School-Year Program Week 2: Investing Basics

This week’s session focused on introducing the basics of investing and helping members better understand how the stock market works in practice. The goal was to demystify investing by breaking down key terms, exploring why people invest, and discussing different ways individuals can participate in the market.

We started off by looking at the stock market using Yahoo Finance. With guidance from our undergraduate mentor, Greg, members were introduced to common investing metrics, such as the P/E ratio and other indicators used to evaluate a company’s performance. Seeing these concepts applied to real companies helped make investing feel more relevant, rather than intimidating.

For one of the activities, members shouted out companies they were curious about and wanted to analyze, which sparked engagement and allowed everyone to see how different companies compare in the market. We wrapped up the lesson with a Jeopardy-style game focused on investing basics, which highlighted key ideas in a fun and competitive way.

Several aspects of the session went particularly well. One member actively took notes on their phone while listening. Additionally, one team dominated the Jeopardy game, which was a clear indicator that they had grasped the core concepts introduced during the lesson. The focus and attentiveness of the participants demonstrated that the material was accessible and effective.