3rd place for BVC! I would highly recommend other students to participate in this competition. Not only would you have a glimpse of the Financial Services industry, but you will get a chance to network with industry professionals.”
– Carlo Vincent Sarmiento
March 2020
With Bow Valley College’s ongoing commitment to provide exceptional experiences to our financial services learners, two teams registered to participate in the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning Case Challenge.
The two teams, coached and mentored by Financial Services instructors Christy Hemmingway and Raj Brar, included: Olayinka (Yinka) Okunola, Manpreet (Mannu) Kaur, and Mercy Ward as well as Adrialyn Estepa, Giang (Erin) Nguyen, and Oludewa (Deborah) Emesiobi.
In preparing for this challenge, our learners met for 5 hours a week from the second week of January to the first week of March. Unfortunately, due to the widespread COVID 19 pandemic, the CIFP Case Challenge was cancelled. To honor our learner’s time and dedication to this venture, both teams had an opportunity to present on campus in front of faculty and peers.
March 23, 2019
The Bow Valley College was proud to participate in this year’s CIFP Case Challenge held at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Two teams from Bow Valley College presented and showcased their financial planning skills.
The two teams, coached and mentored by Financial Services instructor Raj Brar included: Aaryan Khurana, Jurgen Valderrama, and Ritika Garg, as well as Arshdeep Boughan, Donny Burgess, and Jacky Yim. Our teams placed 5th and 6th rank respectfully.
March 10, 2018
On March 10th, Bow Valley College was honoured to host the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning (CIFP) Case Challenge, Western Regional. The competition brings together schools from the Western provinces to compete in formulating a financial plan in a short period of time.
This full-day event was followed up with a dinner and presentation of the winners. The real work began in the morning where teams had just two hours to analyze the case, develop a financial plan, and prepare a presentation. Teams later presented their plans to a panel of judges from the Financial Industry. This year’s competition included teams from Bow Valley College (2 teams), SAIT (2 teams), NAIT, and Red River College.
The Chiu School of Business team, coached and mentored by Financial Services instructors Christy Hemmingway and Raj Brar, included: Anuj Patel, André Kimerling, Joseph Amaral, Deepankar Sharma, Gurleen Benipal, and Leticia Marques. “It is a high-pressure competition for the students involved,” states Christy, “but provides students with an incredible opportunity for learning.”
Having an opportunity that encompasses more than academics, these case challenges provide growth and refinement in intellectual and social skills. “You gain more knowledge in financial planning, you have an opportunity to network with potential employers, and you develop personal skills such as self-confidence,” says Leticia. Working in a small team with tight timelines, students become aware of their skills and limitations. “I personally realize that we all brought different knowledge, skills sets, and innovation to the team. This helped us see the case from different perspectives and formulate solutions,” says Anuj.While the BVC teams did not place, they did an exceptional job in their financial plans and presentations to the industry judges. We are incredibly proud of their initiative, commitment, and accomplishments. This year’s winners of the CIFP Case Challenge were: 1st place: Red River College, 2nd place: SAIT, 3rd place: SAIT.
March 11, 2017
The Chiu School of Business team, Aleksandra Iurkovets, Devang Purohit, and Raphael Maningo, described this event as a great learning opportunity in financial planning that helped them to further develop confidence in presentation skills and public speaking as well. The instructors worked directly with the case team for the past three months to ensure they were ready with the appropriate knowledge to feel confident in any financial planning situation with potential clients.
"I couldn't be more proud of our team this year as they represented not only themselves but Bow Valley College incredibly well," stated Christy Hemmingway, Lead Instructor.
