Reflections on The Stock Game
The following is my reflection on The Stock Game that my sisters, cousins, and I played with my Grandpa. When I spoke to Grandpa, I realized there was a bit of a gap between his reasoning for the game and our takeaway…
This game has now gone on for 10 years, with all 13 of us grandkids playing until we either graduated from college or turned 22 and aged out. The second year introduced two new rules; we had to write a half-page summary of what we learned over the year, and a half-page summary of what we think money is for to give to Grandpa. I’ll tell you right now, not all of us achieved a full page, and most of us were writing them at the last possible minute. We were also allowed to sell stock of one company in favor of buying stock of another. Some years we each made hundreds of dollars (these were the good years), and there were years that some of us didn’t make anything. Luckily for us, it’s a game. So, if one of our companies lost money, we didn’t have to pay Grandpa, we would just walk away from the dining room table without any extra cash.
The game had multiple goals: the first was to teach us about the stock market. Over the years, we experienced volatility in the market, we picked up on some strategies, and we learned that in many cases it’s best to let the professionals handle it. This gave each of us the opportunity to decide if Uncle Jeff should be the “keeper” of our account and make trades on our behalf. The second goal was to teach us about the value of money.
Going back through what my cousins, sisters, and I have written over the years, this lesson was directly related to how our lives were changing. Our knowledge of “what money is for” tied into what we specifically needed it for.
For example: at the beginning of the game, the oldest of us were in high school. We had part-time jobs, but the money we earned was mostly used for things that we wanted. As of Christmas 2024, the oldest of us are in our mid-twenties. A couple of us are married. One of us has a kid. Money is no longer, and hasn’t been for a while, primarily about the things we want. In the years that we moved out of our parents’ houses, our letters to grandpa detailed new experiences like paying rent, buying groceries, and paying for utilities. Basically, trying to keep ourselves alive. We learned what it was to sacrifice little luxuries to pay for necessities or even to save a little extra. We learned how to put money into IRAs and 401(k)s. As kids, we had an abstract idea of these concepts, but we weren’t living them yet. Luckily, our parents and grandparents are fully equipped to explain just about anything that has a dollar sign.
If nothing else, I think the stock game forced us to sit down and think about money, at least once a year, in ways we maybe wouldn’t have otherwise. We learned that investing is a good way to make your money work for you. We have peace of mind knowing it’s there if we need it, but that it shouldn’t be the first place we go to for spending money. We’re still learning how to save and how to budget, like all young adults, but the stock game experience really gave us a leg up. I know that all of us are extremely grateful to have parents and grandparents who invest in our future, both emotionally and financially.
This information is intended for informational and educational purposes only and is not individual investment or tax advice. Investing involves risk, principal loss is possible.
Please remember that I am not an investment advisor nor am I a portfolio manager, but I can introduce you to a few.
