What started off as a common interest between a group of McLean students involving trading and investing in the stock market has expanded into a very popular club at McLean. The Investors Club was founded three years ago by MHS alumni Garret Detter and has continued to grow over the years.  Currently it is being led by senior Jacob Fernicola (president of the club) and science teacher William Thomas (sponsor of the club) with up to 90 members.

“We created the club to encourage students to become interested in investing. Investing is a great way to build long-term wealth by utilizing cash resources you would otherwise be saving,”  Thomas said.

Investing is a skill rarely touched in most highschools across America but can bring great benefits. With over 50% of the American population involved in the stock market, it is necessary to have some foundational knowledge on investing in order to make profits.

“Every week or two we have a Google meeting, where the leaders present a slideshow. They go over updates on the stock market game, interesting stocks worth watching, and many other educational slides. Outside of club meetings, there is a stock market simulation game that every member takes part in,” junior Charles Tang said. “Members can build their own stock portfolios with any companies using $100,000 of virtual money. In addition to fostering an interest and knowledge of stocks, the stock market game provides a fun competition to club members.”

The 10 winners of the competition are posted on their Instagram page, mhs_investorsclub. The picture shows the names and their placement number on the right and  the left side conveys their total net worth along with the profit they made. Looking at the page’s first post and comparing it to their most recent, it is noticeable that these students have made major leaps in the span of three weeks.

“My first week playing the stock market game I made $207,974.48 in profit. Fast forward three weeks and now I’m making $413,658.31 in profit,” Tang said.

According to Thomas, the club is only getting larger by the week as students from all grade levels are joining the club.

“The club is really casual and the member interactions make the Investors Club seem like a more tight-knit community than some of the other clubs at McLean,” Tang said.

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