Student wins first place in state Stock Market Game

Congratulations to Bothell High School senior Daniel Deer, who took first place in the high school division of the fall 2023 Stock Market Game, sponsored by the Washington Council for Economics and Financial Education. Deer participated in the game as part of teacher Lori Ley’s Personal Finance class. His portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 by 185.58 percent during the duration of the game. Deer’s portfolio holdings included YUM (a restaurant brand), Money Hero Limited (a financial products platform), Norwegian Cruise Line, and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., among others. 

The Stock Market Game is a web-based investment simulation game designed to educate elementary, middle, and high school students about finances. Students are divided into teams to manage an investment portfolio of $100,000 of virtual money. They learn about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, but the educational benefits don’t stop there. To do well in the game, they must keep up with current events, understand basic economics, work as a team, and apply math and language arts skills in a new environment. As they play, students can check their team’s standing, research investments, and view recent news about the companies or funds, all from within the game. They build their portfolios by purchasing and selling any combination of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds at real world market prices. Their team rankings are determined by how well their portfolios perform as compared to the performance of the S&P 500. 

For many people, investing in the stock market is the only way to build real wealth, but a lack of knowledge prevents many from doing so. Students who participate in the Stock Market Game leave the game with a working knowledge of saving and investing, prepared to make intelligent choices about preparing for their financial future.

The Stock market game is administered in Washington by Pam Whalley, Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education. The Stock Market Game is a program of the Securities Industry Foundation. In Washington, no school is denied access to the game due to financial constraints.