If you’ve heard of Finance Club, it is likely that you dismissed it as boring, envisioning it as a club consisting of dull people obsessing over numbers and arduous graphs. From the perspective of the members, however, numbers and graphs aren’t nearly as boring as they seem in math class.
Driven by the desire for future success and prosperity, several individuals passionate about stocks created Finance Club this year, aiming to gain valuable knowledge that will contribute to their future success. Many members of the club are planning careers in the lucrative finance industry, and gaining early experience and knowledge gives a serious edge. Many employees working in the financial sector didn’t discover that career path until later in their college years or even while working in a different industry. Additionally, gaining knowledge about stocks can be beneficial even for those who aren’t planning a career in the financial sector, because investing or trading stocks can be great way to generate income in high school, college, or later in life to supplement another job.
The main goal of Finance Club is to educate its members on the fundamental aspects of investing in stocks, but we also learn about the basics of the financial industry and about the stock market in general. Through both presentations and open discussions, we explore basic and advanced techniques in the research and analysis of stocks, including understanding macroeconomic factors and industry conditions, evaluating the financials of companies, and learning basic technical analysis of stock charts. The club also aims to effectively support members looking to either pursue careers in finance or to gain skill in private wealth management.
Finance Club’s weekly meetings provide the basis for understanding the stock market. The meetings include informal discussions of market-wide events, trends, and research, explanations of basic concepts, as well as formal presentations of particular stock picks and stock analysis techniques. Members are free to give input about events and trends they have noticed and share other ideas.
Throughout the week, Finance Club participates in a stock market simulation by creating a virtual portfolio with real-time market data from MarketWatch. The simulation provides us with a greater understanding of how the market works and allows us to experiment with strategies and refine our techniques without any risk involved. It is important to develop a comprehensive outlook before getting involved with the market for real, as the majority of inexperienced traders lose money in the stock market. As members are developing a more sophisticated understanding of stocks, a pool is being introduced to the simulator, where those who put in money participate and are rewarded with a prize at the end of the three-week period. In the future, the club is hoping to be able to participate in an online stock-trading competition with the approval of Congressman Tom Reed.
If you have an interest in money (and who doesn’t?) and are motivated to become successful later in life, come join the IHS Finance Club. The club provides the critical basis necessary for understanding the stock market in order to invest in the stock market for real without risking a serious amount of money. The club meets every Thursday after school in Ms. Kautz’s room.