Investing

In this activity, students will:

• Make over 40 investment decisions as they allocate their savings between a multitude of investment options
• Receive short in-game lessons explaining the details of the specific investment
• Practice diversifying their portfolio to yield the highest return

In this activity students will be able to: 

• Try to time the market on the Initial Public Offering (IPO) for 7 well-known tech companies using an online interactive
• Calculate their return on investment if they sold their shares today
• Decide whether they think investing in IPOs is a sound investment strategy

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use an online compound interest calculator to calculate the total amount an individual would have in a savings or retirement account
• Identify what factors impact compounding and how 
• Explain why compounding can be a powerful saving and investing strategy
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to: 

• Use an online interactive to investigate what stocks and industries make up the S&P 500
• Analyze the returns of the S&P 500
• Grasp the idea of diversification and the value of investing in index funds 

In this activity students will be able to: 

• Analyze the data in 3 different types of graphs 
• Explain the importance of investing early for retirement 
• Understand the power of compound interest over time 

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use an inflation calculator to think about the relationship between interest and inflation.
• Learn why long term saving might not be enough for large purchases in the distant future.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Use an online retirement calculator to explore the relationship between time horizon, income, and savings rate on an individual’s retirement savings goals.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to: 

• Examine a number of cartoons about timing the market and choose one to analyze in more depth
• Explain the cartoon's key message about timing the market and how it depicts that message

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Determine what features they value in a brokerage account and then conduct online research to determine which accounts best meet their needs.
• Compare and then select which brokerage account would be best for them.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Learn about pensions, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and 401(k) plans
• And will be able to determine distinguishing features of each.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Walk step-by-step through an example of how dollar cost averaging works
• Conduct online research of historical stock prices
• Use a spreadsheet to examine effects of dollar cost averaging
• Understand how dollar cost averaging benefits them as investors.

With this activity students will be able to:

• Understand how to read a bond market index fund fact sheet from Vanguard
• Identify important elements of a bond, such as level of risk, expense ratio, and interest rates

With this activity students will be able to:

• Read an index fund fact sheet
• Understand the most important elements on the fact sheet, including fund description, fees, performance and composition

With this activity students will be able to:

• Read a target date fund fact sheet
• Understand the most important elements on the fact sheet, including fund description, fees, performance and composition

In this whole-class activity, each student receives a card representing a company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Through a series of 5 rounds, students will:

• Combine with other companies
• Assess risk and return along the way
• Eventually create an index fund comprised of the Dow.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Learn about the structure of a popular index composed of the largest companies in the U.S. -- the S&P 500
• Apply their knowledge of index funds through a fun, out-of-their-seats, whole-class challenge

In this activity, students will:

• Hypothesize how many items are in the jar and collaborate with classmates on strategies
• Analyze averages and compare to the actual value
• Explore behavioral finance in a fun and engaging activity

This fun and easy-to-implement game elicits various emotions we feel when we gain, lose, or miss out on investment opportunities and brings to light the psychology behind some of the investment decisions we make.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Look up historical stock prices on Yahoo! Finance
• Create charts and graphs using spreadsheets to compare the yearly values and return on investment (ROI)
• Write a final report on which stock would be the best option
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Work in teams and design an investment portfolio appropriate for a 23-year-old
• Conduct online research and present their portfolio either as a written report or a slideshow presentation
• Use investment strategies learned in this lesson/unit

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Decide whether to buy, sell, or hold stocks from Ravioli Den
• Experience how current events shape the market and calculate their portfolio value after each round
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Read an article of 25 things to know about investing and categorize the items based on their prior knowledge.
• Exchange knowledge with a partner to further the learning.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Read research on the internet to answer basic questions about retirement age, Social Security, and pension programs.

In this activity, students will:

• Complete a mock 401(k) enrollment form
• Decide how much of their pay to invest
• Assess their own risk tolerance and select funds for their investment