The Consumer Education

Class

Investment Club

 

INVEST SMART GAME * Graph Rubric * Portfolio Page Rubric * Report Rubric

Introduction

You and your fellow club members are being given $100,000 to invest in the stock market. This money may be invested in the stock of your choice, and it will be invested through the INVEST SMART game. This game is located on the Internet at the location of the investment site, Invest Smart. Of course you will not be investing real money; you will only be playing the Invest Smart game. Invest Smart's game will end April 30th. Your object, of course, is to invest as wisely as possible, so that at the end of April your group shows more profit than any other group in the two classes.

Task

Your task is to divide into groups of 2 people each.

As a group, you need to:

  • Become familiar with the stock market and the different stocks.
  • Collaborate in order to choose your stocks wisely.
  • Pick a minimum of 5 stocks to a maximum of 15 stocks that you feel will make money for you.
  • Keep a weekly log of gains/losses and economic reasons for such. Be sure to record the total value of each of the investments in your portfolio every Friday.
  • Evaluate weekly to redirect your investments if necessary. This will be done the last 15 minutes in class every Friday.
  • At the end of each month, turn in a portfolio page with your stocks shown on it.
  • At the end of each month, make a graph of your project showing the total in your porfolio, using one-week intervals.
  • At the end of April turn in a one-page report showing your profit or loss, the stocks you had at the beginning of the project, and the stocks you have at the end. If you sell, give reasons to justify your change. Check out the report rubric to see how this will be graded.
  • Have fun and good luck!

Process and Guidance

For your first visit to the game site,

  • Go to the Internet Site INVEST SMART GAME
  • Click Educator
  • Click Individual Registration
  • Fill in the information blanks on the game, following the information on the handout.
  • You will choose a log-on name and a password. Write them down and keep one copy for you and give one copy to me. Click register.
  • Click the Back Arrow above the address box. Fill in the four boxes with our group name and password. Click Login. You should know be ready to begin trading.

At the beginning of the game, you will be given $100,000 to invest as you choose. You will need to think about your investments, using some of the resources shown below to help you choose your stocks.

By the end of the first week you should have at least $80,000 spent. At the end of the first week, print a portfolio page and fill in your stock information for me. At the top of the page be sure to put your login name and your password. This will be worth 16 points.

At the end of each week, continute filling in your portfolio page with your new stock information. Turn this portfolio page in at the end of the month. It will be worth another 16 points.

At the beginning of the next two months print a portfolio page and fill in your stock information. At the top of the page be sure to put your login name and your password. Turn a complete page each month. These will be worth 16 points each.

At the end of April, turn in a one-page report explaining your profit or loss, the stocks you had at the beginning of the project, and the stocks you have at the end. If you sell, give reasons to justify your change. This will be worth 32 points.

When the project is over at the end of April, your group will make a graph of your project showing the total profit or loss in your porfolio comparing the beginning and end of the month, using one-week intervals. This will be worth 16 points.

 

Resources

 

For the Invest Smart game, you may click on the following site to jump to this location. Be sure to have your login and password handy to sign in:

Evaluation

The project will be an ongoing grade as shown in the Process and Guidance Section. It will consist of points for turning in the weekly and monthly assignments. portfolio page See grading scales (rubrics) for portfolio page, graph, and report.

Conclusion

Completing these activities should have given you a greater understanding of financial analysis and the various strategies used in making sound investment decisions. Questions to consider:

  • Why is it important to look at financial information over a period of time rather than a year or two or even a week or two?
  • Why don't numbers always tell the whole story?
  • What current market events could cause changes in the prices of stocks?

With the skills you've gained completing the activities in this WebQuest, set some short-term and long-term investing goals for yourself. How can you apply this knowledge to your own personal finances?