Two students at Horizon Elementary School have learned at an early age about wise investing and climbed to the top in the Alabama Stock Market Game.

Witek and Zhang are students in Beth Bero’s enrichment program at Horizon. Bero asked the boys for their investment recommendations. “Invest in what you would like to buy,” Witek and Zhang said. “We invested in Wal-Mart, technology like Apple and sporting goods stores that we both shop at.”

The Stock Market Game offers a library of learning materials correlated to national voluntary and state educational standards in several subjects, including math, economics and English. Fourth-graders through college students have met the challenge to learn about this facet of economics.

During ten weeks, students participate in an on-line trading experience with $10,000 in fake money. They ‘buy’ stocks, bonds and mutual funds and make numerous trade deals with their available funds in the Alabama Stock Market Game. At the end of the 10 weeks, teams with the most valuable portfolios win their division (alcee.org).

Teams traded common stocks and mutual funds from the NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX exchanges.

Understanding the basics of the stock market was a key factor for Witek and Zhang. After study, they realized that individuals usually make money by investing in a company that is earning profits. Witek and Zhang avoided putting ‘their money’ in companies that weren’t doing well.

Students ‘bought’ stocks that they trusted with the use of computer simulation. When changes occur on the real stock market, the computer simulation reflects the fluctuations.

The Stock Market Game also raised awareness about the effect of world events on the global marketplace and the real-world stock market.

Witek and Douglas Zhang won $75 each in ‘real’ money.

For more information, visit stockmarketgame.org.