InvestWrite Topic For Grades 9-12, Fall 2013 The maximum number of words in the essay for this

grade division is 1000.

Background: When choosing securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds), it is important to find out as much as you can to determine if a particular stock, bond, and mutual fund meets your investment goals. There are many research and analysis tools available in print and on the internet (see list below). The NASDAQ Dozen: Analyze a Stock in Twelve Easy Steps provides twelve steps to help you find and analyze basic information that can help you make an informed decision. The items to research and analyze include revenue, earnings per share (EPS), return on equity (ROE), professional/analyst recommendations, earnings benchmarks and surprises, past and future earnings forecast, earnings growth, PEG Ratio (P/E ratio divided by expected 12 month growth), the companys earnings compared to its industry earnings and company managers buying their companys stock. Bond and mutual fund research involves other kinds of information. Yahoo Finance suggests researching basic bond definitions, types of bonds, market trends, mutual funds that meet your financial goals and risk tolerance, maintenance fees, no load funds, and more. Essay: Assume you will make a presentation on saving and investing to a group of adults and parents visiting your school. Your essay will be your presentation and will be based on your investment goals and research strategy. Begin by identifying something you would like to save for over a 10-year period. Perhaps you would save to attend graduate school, start a business, prepare for retirement, volunteer or contribute to a cause that is important to youor something else you would like to achieve. Identify your investment goals including what you would save for over a 10-year period. Explain why that is your choice. Choose any two or more of the following: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cash, or any combination. (Select specific companies, bonds, or funds) Discuss the information you researched about the securities (i.e., revenue, earnings forecast, financials, company outlook, etc.). Highlight the research and analytical tools you used. Describe reference graphs, charts, and articles that would help you reach your decision. Explain how your research helped you formulate your decisions. Assess your research tools and indicate which research tools provided the most helpful information and explain why. Predict if the securities would be good investments to meet your stated investment goals and defend your reasoning. Provide footnotes and a list of references. As you write your essay, think about how you can create interest that will make your audience want to listen to your presentation intently. NOTE: Your essay is in written form only. You will be describing your research tools, not inserting them in your essay. You cannot add charts or graphs to your essay.

Research Tools Basic charts identify stock price over time (1 month, 5 years or more) Interactive charts - compare companies to other companies News Articles and Headlines report and evaluate the latest news articles on your favorite companies Industry Analysis compare companies to other companies in the same industry, or compare industry to industry Financials summarize revenue, profit, and long-term debt over time Annual Reports explain the future of the company, perhaps even state future research and development projects Videos CNBC has several online venues including Mad Money and short videos about investing, company news and stock and bond analysis Yahoo - short videos about investing, company news, stock and bond analysis Blogs CNBC - current company news coupled with analysis from experts in the field Be sure to check out the new tools in the Stock Market Game website!

Judging Criteria
Understanding of the Subject Matter Does the student exhibit knowledge regarding the concept of researching and planning an investment strategy? The student should address the scenario using relevant terminology and display an understanding of the core concepts of the stock market in the scenario. Rationale Is the essay thoughtful? The written argument should be presented in a manner that indicates there was a logical thinking process involved in addressing the assignment. Writing Style Is the student's work interesting to read? Does the written response encourage the reader to continue reading to the conclusion of the essay? Students have an opportunity in this exercise to exhibit the ability to communicate thoughts in an engaging and inviting manner, rather than focusing on grammar and spelling. Top 10 in each class move on to the National competition.

Fall 2013 9-12th Grade Awards

Every participant will receive an InvestWrite Certificate of Achievement.
Finalists (7)

1st place (1)

2nd place (1)

3rd place (1)

Student

3 Day/2 Night Trip to New York City and a "Wall Street Experience"

Laptop Computer

Laptop Computer

$50 Gift Card

Class

Classroom Pizza Party

Classroom Pizza Party

Classroom Pizza Party

School

InvestWrite Trophy

InvestWrite Trophy

InvestWrite Trophy

Parents

InvestWrite Plaque

InvestWrite Plaque

InvestWrite Plaque

1000 words or less

Due Wed. December 4

InvestWrite checklist
This is a structure guide for your essay. It is not a requirement. Beginning of essay Name Stock Market Game team login ID Title of essay Paragraph 1 (Introduction) Identify what you are saving for & why Identify your investment goal (grow or protect your money, risk/return, expected return, stocks or mutual funds, etc.) Focus on how saving & investing is 80% behavior/20% head knowledge and the need to create good habits Paragraph 2 Create a formula for investment success, weighting different research tools and why. (Data based objective analysis) Discuss which research tools you used in your formula and why
Basic charts identify stock price over time (1 month, 5 years or more) Interactive charts - compare companies to other companies News Articles and Headlines report and evaluate the latest news articles on your favorite companies Industry Analysis compare companies to other companies in the same industry, or compare industry to industry Financials summarize revenue, profit, and long-term debt over time Annual Reports explain the future of the company, perhaps even state future research and development projects Videos CNBC has several online venues including Mad Money and short videos about investing, company news and stock and bond analysis Yahoo - short videos about investing, company news, stock and bond analysis Blogs

Paragraph 3 & 4 Choose at least two specific investments (Comparing each to a competitor gets you to 4) Discuss data researched about the investments (i.e., revenue, earnings forecast, financials, company outlook, etc.) Compare company you chose to others in the same industry (possibly refer to charts here) Use of subjective tools like news articles or experts analysis/opinion Discuss how the research influences your decision to pursue these investments Paragraph 5 (Conclusion) Explain how your research process helps you to formulate a decision on your specific stocks (Discuss formula and the need for a data based objective analysis) Predict if the investment would help you meet your goal and defend your reasoning