Oct 03 Building Financial Literacy
Improving financial literacy is a Mysa must! This fall Vermont middle and high school students dove into the world of saving and investing via the Stock Market Game, a program of the SIFMA foundation. This Game allows students to build an understanding of the fundamentals of personal finance and investing, while practicing math, ELA, economics, social studies, and other subjects. Within the simulation, which follows the current market, each student is responsible for trading and managing their own virtual $100,000 investment portfolio in a real-world, dynamic marketplace.
During the first few weeks of the game students learned how to conduct research on potential investments, the difference between companies and their stocks, why it is important to have a diversified portfolio, key financial terms, and different investment vehicles (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.). Since then, students have completed many transactions, buying and selling stocks and mutual funds. They have seen the fluctuation and volatility in the market, and they have started to think about their investments as long term. Many have seen their stocks go from black to red and back to black, while others have seen them sink farther red. All-in-all through the Stock Market Game, students have improved their financial literacy and gained saving and investment habits which will be invaluable in the future.