Addison Trail students finish in 2nd and 3rd place in The Stock Market Game

From February to May, about 70 Addison Trail students in teacher Tom Hubner’s economics classes participated in an online simulation program called The Stock Market Game, and three students finished in the top three.

The Stock Market Game is a program of the SIFMA Foundation that's administered by Econ Illinois and is meant to help students learn more about financial literacy. Through the game, students manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio and invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, learning about global markets, long-term saving and investing.

Out of 681 teams in the region – and 2,473 teams in the state – Addison Trail senior Brandon Sheehan came in 3rd place, and seniors Juan De La Paz and Miguel Garcia Sanchez (who competed as a team) came in 2nd place.

De La Paz and Garcia Sanchez said their key to success was communicating with each other and investing in shares that were lower in cost, but had potential to earn a high return.

Garcia Sanchez added that through participating in The Stock Market Game, he realized he has the skills to be successful in business.

Sheehan said he enjoyed participating in the game.

“The biggest lesson I learned is to manage your money well,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, and everyone should try it.”