Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge Brings Local Students and Community Members to Competition

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Teams of Junior Achievement students from Enfield High School and adults from sponsoring companies in Connecticut are participating in the 2024 JA Stock Market Challenge, a simulation-based program in which teams are each issued $1,000,000 to buy mock portfolios of stock in 30 fictitious companies and compete to generate the best returns.

On Tuesday, March 12, during the day, the Challenge is an opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned in JA’s Take Stock in Your Future lessons, made possible through the support of RSM, which introduces high school students to the basic concepts of how the stock market works and the impact of current events on results. Students discover the benefits and challenges of investing in the stock market as part of a broader, long-term investment strategy and the risks and rewards of trading. More than 100 Enfield High School students will be participating; the session runs from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

In the evening, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, event teams of employees from program sponsors, college students, young professional groups and other JA supporters will come together for a friendly competition, networking, and refreshments. This adults-only event is a fun opportunity for those in the finance industry and beyond to celebrate the knowledge and skills students learn through the JA Stock Market Challenge and develop the interest and talent pipeline of young professionals in Connecticut.

The JA Stock Market Challenge Competition, during the day and evening, will take place at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

“We at Junior Achievement of Southwest New England are excited to have teams from our community participate in this event!” said JA President and CEO, Jeremy Race. “The JA Stock Market Challenge allows participants to experience the rush of being on the trading floor, and get a firsthand experience of potential careers in the investment field.”

With a focus on financial literacy and insights into how a company’s performance on the stock market can be influenced by current events, the JA Stock Market Challenge competition brings 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.

JA Take Stock in Your Future lessons for students and the JA Stock Market Challenge event are made possible by generous sponsors including support from the following top sponsors: Presenting Sponsor, M&T Bank; Investment Sponsors, Hartford Business Journal and Webster Bank; Penny Stocks Sponsor, RSM; Portfolio Sponsors, Marsh & McLennan, Snowden Lane Partners, and Wealthspire Advisors.

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

Today, JA reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in over 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide.

This year, JA of Southwest New England plans to serve 35,000 students through in-person, hybrid and virtual programs. JA of Southwest New England, based in Hartford, has been recognized by JA USA for six consecutive years for financial stability, student growth, and overall management efficiency.

In response to the pandemic, JA virtualized all programming and special events for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years and met students, educators, and volunteers where they were – serving more than 14,000 and 29,000 students during those years virtually, with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers.

If you are a JA alumni or would like to find out more about joining Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and how you can make a difference in a young person’s life by volunteering this school year, please contact President & CEO, Jeremy Race at jrace@jaconn.org. Any support you provide to Junior Achievement will help us change the lives of students in Connecticut, inspiring and empowering them for future success.