Area JA students experience rush of being on trade floor

Brody Miller and William Dunbar were part of the group of 270 area high school students who attended the 2024 JA Stock Market Challenge on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. The Junior Achievement of the Heartland event brought together the students for a simulated stock trading event that allowed young people […]

Brody Miller and William Dunbar were part of the group of 270 area high school students who attended the 2024 JA Stock Market Challenge on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. The Junior Achievement of the Heartland event brought together the students for a simulated stock trading event that allowed young people to discover the benefits and challenges of investing in the market as part of a broader, long-term investment strategy and the risks and rewards of trading.

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The two Highland High School students from Riverside, Iowa, were at the challenge with big goals in mind: They wanted to win a lot of money, at least simulated money; win the competition; and even get revenge. “I’m here to win this. I was here last year and we got seventh place. So, I’m here for revenge today,” said a smiling Brody. William’s goals were a bit more direct: “I want to have fun at this and make some big bucks.” “We at Junior Achievement of the Heartland are incredibly excited to have teams from our community participate in this event,” said Dougal Nelson,  president and CEO, JA of the Heartland, in a news release before the Tuesday event. “The JA Stock Market Challenge allows students to experience the rush of being on the trade floor, which provides a great experience for students interested in exploring what stock investment is like today.” On Tuesday, Mr. Nelson encouraged students to work as a team, “yell and scream a lot” in order to get their simulated trades and have a chance of winning the stock market challenge. “This is really a team game. You really have to work as a team to win,” he added. Here’s how some of that teamwork played out: The students, from 23 area high schools, were divided into teams and placed at a series of tables in the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose. The challenge centered on 60 days of simulated stock trading with each “day” lasting 60 seconds in the contest. During that time, each student team bought and sold stocks. Those stock orders were placed with 25 “floor traders,” played by RSM US LLP employees who wore green visors and ran from table to table with the stock orders. To add a touch of realism, there were a series of news events and hot tips introduced during the competition that impacted the financial markets. Students had to look over the tips and see how they might impact their trades. “Due to the volatile and high energy of the competition, teams will be pushed to the brink. Trading is fast, fun and furious,” according to information from Junior Achievement. At the end of the event, or the closing bell, the team with the highest net worth was declared the winner. Teams from Highland High School took first and third places, and a team from Rivermont Collegiate took second place. But the real goal of the event was to provide the students with some lessons on financial literacy and insights into how a company’s performance on the stock market can be influenced by current events.  The competition helps bring business economics to life. As students work in teams, to make decisions on when to buy, sell, or trade stocks, they begin to see how every choice made in investing relates to its future success, according to information from Junior Achievement. “I really hope they learn how to work as a team at this event,” said Sara Husser, an educator at Bettendorf High School, who accompanied a team of four high school students to the challenge.  She added another goal of the event is to get the students interested in a career in the business or finances. The event also featured an investment panel that gave the student some advice from the world of finances. Those panel members included:

• Catherine Dittmer, senior financial advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
• Blake Schaeffer, financial advisor with Quad City Bank & Trust Wealth Management Group.
• Steve Vanderschaff, senior vice president, wealth management, and branch manager, Raymond James.

The three answered a few questions about their jobs and gave career advice. For instance, one question was: What’s the favorite part of your job? Mr. Vanderschaff said it’s the freedom to run your business the way you see fit. Mr. Schaeffer said, it’s getting to help people. And Ms. Dittmer said it’s constantly learning and improving in the changing financial environment. High schools with participating teams scheduled to participate in the JA Stock Market Challenge included Alleman High School, Bettendorf High School, Burlington High School, Calamus-Wheatland High School, Central DeWitt High School, Central Lee High School, Davenport West High School, Highland High School, Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Kewanee High School, LaSalle Peru Township High School, MidCity High School, North Cedar High School, North Scott High School, Pleasant Valley High School, River Ridge High School, Rivermont Collegiate, Thurgood Marshall Learning Center, United High School, Wapello High School, Washington High School, West Burlington High School, and Winfield-Mt. Union High School. The JA Stock Market Challenge was presented by RSM US LLP, and sponsored by Empeople Credit Union, Per Mar Security Services, Eaton, Green Buick GMC, Raymond James, Group O, Honkamp, and St. Ambrose University.