Category: Competitions

The semi-annual Husky Investment Tournament, founded in 2019 and hosted by the Michigan Tech College of Business, takes place this fall from September 30 to November 8, 2024.

In the contest, teams of 3-4 high school students compete with teams at schools in their region, learning about business, finance, investing, and economics as they build an investment portfolio with $1 million virtual dollars. No experience is necessary and there is no charge to participate.

At the end of the tournament, the best performing team receives a $1,000 cash prize. All students who actively participate in the tournament receive a one-time $1,000 Michigan Tech scholarship.

The high school students, typically enrolled in economics, business, or personal finance classes, learn about investing step-by-step through a series of weekly videos and articles produced by College of Business students and faculty, which are presented in their classes and augmented by additional learning from their teachers.

To manage their investments, the student teams use Stocktrak, an all-in-one software package for financial education. The platform includes videos, lessons, and other tutorials on hundreds of investment-related topics. For trading, Stocktrak provides a paper-brokerage account that closely resembles the real brokerage accounts offered by investment firms.

“This is a great opportunity for high school students to learn about real-world investing and experience the hands-on learning that Michigan Tech and the College of Business are known for,” says College of Business undergraduate Luke Helsel, who is coordinating this fall’s tournament with business undergraduate Sydney Lurvey.

As coordinators of the tournament Helsel and Lurvey reach out to prospective schools and teachers to share details about the program and recruit students to participate. They register the student teams on Stocktrak, help teachers set up the program, and answer questions and provide resources as the contest progresses. During the tournament, Helsel and Lurvey monitor the students’ portfolios and periodically share highlights of the students’ progress.

At least 250 students are expected to participate in the contest this fall. Historically, participating schools span from the Upper Peninsula to across the nation.

“This program gives participating students a small taste of what Michigan Tech offers to students,” Helsel says. “Opportunities like these are a valuable resource, Students will gain a significant leg-up on their peers when it comes to their investment skills, which can translate to real life wealth building.”