Money Madness in March

You think you can pick stocks, determine which ones have the best chance of making the most gains in a one-month period? Do you think you can apply investment-analysis principles, ratio analysis, technical trends, or just plain instinct to determine which stocks are the best bet this spring?

Then consider competing in Consortium alum's Rob Wilson's second-annual March Money Madness stock-picking contest. Last year, he started the competition to take advantage of "bracket-mania" that accompanies the annual NCAA basketball championship and to promote investing in equity markets. This year, he resumes his version of the tournament with hopes he can attract many more participants (and sponsors) and award more prizes.

March Money Madness works similar to picking winners in traditional NCAA college brackets. There are rounds of competition, and in each round, participants try to pick a weekly winner between two stocks (like two college teams competiting). Just like the NCAA, in the early rounds, there are 32 and then 16 stock pairs. In subsequent rounds, participants choose winners among the companies that are remaining in the tournament.

From round to round, winners in pairings are determined based on the higher market return in the following week. Last year, the top prize was in iPad. This year, winners in the final round (the championship) will also receive prizes.

To win, stock-pickers of course must focus on short-term gains. But Wilson says the primary purpose is to promote investment education, to help participants learn more about equity markets and get comfortable in making stock selections, and to understand more about market trends and behavior.

To register and participate in this year's tournament, go to http://www.marchmoneymadness.net/ for competition rules. Reach out to Wilson at rob@robwilson.tv if you have feedback or are interested in being a sponsor. You can register after Feb. 15, but must do so before Mar. 16.

Wilson is a 2005 Consortium graduate of Carnegie Mellon. He is a Vice President in financial consulting at Blazer Capital Management and is a TV contributor and commentator on financial topics on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV (See http://www.robwilson.tv/.)

--Tracy Williams