The Stock Market Game is Under Way

This year the Business and Finance classes and the Finance Club are currently playing a game called The Stock Market Game (SMG). There are a total of 12 teams participating, split up between different classes. We play this game in order to learn more about the business world and how it works. Steve Kautz is teaching this class and has had his classes play the Game for the past ten years at Waynflete.  He has an incredible amount of knowledge about this subject material. As a matter of fact, Steve is one of the top financial educators in the State.  In an effort to learn more about The Stock Market Game, I asked Steve some questions.

First, I asked Steve why he includes this particular game in his Business and Finance curriculum.  He answered that he wants to promote both financial and math literacies. “Playing The Stock Market Game immerses students in numbers. Those who are already comfortable with math can use their skills for in depth analysis, modeling, and decision making.”

Then I asked him what he wants his students to learn from the game.  “Students will gain some specific stock market research skills like reading charts, understanding ratios, calculating yields, and making predictions.  Also, I want them to get a feel for the risk/reward trade off inherent in investing.”  Steve’s ultimate goal is to “demystify the stock market.” He thinks that The Stock Market Game it is a very important tool with which students can use to learn and practice skills.

I am currently participating in The Stock Market Game as a student in Steve’s Business and Finance class. I am really enjoying it. Currently, my team is not doing so well, but we invested in a lot of stocks, so I am hopeful that our ranking will go up. I also love the subject material overall in this class.  I think I will draw on the knowledge and skills I learn in the class for my entire life.