Thanks to funding from Charles Schwab Foundation, The Stock Market Game (SMG) team fees will be waived for the 2019-20 school year, allowing Minnesota teachers to provide a unique hands-on learning experience for thousands of Minnesota students.
In The Stock Market Game (SMG), students in grades 4-12 work in small teams to manage a $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. This engaging program allows students to learn and apply business, economics, math, research, and critical thinking skills in a real-world application.
Teachers across the state use SMG to complement their math, economics, business, personal finance and social studies curriculum. As part of the program, teachers can also request a guest speaker from the business community to visit their classroom, or have students submit entries into InvestWrite, a national essay competition.
Last year, in 2019, Charles Schwab Foundation provided a grant to cover the cost for schools to participate in SMG. Without funding support, the cost of SMG is a barrier for many schools to participate. One teacher shared, “Our school did not have funding to make this happen for students, so I’m thankful the fees did not get in the way of my students participating.” Another teacher noted that “giving students a ‘real-world’ opportunity to apply content and skills learned in the classroom is invaluable.” Several teachers also said they would not have been able to provide access to SMG for their students without funding support.
“We are proud to work with BestPrep to inspire and develop the next generation of independent investment advisor talent. Programs like The Stock Market Game help students prepare for careers in financial planning by allowing them to use classroom learning in a real-world application,” said Bernie Clark, Executive Vice President and head of Schwab Advisor Services.
Questions about the program or participating in SMG? Contact Stephanie Musgrove, program manager, at 763-233-6328 or smusgrove@bestprep.org. Teachers and administrators can learn more and register their classes at www.stockmarketgame.org.