Six boys, one computer. Standing around a hightop table, a group of seniors study the screen — stock market statistics. They are trying to decide which stock to purchase first for their portfolio. When the dismissal bell rings at 2:40 on Tuesdays, the boys shuffle into room 505, where business teacher Kevin Wiesner greets them each by name.
The meeting begins with seniors Henry Stechshulte and Thomas Gogel welcoming their peers. Together, they form an effective team, managing their club together. The duo shares a love for business, marketing and financial studies, and they hope to share this passion with their peers.
“We both have a mutual interest in investing and entrepreneurship in business,” Stechshulte said. “We’re hoping that eventually we can build [Investing Club] up enough [that] we can have something that’s a success, that we can show the next class.”
Both grew into their love for investing over quarantine, partially from time spent chatting with family members, and partially out of boredom. It was the perfect situation: a desire for financial and intellectual growth and plenty of free time. With endless time to spare, they were able to check up on the stock market daily.
“You really [had] nothing to do,” Gogel said, “I took to the stock market and started researching some things, figuring out what I could do to improve or in the long run make money as well,” Gogel said.
Through rekindling the Investment Club, Stechshulte and Gogel have built themselves a successful platform to support their goals. Typically meetings begin with an agenda, current events in the market and any questions the members might have.
This semester, they’re aiming to lay a strong foundation for the club. This means figuring out logistics — whether they will invest as a group or individually, how to track their finances accurately and whose account they will use to invest.
Through organizing their club, Stechshulte and Gogel have been able to learn and grow their interest in the stock market — one they each hope to pursue in their collegiate careers. Gogel plans on majoring in finance and business. Stechschulte is undecided but also expects to enter the business field.
“I think it’s also just good knowledge, even if you’re not going to go into the field or if you’re not going to study in college,” Stechshulte said. “you can still have that knowledge there and go into the field after college. It could open so many doors in the future.”