Despite the importance of money management and sensible investment as a crucial life skill, students usually aren’t taught the basics of investing at all. According to a survey conducted by the investment advisory company BlackRock, almost 50% of investors don’t feel confident in their stock choices. It is not uncommon for inexperienced investors to sometimes feel as though they are just gambling away their savings without rhyme or reason.

At OHS, it is clubs like the Investment Competition Club that strive to combat this problem. New this year, the club was started by president Kaden Ma and Jimmy Wey, two veteran investors keen to teach students the art of investing. The investment competition club seeks to build a community in which people can develop investment skills that they’ll use for the rest of their life.

Kaden Ma and Jimmy Wey have been hobby investors for the past three years and have accumulated a solid textbook understanding of economics along the way. With this experience under their belts, they plan to teach everything from the basic fundamentals of investing to more complicated strategies.

The club boasts an inclusive and welcoming environment, striving to be a place where anyone can come to learn about economics and relevant investing strategies. As Kaden Ma said,“The core concepts of the club are bringing people together who enjoy investing and really building a community that’s just focused around competing and learning together”.

The club welcomes all levels of experience, from the brand new investor to the long term veterans. “It’s good for people who just really want to try it out,” said Jimmy.

However, he emphasizes that the club isn’t only for new investors. “We’re going to start with basic topics, and then naturally progress through discussion based meetings.”

In contrast to the pre-existing Business and Finance Club, The Investment Competition Club will narrow their focus mainly on investing, specifically setting their sights on the Wharton Investment Competition.

With the Competition in mind, club members will build their skills throughout the year. When asked about the club’s goals, Kaden responded, “The Wharton investment competition is also one of the main parts of the club.” However, he also emphasized that club members do not have to participate, and the club meetings will not just be for those in the competition.

When it comes to future plans, Kaden and Jimmy have big goals for the coming year including but not limited to collaborating with the Business and Finance Club, hosting guest speakers, and most notably, supporting local communities.

In the second semester, the club plans to host economics seminars for local schools. “We also want to give back to local communities. We’re planning, as a club, to create a presentation so club members can reach out to local schools and teach students about personal finance,” Kaden said.