The association Asset | Accounting & Finance, formerly the Financiële Studievereniging Tilburg (FST), was founded in 1999 by notarial deed as the result of a merger between ISABEST and FAT Mercurius.
ISABEST (1986 – 1999):
‘ISABEST’ was founded during a night out by several Business Economics students ‘Informatiesystemen en Accountancy’ in February, 1986. After having an intoxicating dinner at ‘de Turk’, visiting a backroom casino and a finishing drink at the ‘Gallery Club’, spirits were high. The first twenty members of ISABEST were all students of the first phase accountancy group of professor Ton van Reeken. The first and second year were prosperous, even outside of Tilburg the association was famed and famous. After a troublesome year and a refreshing board, a new and sadly empty start was made in the early nineties. In the years coming, cooperation with other students’ organizations improved, not only on the Tilburg campus. This resulted in the first ‘Landelijk Accountancy Congres’ (National Accountancy Congress) and the ‘Landelijk Overleg Accountancy Studenten’ (LOAS). Some ISABEST traditions are still alive and well within Asset | Accounting & Finance, such as the Meals-on-Wheels, the yearly Sinterklaas visit, and the semi-annual board swap.
B.S. De Studiebeurs (1986 – 1990)/F.A.T. Mercurius (1990 – 1999)
The ‘Mercurius’ foundation also dates back to 1986. In this year students of the Katholieke Universiteit Brabant started an investment association with the promising name of ‘Beleggings-Studievereniging De Studiebeurs’ (‘Investment Study Association the Study Grant’). Due to the growing numbers of interested students, in 1987, the association decided to abandon the waiting list. At this point an organizational chart was drafted to properly manage the rapidly expanding association. This resulted in a combined investment group, in conjunction with the mutual investment fund ‘Marge’. Over the years, ‘B.S. De Studiebeurs’ tried to let go of the investments image and reach out to other financial economic sides. Named after the Roman god of trade and profit, the name was changed to ‘B.S. Mercurius’. On a national level, collaboration was sought with two other finance related study associations of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, resulting in the Financierings Associatie Nederland (FAN). ‘Mercurius’ also brought some events to the Asset | Accounting & Finance: the first congress was organized by Mercurius and of course the related investment group.
Financiele Studievereniging Tilburg (1999-2008) and Asset | Accounting & Finance (2008-present)
On September 1, 1999, the first General Members Meeting of the ‘Financiele Studievereniging Tilburg’ was held, where the FST was officially founded. The ‘Financierings Associatie Tilburg – Mercurius’ and ‘Studievereniging ISABEST’ would no longer exist. About four years prior to this historical date the first precautious approaches were made. Over this period the various activities were tuned in to each other. An actual merger, however, took quite some time. Merging two prosperous, successful, and characteristic associations is not a decision taken lightly. The economic faculty of Tilburg University wanted to cut down the number of student organizations, and so ‘ISABEST’ and ‘Mercurius’ decided to team up. ‘Vinken’ and ‘Cash is King’ under the same roof, how is this going to be a success? It appears an excellent combination, as the best of both worlds continues to live on. As of the 2008/2009 academic year the association for students interested in accounting, controlling, finance, and investment theory goes by the name of ‘Asset | Accounting & Finance’. After a new university-bred plan, Asset | Accounting & Finance became part of the general faculty association for the entire School of Economics and Management in 2013.