Students Eligible to Win $10,000 Through Essay Contest

The Robert L. Gould Scholastic Award is an opportunity for students of all majors to submit a research paper for the chance to win up to $10,000.

For more than 30 years, SS&C Technologies, a financial technology company, has sponsored the award to recognize outstanding university students who produce academic papers on topics related to investment management strategies, theories and trends.

The topic for this year is American investment into personal retirement plans. Although Americans have vehicles to save for retirement such as 401ks and IRAs, the median family retirement savings in 2022 was only $87,000 - not enough to retire. Some countries, such as Australia, mandate a retirement contribution for all employees. Other countries, such as France, rely primarily on pensions/defined benefits. What should be done to better prepare Americans for retirement - both by individuals and by the government?

First place will receive $10,000, second place will receive $7,500 and third place will receive $5,000. To apply for the Gould Scholastic Award, students must be a University junior, senior or honors program student. Graduate students are not eligible to participate. Group projects are eligible, but if the group wins, the winning dollars are split equally among the members of the group.

Interested students should contact Yung-hwal Park, associate professor of business administration, at yhpark@truman.edu by Sept. 20.